City Officially Bans 'Pride' Flags from Public Property, Tells LGBT Objectors 'You're Already Represented'
A Michigan community has banned LGBT flags from publicly owned poles after a tense hourslong meeting Tuesday night.
“You guys are welcome,” Hamtramck City Council member Nayeem Choudhury said. “[But] why do you have to have the flag shown on government property to be represented? You’re already represented. We already know who you are.”
Some members of the all-Muslim council said the “pride” flag clashes with the beliefs of members of their faith.
“We want to respect the religious rights of our citizens,” Choudhury said.
Businesses and residents aren’t prohibited from displaying “pride” flags on their own property.
Hamtramck, population 27,000, is an enclave surrounded by Detroit.
More than 40 percent of residents were born in other countries, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and a significant share are of Yemeni or Bangladeshi descent.
The council voted unanimously to display only five flags, including the American flag, the Michigan flag and one that represents the native countries of immigrant residents.
In protest, a woman speaking during the public comment portion of the council meeting kissed a woman standing next to her, prompting groans from some of those in attendance.
During the public comments, two women who opposed the Hamtramck resolution banning LGBTQ flags from city property, one wearing a clown nose, gave a sarcastic presentation, then kissed in front of the city council: pic.twitter.com/QFO4ws3i4H
— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) June 14, 2023
Mayor Amer Ghalib made the “pride” flag a campaign issue when then-Mayor Karen Majewski flew one on city property in 2021.
“We serve everybody equally with no discrimination but without favoritism,” Ghalib said.
Hayley Cain said she chose to live in Hamtramck after moving from California because it was known as a diverse community.
“I’m questioning whether it is. … The pride flag represents making space for all humans on all the spectrums, and this is where we’re going as a human species,” Cain said.
“You can’t stop that.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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