On February 21, the Huntington Beach City Council voted 4-3 to adopt new rules governing what flags will be flown at city facilities. Under the new rules, the only flags permitted are the American flag, the state flag, the city flag and the POW/MIA flag. The County of Orange flag and the flags of the various Armed Services branches may also be flown at time.
Since this would exclude, among other banners, the LGBTQ Pride Flag.
Cue the predictable hysteria from woke progressives and LGBTQ activists, who loosed a tsunami of DEI buzzwords and catchphrases.
Governor Gavin Newsom attacked the council majority’s decision to fly only official government flags as “disgraceful,” “hurtful,” “discriminatory” and “homophobic.”
Former HB Councilwoman Kim Carr – who was trounced in her own city during her failed candidacy for state Senate last year – denounced it as “divisive, unnecessary and just plain wrong.”
A rolling protest has taken place since the vote. Corporate entities – either acting from genuine woke sensibilities or fear of left-wing activists – have announced boycotts.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation canceled its deluxe two-day retreat for senior management at the posh Waterfront Beach Resort Hilton. The foundation declared failure to fly the pride flag somehow puts gay and transgender people in danger, and will therefore spend their retreat at some other swank resort.
The global brand president of Vans shoes, responding to lobbying from LGBTQ activists, accused the Huntington Beach council majority of “discontinuing support of the LGBTQ community”:
Activists picketed the annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast:
Naturally, the media has lazily followed the lead of progressive political activists by mischaracterized the action as “banning the pride flag” and uncritically repeating their claims that they are on the side of tolerance and inclusion and their opponents are divisive and exclusionary.
The opposite is true.
Theirs is a campaign about power. However it started out, the LGBTQ flag is an ideological symbol and a weapon in our bitter culture wars. It embodies an evolving set of political and policy priorities that are not shared by all citizens. The divisiveness stems from the progressive Left’s insistence that every jurisdiction accord to official status.
Flags have meaning. And when they are hoisted outside a city hall or state capital or other symbol of elective authority, that inescapably implies endorsement of what it stands for – and nowadays, the Pride Flag symbolizes a ideological viewpoint.
Imagine the outcry from these activists if the Huntington Beach City Council voted to fly the Gadsden Flag – more commonly known as the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. The Gadsden Flag was designed in 1775 as a symbol of the unity of the 13 colonies and their fight to liberty and independence.
Fairly or unfairly, however, it has taken on definite ideological overtones and become associated with populist conservative movements like the Tea Party and MAGA. Citizens of a progressive political persuasion would understandably view such an action as constituting official endorsement of an ideological stance to which they don’t subscribe.
Nowadays, people use both the Gadsden Flag and the Pride Flag as symbolic short-hand to advertise their politics.
As it happens, we already have a symbol of tolerance, inclusion and the freedom to be left alone: the American Flag. It embodies equality before the law and the natural rights upon which our Republic is founded. Those rights are inalienable – they are not a gift from government but intrinsic to our humanity. Those rights are the inalienable possession of all Americans, regardless of race, sex, creed, disability or sexual orientation. The flag symbolizes a form of government established for the purpose of securing those rights “for ourselves and our posterity.”
As a free people, we have the right to fly whatever flag we like in front of our homes and businesses. Vans and the Blue Shield of California Foundation have every right to fly the Pride Flag 365 days a year, if they so desire. We also have the freedom not to.
In this polarized age, the cause of tolerance and inclusion is better served by removing the City Hall flagpole from the culture wars – and that is what the Huntington Beach City Council has done.
