Blue Cities Fight To Keep Their Pride Flags Flying Despite Bans by Red State Legislatures

As traditionally conservative states try to crack down on flags other than the American flag or state and local flags flying at government buildings, politicians in blue cities in those states are finding new ways to skirt those bans.In one case, in Idaho, the Boise city council passed a resolution to include the LGBT Pride flag and the organ donor flag on government property. The council has flown the pride flag for more than a decade.Idaho’s legislature passed a bill earlier this year that was signed into law that prevents government buildings from flying any flag other than state and local flags and the American flag.While the law prohibits LGBT flags from being flown, it does not have an enforcement mechanism. Idaho’s attorney general, Raul Labrador, said he would ask the legislature to add a way to enforce the law in the 2026 legislative session. Another city in Idaho, Bonners Ferry, passed a resolution allowing it to fly an unofficial flag. The city, roughly 30 miles from the Canadian border, passed a resolution declaring 365 days of the year as “special occasions” allowing city buildings to fly the Canadian flag, as they have done for years. The city council at Salt Lake City also passed a resolution this week to designate three new flags as official flags. One flag is meant to celebrate Juneteenth, another is for the LGBT community, and a third is specifically for transgender residents. All three designs have been slightly modified and include the city’s emblem, a sego lily.In March, Utah put into place a law limiting what kind of flags can be flown on government property. Among those deemed appropriate are the American flag, the state flag, flags of other countries and states, military flags, flags of Native American tribes, flags of colleges or universities, the Olympic flag, the POW/MIA flag, and public school flags. The rainbow pride flag was not among them.Unlike Idaho, Utah’s law includes a fine of $500 a day until any prohibited flag is removed.In a statement, the mayor of Salt Lake City, Erin Mendenhall, said, “My sincere intent is not to provoke or cause division” by raising the pride flag. “My intent is to represent our city’s values and honor our dear diverse residents who make up this beautiful city and the legacy of pain and progress that they have endured,” she added. In recent years, conservatives have complained about the pride flag flying at government buildings. In 2021, the “Progress” flag was flown for the first time at the Department of State. In 2023, the American embassy to the Holy See displayed the pride flag. Shortly after President Trump was sworn in for his second term, the state department directed that only American flags or POW/MIA flags can be flown at embassies. In addition to Idaho and Utah, more than a dozen other states are considering bans on LGBT flags.While Salt Lake City and Boise are trying to buck the new state laws ahead, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said this week that Mr. Trump will not recognize June as Pride Month or authorize federal funds for “festivals and parades.”Mr. Trump also chose not to recognize Pride Month in 2017. The White House is not alone in deciding not to celebrate Pride Month. Axios reported that corporations such as Mastercard, Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, and Comcast are ending their sponsorships of Pride Month events.Gravity Research reported that 39 percent of corporations are scaling back their involvement with external Pride Month events. The firm found that six in 10 companies pointed to the Trump administration as the reason for rolling back their Pride Month engagement, while conservative activists were listed as the second reason.

Blue Cities Fight To Keep Their Pride Flags Flying Despite Bans by Red State Legislatures

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