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New York Times
29-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Utah Bans Most Flags, Including Pride, at Schools and Government Buildings
The Utah State Legislature approved a measure that bans the display of all but approved flags in schools and government buildings, a divisive move that civil rights groups have said will undermine free expression for L.G.B.T.Q. people and their supporters. The measure, which became law on Thursday, allows only flags explicitly exempt from the ban — including the United States flag, the Utah state flag and military flags — to be displayed. Other flags, such as the Pride flag and those supporting political causes, will be barred from being flown at government buildings. The new law is one of the most restrictive passed by a state to govern the display of flags, in what has become a polarizing debate largely focused on the Pride flag and other expressions of L.G.B.T.Q. support. Other states, such as Idaho, have passed restrictions on the display of flags in schools, while lawmakers in Florida are considering similar proposals. Supporters of the measure have framed it as a way to make schools and government buildings less political. 'Tax payer funded entities shouldn't be promoting political agendas,' Trevor Lee, a Republican lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said on social media on Friday. 'This is a massive win for Utah.' In a letter on Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said he had 'serious concerns' about the bill. He said he had allowed it to become law without his signature because his veto would have been overridden. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As critics decry ‘gross government overreach,' bill to ban pride flags from schools advances
Utah is closer to banning the display of pride flags in K-12 classrooms and government buildings after a Senate Education Committee hearing. (Getty Images) Building on past Republican efforts, Utah is one step closer to banning the display of pride flags in K-12 classrooms and government buildings after a 4-1 Senate Education Committee vote Friday morning. HB77, from Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, has eight amendments, and has undergone several changes over the course of several weeks to make sure certain flags — including those with Olympic symbols and certain historic flags, at one point including Nazi and Confederate flags — could be displayed. Lee told the committee that his bill, HB77, is about 'political neutrality.' 'We want to make sure that if there is something that's considered political and makes someone feel uncomfortable, that they shouldn't have to worry about the government pushing and enforcing or pushing any type of ideology on anyone,' Lee said. The bill defines flags as a piece of fabric with a design 'that symbolizes a location, government entity, or cause.' It also allows historic versions of Utah and U.S. flags to be displayed. Over 20 people spoke in opposition to the bill during the public comment period of the hearing. Several people questioned whether international flags could be displayed, which is permitted in the law, and others brought up concerns that students may feel targeted by the legislation. Kevin Labresh, a school psychologist, said some school districts already have guidelines in place for displaying flags and the voting body should consider the intent of the bill versus the impact. 'Many of our LGBTQ students will share freely that they feel targeted and erased by bills like these,' he said. 'Those are the voices I think we need to be paying attention to, especially when you look at what research says about higher rates of bullying, depression and suicidal ideation that this community experiences, so this visual representation is very important to them.' Anna McNamer, a middle school teacher, said the bill is an example of 'gross government overreach.' 'It's important that our communities and our teachers are able to focus their skills on where it matters. Whether it's their community or their classroom, our state government should not have the ability to violate these freedoms of speech,' she said. 'Our government should not be able to give us a list of appropriate or correct flags to display at any time in a secular education setting.' The original pride flag, an eight-striped flag with traditional rainbow colors along with pink and turquoise in it, was designed by Gilbert Baker at the request of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California history, in 1978. Milk wanted queer people to have a symbol of pride for their community. 'This rainbow flag represents so much more than just a community,' Kat Kellermeyer, a Salt Lake City resident told the committee, after recapping the pride flag's history. 'It represents the queer community's full spirited hope (and) resilience against efforts to erase us. To define what is and is not historic sets dangerous precedent, especially when it comes to this community.' Sen. Heidi Balderree, R-Saratoga Springs, said while she agrees that local control is best, 'we continue to have this bill before us, because the problem has not been mitigated.' 'I see these kind of propaganda in multiple classrooms,' she said. 'It's not just one in a school, it's in multiple classrooms, so the problem has not been fixed, and they've had time to fix it. And so, in the absence of this problem being addressed by local schools, which it clearly has not been, we're here today.' Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, pointed out that the latest version of the bill tasks the state auditor with enforcing flag displays, instead of local school districts. She said that provision was 'comical' given former State Auditor John Dougall's frustration last year with his office being put in charge of enforcing a law requiring individuals to use the bathroom that matches their biological sex in government and public buildings. Dougall criticized the legislature for making him a 'bathroom monitor' last year in a series of videos posted to X. Ava Curtis spoke in opposition to the bill, and said she appreciated a teacher who displayed a pride flag in the classroom when she was in middle school and had not 'come out' to anyone in her life yet. 'I was dealing with bullying and going through a very difficult time, but what this did was it made me feel safe and seen in his classroom,' Curtis, now an adult, said. 'It was mentioned that this bill is about political neutrality, but our lives are not political. Queer people's identities should not be seen as political.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah's flag ban: Does it target LGBTQ or promote political neutrality?
