U.S.A.: 200-foot rainbow banner unfurled at capitol as GOP bans Pride flags on government land

In the U.S.A., protesters displayed a 200-foot rainbow banner in front of the Utah state capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday to oppose H.B. 77, a bill that would prohibit rainbow and trans Pride flags, along with other “non-sanctioned” flags, from being displayed on school and government properties. In support, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall illuminated the City/County Building with rainbow lights last Friday, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’.

The Republican-led legislature of the state has already passed the bill, with a 49-20 vote in the House and a 21-8 vote in the Senate. Governor Spencer Cox (R) has indicated he will not veto the bill. Although it is unclear how many other states or local governments have enacted similar laws, the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Veterans Affairs under President Donald Trump have recently issued directives banning Pride flags at government buildings, military bases, and foreign embassies.

The Utah bill permits only national, state, school, Olympic flags, those recognising Native American tribes, prisoners of war, missing-in-action military soldiers, and organisations authorised to meet on school premises during events to be displayed on government property.

Government properties that violate the law must remove the flag within 30 days, after which they will incur a $500 (approximately £388) daily fine for each day the non-sanctioned flag remains visible.

Proponents of the Utah bill argue it aims to refocus schools on education. However, opponents contend that the law will diminish visible support for bullied and marginalised trans and queer students, who have been increasingly targeted by Republican politicians and policies nationwide.

Corinne Johnson, Founder and President of Utah Parents United, a statewide “parents' rights” group opposing LGBTQ+-inclusive school policies, told KSTU, “We are setting our Utah schools back on a course to focus back to what matters most to parents and students, which is student success.”

“Schools have a certain responsibility that they must uphold,” Johnson continued. “Our state constitution states that every child is able to get a free and non-sectarian education, and that means we must create an environment where politics, identity, religion, and similar issues are set aside to focus on American principles.”

London Skies, a protester at the capitol, told the same news station, “I actually feel really safe when I go into a neighborhood and I see a trans flag because I know that I have an ally, somebody that is supportive. Especially as a trans woman, there's so much violence against us, especially with all the legislation and things that we've seen this year. When you see that, it makes you feel like if something did happen, I know that there's someone on my side who would stand up for me.”

To express her personal opposition to the bill, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and others from her office lit up the City/County building on Friday night.

“You will have to fire me before I take down my Pride flag,” Utah teacher J. Ryan Waddoups recently wrote in a letter to state Republicans. “It serves as a symbol to our LGBTQ youth that they are loved, supported, and accepted unconditionally.”

“A Pride flag does not promote homosexuality any more than a U.S. flag promotes invading Greenland or taking over Canada. It simply lets them know that they need not be afraid when they’re in my room,” he continued. “And, I promote the same acceptance for all of my students unless their stance is hostile towards others, e.g., Nazis and traitors. It will be a cold day in hell before I see a Nazi or Confederate flag flown in or near my room.”

“Pride flag. And if/when I do get fired, that will free up plenty of time for me to dedicate to you being revealed for the demons that you are,” he added.