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18h ago

Salt Lake City and Boise Redefine City Flags to Bypass State Bans on Pride Symbols

Both cities adopted official flags featuring Pride, Trans Visibility, and Juneteenth designs to comply with restrictive state laws while preserving identity representation.

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Salt Lake City. (Getty)
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Jun 22, 2024; Sandy, Utah, USA; General view of a pride flag on the field before the first half between the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake at America First Field.

Overview

  • Salt Lake City adopted three new official city flags, incorporating Pride, Trans Visibility, and Juneteenth designs with the sego lily emblem to comply with Utah's HB77 flag restrictions.
  • Boise retroactively designated the rainbow Pride flag as an official city flag, enabling its continued display despite Idaho's similar statewide ban on unsanctioned flags.
  • Utah's HB77 and Idaho's flag laws restrict non-approved flags on government property, with exemptions for official municipal flags, creating a legal loophole for cities to maintain symbolic displays.
  • Both Republican-led states argue the laws promote political neutrality, while critics view them as targeting LGBTQ+ and racial equity symbols, sparking ongoing debates over free expression.
  • State lawmakers and attorneys general in Utah and Idaho are considering further legislative or enforcement actions in response to these municipal moves.