A Utah bill banning most flags in public school classrooms and government buildings will advance to a Senate vote one year after lawmakers rejected a similar bill inserted during the final hours of the session. Members of the Senate Education Committee approved HB77, Flag Display Amendments, along party lines on Friday after hearing from a number of constituents who opposed the bill which they said targeted the rainbow, or pride, flag that represents LGBTQ social movements. Bill sponsor Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, did not mention the pride flag, framing the resurrected proposal as an effort to achieve 'political neutrality' in the classroom so that students can focus on learning. 'We want to make sure that if there is something that's considered political, or makes someone feel uncomfortable, that they shouldn't have to worry about the government pushing and enforcing or pushing any type of ideology on anyone,' Lee told the committee. Lee's bill originally applied only to classrooms and included a new cause of action for parents to sue schools that were out of compliance. The lawsuit provision was removed and the scope of the bill was expanded during its presentation to the House Education Committee earlier this month. In its current form, the bill would prohibit government entities and public school employees acting within their 'official duties' from displaying a flag in or on government property unless the flag is one of a dozen exceptions. Teachers in their classrooms, and cities, counties or the state on government grounds, would only be allowed to 'place a flag in a prominent location ... where the flag is easily visible' if the flag is one of the following: United States flag. Utah state flag. Municipal flag. Military flag. Tribal flag. Country flag. Officially licensed public university flag. Official public school flag. Olympic flag. The bill clarifies that historical state and national flags may be temporarily displayed for educational purposes and that flags temporarily displayed by an organization authorized to use public schools would be allowed. Altered versions of the permitted flags would not be allowed. The bill only applies to actual flags, not to depictions of flags, lapel pins or signs. An amendment to the bill reaffirmed that nothing in the bill removes a school's 'obligation to protect all students from discrimination.' The state auditor would be tasked with establishing a process to investigate alleged violations of the bill. The bill would require the auditor to notify government entities of each allegation and of each allegation the auditor considers substantive. If a government entity or school district fails to resolve the violation within 30 days, there will be a fine of $500 per violation per day. Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, questioned why the Legislature should reconsider a bill that would override local control and prevent personalized policies at the district level. 'This bill would create a lot of tension, a lot of struggles,' said Riebe, an educator in the Granite School District. 'I just really don't understand why we can't trust our local school districts to work with their teachers to make sure that what's being presented in their schools is appropriate for whatever district they're working in.' Multiple individuals who gave public comment, including Equality Utah policy director Marina Lowe, several educators and a representative of the Utah League of Cities and Towns spoke against the bill on constitutional grounds, saying that it violated municipalities' First Amendment rights. Michael Curtis, from the state's Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, told the committee that Utah court precedent supports the ability for legislators to restrict the speech of political subdivisions and to choose which private speech it promotes. Corinne Johnson of Utah Parents United argued that Lee's bill is actually necessary to protect students' rights to have a nonpartisan and nonsectarian education. 'That is why we are here today, to restore constitutional protections to Utah classrooms and ensure that students don't have one political agenda prioritized over another in the classroom,' Johnson said. A long line of constituents took issue with Sen. Heidi Balderree, R-Saratoga Springs, referring to certain unnamed flags in classrooms as 'propaganda.' One commenter, Charlotte Weber, said that pride flags are not political because the existence of individuals identifying as LGBTQ is not political. 'This flag represents a minority of people who are bullied and marginalized and downtrodden and this tells those people that they are welcome,' Weber said. 'Trying to ban this flag specifically sends exactly the opposite message.' With one week left in the 2025 legislative session, HB77 will now be added to the queue to receive a floor vote in the Senate. During the final hours of the 2024 session, a procedural trick was used to vote on a similar bill without having passed through the regular committee process. The move split the Republican supermajority in the Senate, leading to the potentially popular proposal failing in a 20-9 vote.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Assessing Claims That a Utah Bill Would Ban Pride Flags but Allow Nazi and Confederate Flags
