Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Salt Lake Tribune reports:
A bill that would ban pride flags from Utah schools and on government property throughout the state has passed both chambers of the Utah Legislature and now awaits approval or veto by the governor.
The bill, HB77, is sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, and originally only applied to schools, but Lee released an expanded version of the bill last month that would ban any non-sanctioned flag from all public schools and government buildings. The bill has drawn significant public attention, both in favor and against, during House and Senate committee hearings held in recent weeks.
The bill passed the House last month by a vote of 49-20, where several Republicans broke with their party and joined Democrats in voting against the measure. It passed the Senate Thursday morning by a vote of 21-8. Two Republicans in the chamber, Sens. Daniel Thatcher and Todd Weiler, joined Democrats in voting no.
Hoodline Salt Lake reports:
There is a particular concern that this legislation could negatively impact the annual Pride Month events that are traditionally held on Salt Lake City government property. While lawmakers like Sen. Lincoln Fillmore have indicated that individuals could still carry pride flags, official display by institutions would be forbidden. “My read on it would be they could hold the festival and anybody could bring any flag they want, but they would not display the flag,” Fillmore told reporters.
The ACLU of Utah has stepped into the fray, sending a letter to Governor Spencer Cox urging a veto. The letter reads, “It’s clear the bills being sent to your desk are part of a larger agenda.” Meanwhile, the Utah Pride Festival organizers remain defiant, with plans to go ahead with their annual gathering. “We will march. We will celebrate. We will take up a tremendous amount of space, as we always have. Now is the time to come together.”
In his floor speech, Lee said, “You may have a Nazi flag. You may have a Confederate flag, and so you are allowed to display those flags as part of the curriculum, and that is okay.” An attempt to ban Pride flags failed in 9-20 Utah Senate vote last year. As you’ll see in the video report below, Lee has a history. His X feed is mostly retweets of prominent cultists and extremists.