This is the third year the Pride Progress flag has been raised beside City Hall for the month of June. You can watch the ceremonial raising of the flag here. I wrote about this last year (see Flying Pride Again—Or Are They?)
![](https://andrewaustin.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/9377aabd-203f-472b-adb4-08849874e9f7-large16x9_gbprideflagraising_frame_63438.png.webp?w=1015)
The First Amendment was set down in writing as fundamental law because the founders of the American Republic extolled the Enlightenment values of freedom of association, conscience, and speech. By these lights, city hall should be a politically-ideologically neutral space. The city is violating the rights of its citizens.
Imagine if a conservative mayor flew the Christian nationalist flag. Or the RNC flag. Or the Appeal to Heaven flag. Or the Don’t Tread on Me flag. Would that be appropriate? I think the outrage would swiftly tell us it wasn’t (albeit probably not for the right reason).
The US flag flips on the pole because this is our country. The mayor could fly the state flag, if he chose to, just beneath the US flag, in deference to federalism; that would represent all citizens, as well. But the Pride Progress flag is not representative of the people of Green Bay. It is not the flag of my family and many other families and should not be flying over this or any other public space.
The Pride Progress flag is more than unrepresentative of Green Bay’s population; it is a distinctly divisive flag, polarizing people along lines of gender and race. It should not be flying here.
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