Republican lawmakers in more than half a dozen states are advancing new measures that would restrict the types of flags that can be displayed in school classrooms or outside government buildings, an effort LGBTQ rights activists say is meant to ban Pride flags from public spaces.
Lawmakers in Utah last month were the first to adopt a measure restricting the types of flag that can be displayed on government property. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed a similar measure earlier this month.
The Alabama House passed one Thursday, the North Carolina House passed one Wednesday, and the Texas Senate approved their version Tuesday. Committees in Florida and Oklahoma have advanced their measures, and similar bills are pending in committees in Montana, Iowa and Tennessee.
Most measures do not specifically ban any particular flag. Instead, they specify the flags permitted to fly outside government buildings and in classrooms.
The Texas version limits permissible flags to the United States flag, the Texas state flag, a Prisoner of War or Missing in Action flag, a flag that represents a Native American tribe, a flag that represents a political subdivision, such as a city or county, and flags that represent branches of the military or a college or university. Schools that violate the bill would be subject to daily $500 fines.
The Florida version specifically restricts a flag “that represents a political viewpoint, including, but not limited to, a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint.”
Oklahoma legislation that won committee passage in March is an exception: It would explicitly ban the use of state funds for Pride Month celebrations while also restricting flags to those recognized under state and federal law.
Supporters of the measures say they want to see neutrality in the classroom, and at government buildings. Texas Sen. Donna Campbell (R), the bill’s author, wrote in a statement of intent that her legislation was meant to remove division and disruption in the classroom.
“Displaying political symbols in classrooms amounts to implicit school endorsement, potentially making some students feel alienated or pressured,” Campbell wrote. “A Black Lives Matter poster, a Blue Lives Matter flag, or a Confederate flag might be intended as supportive speech by some but could be perceived as divisive by others.”
Opponents say the bills are meant to erase celebrations of LGBTQ students at a vulnerable time in their lives. They equated the flag bills with measures that have won traction in red states in previous years barring transgender students from bathrooms that conform to their gender identity or limiting instruction in sexual orientation.
“Flags are only pieces of fabric, but we have invested profound meanings in these symbols,” Texas Sen. Molly Cook (D) told her colleagues Tuesday. “If Pride flags are political, then so are the values of respect and belonging. Our students deserve better than a false neutrality.”
Most of the bills have advanced in party-line votes, but not without some reservations. In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox (R) allowed his state’s flag ban to become law without his signature, citing “serious concerns” with the bill.
“I find it strange that no headline reads ‘MAGA flags banned from classrooms,’” Cox wrote to legislators explaining his decision. “To those legislators who supported this bill, I’m sure it will not fix what you are trying to fix.”
In Texas, Sen. César Blanco (D) crossed party lines to back the measure to ensure objectionable flags were kept out of the classroom.
“The open door that allows displays of inclusivity is also left open to displays of discrimination and hate, like the Confederate flag, or a flag with a swastika,” Blanco said Tuesday. “We can be both inclusive and intentional in creating a learning environment that upholds the dignity of every student without external symbols.”