Would a bill in Utah ban pride flags from being displayed at schools in the state? Viral social media posts claim that Republican state lawmakers are pushing legislation that would prohibit the symbol for gay pride while allowing Nazi and Confederate flags to be shown. 'Republican lawmakers in Utah are advancing a bill that would allow schools to fly swastika flags and Confederate flags while banning Pride flags,' reads one post. 'Utah Bill Moves To Ban Pride Flags In Schools & Government Buildings. … But Nazi & Confederate Flags Are 'Okay' For 'Educational' Use,' says another. The claim is largely true but missing context. Utah Republicans introduced a bill that would ban most flags—including pride flags—from being displayed on government property, including in schools. However, while the bill does allow Confederate and Nazi flags to be displayed temporarily when part of a school's approved curriculum, the bill's sponsor told The Dispatch Fact Check that pride flags would also be allowed under the same standards. In early January, Rep. Trevor Lee—a Republican—introduced H.B. 77 in the Utah House of Representatives and announced on Twitter that it would ban pride flags. The bill, titled 'Flag Display Amendments,' was intended to ban political flags from being displayed on government property, and 'prohibits a government entity or employee of a government entity from displaying a flag in or on the grounds of government property except certain exempted flags.' These exemptions include the U.S. flag, Utah state flag, Indian tribal flags, official flags of colleges and universities, and, in the bill's initial version, 'a historic version of a flag … that is temporarily displayed for educational purposes.' During a February 13 hearing, Lee told the committee that, in some circumstances, historical flags like the Nazi flag or Confederate flag could still be displayed as part of a school's curriculum. 'There are instances where in classrooms you have curriculum that is needed to use flags such as World War II, Civil War,' he said. 'You may have a Nazi flag. You may have a Confederate flag, and so you are allowed to display those flags for the purpose of those lesson plans.' Following criticism from the hearing, Lee amended the bill, further clarifying when flags could be displayed as part of lesson plans. The amended version of the bill read that 'a historic version of a flag,' could be displayed only 'in accordance with curriculum the [local education authority] governing board approves.' In an email to The Dispatch Fact Check, Lee confirmed that pride flags could also be displayed in schools as part of an approved lesson plan. 'You are correct,' he answered when asked whether the pride flag could, for example, be displayed during a lesson about the gay rights movement. The bill passed in a 49-20-6 vote on February 21 and was sent to the state Senate for review. If approved by its standing committee and passed by a majority of the Senate, it will be sent to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox for final approval. If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@ If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Controversial flag bill banning certain flags in classrooms passes House
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A bill that would allow a select few flags to be displayed inside of public classrooms has passed the Utah House. H.B. 77 — or Flag Display Amendments — would limit what flags could be displayed on government property by government employees or entities. Violation of this law could result in a $500 fine 'per violation per day' until the flag is removed. The bill has been subject to scrutiny as it has moved through the Utah House. If enacted, the bill would prevent political flags from being shown, pride flags, and any flag that is not listed within the exceptions in the bill. Those exceptions include: The official flag of the United States An official Utah state flag The current and official flag of another country, state, or political subdivision of another country or state A flag that represents a city, municipality, county, or political subdivision of the state, A flag that represents a branch, unit, or division of the United States military The National League of Families POW/MIA flag A flag that represents an Indian tribe defined by federal law An officially licensed flag of a college or university A historic version of a flag temporarily displayed for educational purposes An official public school flag An official flag of the United States Olympic Committee, United States or Paralympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, or International Paralympic Committee; An official flag of an Olympiad or Paralympian that occurred or will occur within the state A flag of an organization authorized to use a public school facility at the location and during the time in which the organization is authorized to use the public school facility. These would be the only flags allowed to be displayed on government property. All others would be prohibited. Initially being circled for further debate in a morning session of the legislature, after passing an amendment to the bill, it later passed in a 49-20-6 vote in the afternoon voting session on Friday. Rep. Trevor Lee (R-Davis), the bill's sponsor, told lawmakers during debate that his bill was about maintaining political neutrality in schools and government properties. 'What we are trying to do here is make sure is that we have neutrality as it pertains to politics,' Lee told law makers on Friday. 'As many flags have become symbols of ideologies or political agendas from the left and the right. We would like to keep that stuff out of the classroom.' The debate on the floor was limited, however when the bill was in committee, concerns were raised about the bills impacts the free speech of government workers. Ellie Menlove, policy councilor of ACLU Utah, told the House Education Committee that this bill targets the rights of LGBTQ people, and a pride flag wasn't a political symbol. 'The legislature should not stop teachers and cities from displaying flags that signal acceptance and support to their students and community members,' Menlove began. 'Respectfully, the bill sponsor is mistaken; pride flags are not political symbols.' After the bill was passed, Utah House Democrats released a statement condemning the bill, saying, 'This harmful bill, which received bipartisan opposition, seeks to censor Pride and Transgender flag displays in public schools and government buildings. H.B. 77 is yet another example of unnecessary legislation aimed at silencing expressions of support and pride for our LGBTQ+ communities.' The bill still has some ways to go before it can become law in the state. Having passed the House, it will go to a vote through the Senate after it goes through Senate standing committee. It will then need to be signed by the Governor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
