Dem
47
GOP
53
Last week, we had an item on malicious compliance—specifically, how teachers might respond to the Louisiana law that now requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in classrooms. That item got a very positive response, so now we've got another very similar sort of story.
The state of Utah, of course, is run by people who are very conservative, particularly on social issues. However, the capital, Salt Lake City, is far more liberal. Indeed, it's sort of the textbook example of "a dot of blue, among a sea of red." The city has not had a Republican mayor, in fact, in the past half century.
A little over a month ago, the Utah legislature adopted HB 77. The bill prohibits the display of most flags on the grounds of government buildings and/or schools. The only flags allowed are the U.S. flag, the Utah state flag, military flags, Olympic flags, college/university flags, and flags of local cities. The new rules were meant, in particular, to target pride flags.
Prior to HB 77, Salt Lake City had one city flag. It is called the Sego Lily Flag, and it looks like this:
But now those pinko commies have FOUR flags (two of them literally pink). The first new variant, per the mayor's office, is "The Sego Belonging Flag, representing the City's LGBTQIA residents and broader acceptance of this community":
The second new variant is "The Sego Visibility Flag, representing the City's transgender residents and a commitment to seeing and celebrating their lives":
And the third new variant is "The Sego Celebration Flag, representing the history of Juneteenth and the City's Black and African American residents":
If you would like to read the press release from the mayor's office, it is here. They also have it in Spanish, in case you are an employee of Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse.
The new city flags are clearly in line with the new state law. That is to say, the sego lily is well-established as a symbol of Salt Lake City, and cities in Utah have the right and the privilege of designing their own flag or flags. There are other municipalities in Utah that have multiple flags, including flags used to commemorate particular occasions.
Clearly, this is not what the Utah legislature had in mind. But perhaps, if they had taken 2 seconds to think about it, they might have realized that efforts to police people's thoughts rarely work out well.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)