LGBT Pride flags spark controversy, support in Utah city

Last edited Mon Jun 17, 2019, 01:35 AM - Edit history (1)

HEBER CITY — When Allison Phillips Belnap asked to adorn her town’s lampposts with rainbow flags, she expected some critics.

"It would have been naive for me to think that there would not have been a strong possibility of some negative feedback," Belnap said. "But I just felt very moved that it was time for us … in my community, and Utah as a whole, to look past some of the older thoughts and beliefs and start saying we care more about people than we care about what happens behind closed doors."

Flags reading "PRIDE in the Wasatch Back" went up throughout Heber City at the start of June — recognized nationally as LGBT Pride Month — and will remain there for the duration of the month, city officials say. The banners were paid for through a GoFundMe campaign created by Belnap, a Heber citizen, whose request to fly the flags was granted in accordance with a city policy that lets residents apply to hang personalized banners on city lamp posts.

The flags have caused a stir in the 15,000-person town and beyond, drawing attention at a Heber City Council meeting, on social media and from the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. Some of the discussion has revolved around the flags’ message itself. But the controversy has also raised broader questions for the city about whether — and how — to determine what kind of content can be publicly displayed on city property.

Read more: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900074800/lgbt-pride-flags-heber-city-utah-spark-controversy-support.html


Justin Motley repairs Pride flags hanging in Heber, Utah on Monday, June 10, 2019. The flags have caused a stir in the 15,000-person town and beyond, drawing attention at a Heber City Council meeting, on social media and from the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. Some of the discussion has revolved around the flags message itself. But the controversy has also raised broader questions for the city about whether, and how, to determine what kind of content can be publicly displayed on city property. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP) (Photo: Kristin Murphy, AP)