Midvale mayor also plans to continue to fly flag
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hundreds of people show up at the Utah State Capitol on Mar. 29, 2025 to fly the largest transgender pride flag in Utah. The unveiling of the flag is part of celebrations for Transgender Day of Visibility, hosted by local nonprofits Utah Pride Center and The Glitter Foundation.
It is absurd that Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz dismissed Salt Lake City’s move to get around a state ban on pride flags at public buildings as “political theatrics.”
The ban itself, passed by the Utah Legislature in March as HB77, is nothing more than performance art. Except, instead of trying to be inclusive, as the city is, the state-imposed ban is intended to be hurtful.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, with the unanimous support of the City Council, rolled out three new versions of the city’s official flag on Tuesday, just hours before the state ban went into effect.
They imprint the city’s official sego lily logo, a feature of the city’s existing flag, on banners that resemble the rainbow pride flag, the blue, pink and white transgender flag and the bursting star flag that celebrates Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Midvale Mayor Dustin Gettel also told The Tribune he planned to keep a pride flag on his desk at city hall.
The legislative claim that the sight of pride, transgender or Juneteenth flags exclude or offend people is ridiculous. Schools and other official buildings harm no one when they seek to send a message that all are welcome.
And complaining that the Salt Lake City was wasting valuable time and taxpayer money is also baseless. It doesn’t take much energy or funds to show up Utah lawmakers as the reactionary show ponies that they so often are.
It just took a little decency, and a little wit, both of which are in short supply these days.
Editorials represent the opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, which operates independently from the newsroom.