a day ago
In Morro Bay, the decision to fly — or not fly — the Pride flag is political
June is Pride Month, a time when we dust off our rainbow flags and don our regalia in celebration of decades of triumph over adversity. We commune with our siblings and allies to mark progress and honor those who came before us in brave elegance and hearty aspiration. There are moments of great joy and celebration, but also times of marked solemnity.
Pride is a time of family and remembrance, but also a time to regroup and map the work that still needs to be done.
When news broke that Morro Bay planned its final Pride flag raising, we shared a message on our business website encouraging folks to attend the proclamation earlier this week. Almost immediately, someone left a crude and loathsome response.
Over the past calendar year in San Luis Obispo County, we have witnessed an alleged anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime death, along with several assaults and acts of vandalism rooted in queer hate. In the Southern U.S., we've heard preachers openly calling for the execution of LGBTQ+ individuals. And now, the current president has re-centered focus on making LGBTQ+ people once again targets of scorn and contempt.
This is the backdrop that makes it clear: The decision to rescind Morro Bay's Pride flag ordinance did not happen in a vacuum.
When City Councilmember Jeff Eckles publicly called for the removal of the ordinance that allows the Pride flag to fly, he offered scant and misleading justifications. Those justifications rang hollow as speaker after speaker faced the dais and systematically dismantled every point. Attempting to persuade the audience that his actions were rooted in the rosy ideal of 'neutrality,' the council member's words failed to resonate with the packed room of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.
It was a shameful insult to recast the rainbow Pride flag — a symbol that has stood for inclusion, affirmation and acceptance for nearly 50 years — as something divisive or exclusionary. Calling it a step toward 'tribalism' is disingenuous at best. It is intellectually dishonest to argue that allowing three council members to decide whether a symbol of unity and inclusion may fly is somehow a 'gross overreach of government.' If so, wouldn't removing it by that same process also constitute overreach?
What is the point of representative government if not to represent all the people? While cities across the state and country are expanding Pride visibility, how is it that our small town of 10,000 cannot find the courage to take a principled stand in support of roughly 10% of its population?
The Pride flag pushes back against the long history of violence, exclusion and discrimination that LGBTQ+ people have endured — and still endure.
The claim that this decision affects all commemorative flags, not just the Pride flag, falls apart under scrutiny. No other flag has been requested to fly. And we've heard the same tired false dilemmas: 'What if someone wants to fly the Nazi or Confederate flag?' Well, there is a process, and the council votes on each request. If the council cannot distinguish between a flag that honors inclusion and one that glorifies violence and genocide, we have a much deeper problem than flag policy.
We are not asking for rainbow crosswalks or high-dollar lighting displays. We are simply asking that the Pride flag continue to fly for one month out of the year to show that our town supports and represents all of its residents and visitors.
The council has now rescinded the ordinance and chosen to limit flags to the Morro Bay flag, the state flag and the American flag. Some who spoke in favor of the decision said they wanted to return to 'unity under the American flag.' But here is the rub: the Stars and Stripes have not always symbolized unity. For many, they have represented prejudice, bullying and violence.
Now, more than ever, the U.S. flag divides in new ways. Over the past decade, it has increasingly come to represent one political party. Often, it flies alongside banners promoting a leader who has actively worked to strip away protections and freedoms from the LGBTQ+ community — freedoms that should be guaranteed under that very flag.
Unity under one banner sounds like a noble idea. But until we have a shared definition of liberty and equality, the Rainbow Pride flag must continue to fly. It is not a substitute for the American flag, it is a bridge that spans the divide between our country's promises and the lived reality of many of its people. Until the Stars and Stripes can fulfill their promise for everyone, the rainbow must remain.
Aimee Brantley is a resident and business owner in Morro Bay.
