Idaho and Utah banned unofficial flags. Salt Lake City and Boise adopt Pride flags/Juneteenth as official in response.

Salt Lake City and Boise Adopt Official Pride Flags in Response to State Laws
The cities approved several new flags after Utah and Idaho passed laws barring unofficial flags from being displayed on government property.

Salt Lake City’s four flags fly from the City and County Building on Wednesday.Credit...Ashley Detrick/Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office


New city flags were adopted by Salt Lake City in response to a recent state law.
Credit...Salt Lake City Mayor's Office


The capitals of Utah and Idaho adopted new official city flags on Tuesday in response to state laws barring the display of any nonofficial flags at schools and government buildings.

In Boise, the City Council designated the rainbow Pride flag and a flag promoting organ donation as official city flags.

“The City of Boise will continue to fly the flags on City Hall Plaza that represent our community and speak to our values of caring for people and welcoming all,” Lauren McLean, Boise’s mayor, said in a statement before the resolution was adopted.

The Utah legislature passed a law in March banning the display of flags that are not explicitly approved at public schools and government buildings. (Flags allowed under the state law include the American flag, the state flag, city flags, flags of other countries or states, and college and military flags.)

Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, a Republican, allowed the measure to become law without his signature, saying that he was concerned it was too sweeping but that he recognized a veto would be overridden. The law did not explicitly mention L.G.B.T.Q. or Pride flags, but sponsors of the bill indicated that barring such flags was a major part of their motivation.

Earlier this year, Idaho also banned displaying unofficial flags at government buildings.

The state measures were seen by civil rights groups as efforts to prevent the display of flags supporting L.G.B.T.Q. people. The City Council in Salt Lake City approved three new flags: one with the rainbow colors of the Pride flag, a second with the pink and blue of the transgender Pride flag and a third with a symbol and date referring to the Juneteenth holiday that commemorates the end of slavery. Each flag also includes the sego lily, a city symbol and Utah’s state flower.

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