Has the UN decided to put official LGBTQ+ flags outside its headquarters as a sign that this will be the "new normal" and that national flags are being replaced everywhere, including Romania? No, that's not true: while the UN supports the LGBT+ community, the flags that appear in several viral TikTok clips are at Rockefeller Center in New York. It is now a custom for international and national organizations, as well as businesses and administrative buildings, to celebrate Pride Month this way.
The story originated from a video (archived here) posted by TikTok user @adibox1972 on April 11, 2023, with the title and description:
Soon, on every government building! The flags of all UN member states have been replaced with the "new normality" flag. WAKE THE F..CK UP!
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Jun 15 12:47:19 2023 UTC)
As Lead Stories previously wrote, the UN did not replace national flags with rainbow flags: images circulating online show Pride Month flags around the skating rink at the privately owned Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Romanian TikTok users took the theory one step further and claim this will also happen to government buildings everywhere, but there is no indication something like this could happen.
It is customary for institutions, businesses and public spaces to display rainbow flags annually, in the month of June, also known as Pride Month. Several businesses in Romania adhere to this practice. This is a temporary gesture, not a permanent change.
The claim follows a series of false narratives around the LGBTQ+ community in Romania in the wake of an ECHR decision asking the country to provide legal recognition and protection to same-sex relationships.
