Salt Lake City’s Mayor Erin Mendenhall has proposed three new city flags to counter a recent Utah law that bans the flying of LGBTQ Pride and other identity flags on public buildings. The proposal, presented to the City Council, aims to incorporate the city’s flag into designs celebrating Juneteenth, LGBTQ rights, and trans rights. This law, which took effect in March, made Utah the first state to prohibit these flags at all public schools, universities, and government buildings, sparking backlash from Democrats and civil rights advocates.
The proposed flags are: the Sego Belonging Flag, representing the LGBTQ community; the Sego Visibility Flag, honoring the trans community; and the Sego Celebration Flag, commemorating Black residents and the history of Juneteenth. Mayor Mendenhall expressed that these flags symbolize Salt Lake City’s values of inclusion and acceptance, emphasizing unity among its residents.
The law imposes fines of $500 per day for non-compliance, restricting flags to only the U.S., state, military flags, and a few exempted ones, including those for the Olympics and Native American nations. Although Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox raised concerns about the law’s breadth, he allowed it to pass without his signature, stating that while he supported political neutrality in schools, the law overreached in regulating local government. He acknowledged the LGBTQ community in a letter, expressing his appreciation and love for them, though he recognized that his words might not resonate positively with everyone.
The City Council’s vote on Mendenhall’s flag proposal is anticipated to take place soon, with the expectation that it will be signed into effect immediately thereafter.
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