The Utah Legislature has approved a measure to prohibit the display of all flags in schools and government buildings, a separatist move by civil rights groups that would undermine the free expression of LGBTQ people and their supporters.
The measure became law Thursday, allowing only flags to explicitly exempt bans (including the U.S. flag, Utah flag and military flag). Other flags, such as Pride and those supporting political causes, will be prohibited from flying on government buildings.
The new law is one of the most restrictive laws a country displays through flags, which has become a polarizing debate, focusing mainly on the expressions of Pride Flag and other LGBTQ support.
Other states, such as Idaho, have also passed restrictions on schools to display flags in schools, and Florida lawmakers are considering similar suggestions. Supporters of the measure constituted it a way to reduce politicize schools and government buildings.
“Taxpayer-funded entities should not promote the political agenda,” Republican Congressman Trevor Lee, who sponsored the bill, said on social media Friday. “This is a huge victory for Utah.”
Republican state Gov. Spencer Cox said in a letter Thursday that he had “serious concerns” about the bill. He said he allowed it to be a law without signature because his veto would be overwhelmed.
“When parents bring their children to publicly funded schools and see symbols of cultural war in places that should be politically unpopular,” he said.
Under the law, a flag representing any political affiliation would be prohibited, but Mr. Lee had previously picked out the flag of pride. Violations of the law that came into force on May 7 will result in a daily fine of $500.
Utah rights groups protested the bill, calling it an attempt to curb political divisions and self-expression.
The Utah Pride Center said on social media Friday that it was “deeply sad” to see the bill become law.
“We acknowledge that many people in our community are currently feeling pain, frustration and fear,” the center said, referring to it as “deliberate removal of LGBTQIA+ visibility from the public domain” after the state Senate passed the bill.
The center organizes the annual Utah Pride Festival, which plans to hold a rally on the steps of the Utah Capitol on Saturday and says it will unfold the 200-foot-30-foot version of the trans flag.
Advocacy group Utah Equality Utah says it lobbies language in the bill, which reaffirms protections for discrimination against students. The group successfully tried to remove a provision from the bill that would allow parents to sue teachers’ flags.
Utah Equality Utah said, “This is a dangerous precedent, where the state can silence the local government’s right to speech and make the bill constitutionally doubtful.” “We are LGBTQ Utah. This is our home. This is our country. We will go anywhere in nothing.”
The American Civil Liberties Union in Utah urged the governor to veto the bill in a letter this month.
“Government should not engage in business of prohibiting symbols, which can help people feel seen and welcome,” the ACLU said. He added that teachers, school boards and local governments should be free to determine what behavior reflects their values.
Mr Cox called on lawmakers to amend the law, saying its application for local governments is too far away and that attention to banning flags will not put other political displays, such as posters, signs and drawings, out of the classroom.
“What this bill does is add more fuel to the fire,” he said.
