IDAHO (LifeSiteNews) — The City of Boise has removed the rainbow LGBT “pride” flag from its City Hall after new legislation ended its previous effort to circumvent state law against the woke display.
Last year, Idaho enacted a ban on non-official flags flying over government buildings other than schools. Last May, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean proposed a resolution formalizing “which flags are considered the official flags of our city,” leading the city council to adopt the rainbow banner as the city’s official flag, so it would qualify under the law.
“The flags the city flies are an expression of our values and responsibilities, which include a commitment to equality, inclusion, and civic pride. This is our lawful expression of our dedication to ensuring all members of our community feel seen, respected, and welcome,” the Boise City Council’s then-president Colin Nash said at the time.
This week, however, Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little signed into law House Bill 561, which effectively invalidates Boise’s stunt by requiring a qualifying city or county flag to have been “established prior to January 1, 2023.” (The bill also makes other unrelated tweaks to the flag rules.)
“A governmental entity that fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of two thousand dollars ($2,000) per flag for each day such flag is displayed,” the new law also adds.
The new rules have gotten Boise to back down, KTVB reports.
“Because the law includes a substantial penalty – one that would ultimately fall on the taxpayers of Boise to shoulder—I decided to take down the city’s official Pride flag,” McLean responded. “But let me be clear: Boise’s values have not changed, and they are not defined by any single action taken at the Statehouse.”
“The Pride flag is not a political statement,” declared current City Council president Meredith Stead. “Our commitment to every person who has looked at that flag and felt seen does not waver for a single moment.”
LGBT “pride” remains firmly entrenched in local left-wing enclaves, but evidence indicates it is losing favor with the general public. Last year, numerous “pride” organizations admitted they were scaling back event plans thanks to lower donations and less cultural receptiveness. Many prominent businesses have retreated from “woke” corporate policies, as well, and post-election polling indicates that Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris’s focus on “transgender issues” was one of the main reasons voters chose President Donald Trump instead.
