A second Montana town has adopted the Pride Flag as its city flag in an effort to circumvent a state law passed this past session.
In a 4-1 vote, the Bozeman City Commission adopted the Pride flag and its variants as the town’s city flag last week during a meeting on July 15, joining Missoula in adopting the symbol as an official flag.
“This is not just a controversial effort to raise the pride flag. It’s a decision about whether or not to permanently take it down,” Bozeman commissioner Emma Bode said prior to the vote. “Our state legislators mounted a systematic attack on the LGBTQ+ community this legislative session with a particular focus on eroding the rights of trans youth.”
Discussion on the topic lasted for several hours with numerous people both for and against the Pride flag being adopted. Some residents pointed to the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, or Gadsden flag, being specifically allowed under the law.
Watch related coverage: House Bill 819 Sparks Heated Discussions Over Pride Flag in Bozeman
“We would remind the commission that the queer community did not pick this fight,” Jason Baide, the board chair of Queer Bozeman, a civil rights group, told the commission last week. “The flag has been flown on the city property since 2021 in an effort to acknowledge the struggles and celebrations of our community. However, with the recent passing of HB 819, our community is once again in the crosshairs of the state legislatures as they aim to erase and further marginalize us while riddled with other hypocrisies.”
The move continued a trend of cities pushing back against a bill crafted by Columbia Falls Republican Braxton Mitchell, a rising star in the state party.
Mitchell’s legislation, HB 819, sought to limit political expression on state property, which includes schools. The law also says any city flag could be flown, creating something of a loophole, which cities in other states with similar laws have also found. If a town adopted a Pride flag as its official flag, any government agency could fly it.
The Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners voted in June to fly — though not adopt — the Pride flag, utilizing the loophole and saying Missoula’s vote earlier this year allowed any city to follow suit.
Those against the laws say that the flag and its colors represent areas of safety and acceptance for LGBTQ+ community members, especially kids. LGBTQ+ children have a suicide rate four times higher than their peers, a statistic civil rights advocates often point to. Some teachers also put flags in their classrooms, potentially putting districts in a bind.
However, Mitchell has defended the law by saying he didn’t like seeing Pride and Black Lives Matter flags in classrooms at his school growing up. He’s also specifically said he wants the law to apply to conservatives as well, specifically mentioning Trump flags should not be flown on taxpayer-funded buildings.
Gov. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines have both criticized moves by Missoula and Bozeman to adopt the Pride Flag.
Daines called the Bozeman Commission’s move, “Ridiculous & not our MT values” in a July 16 post on X, and went on to say “My flag” followed by three American flag emojis.
Watch related coverage: Missoula City Council adopts Pride flag as official city flag
Mitchell expanded on his thoughts recently when he called into talk-radio host Aaron Flint’s show on Wednesday. Flint often has members of Montana’s Republican party on his show, including Gov. Greg Gianforte and Sen. Daines.
Mitchell and Flint theorized the Commission’s decision could lose Democrat votes before turning the discussion to the legislation itself. Mitchell said he didn’t add any regulatory “teeth” to the legislation out of fear it wouldn’t pass, meaning cities likely won’t face repercussions for skirting the law.
Mitchell reiterated that he’d be looking to change the legislation in the future.
“I think that my colleagues are more than open to one closing this loophole, but also adding teeth,” Mitchell told Flint. “Whether it’s adding the Attorney General to investigate these instances where somebody might violate House Bill 819, and whatnot, going into the next session and, or, in a special session between now and then.”
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