SALT LAKE CITY — Protesters unfurled a 200-foot Pride flag on the steps of the Utah State Capitol on Friday as a bill that would ban the item from schools and other locations awaits Gov. Spencer Cox’s approval or veto.
The bill sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee (R-Layton) comes a year after a similar bill banning Pride flags in schools failed during the last legislative session.
Initially, Lee’s legislation applied only to schools, but an expanded version would now ban any non-sanctioned flag from all public schools and government buildings.
The bill passed the House last month by a 49-20 vote, and advanced in the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 21-8. Republican senators Daniel Thatcher (R-West Valley City) and Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross) joined Democrats in voting against the bill.
Max Roth and Ben Winslow break down the last moments of the legislative session:
FOX 13 News spoke with members of Utah Parents United about why they’re on board with the ban, as well as those in the transgender community about how the ban will impact their lives.
“Schools have a certain responsibility that they must uphold,” claimed Corinne Johnson of Utah Parents United. “Our state constitution states that every child is able to get a free and non-sectarian education and that means that we have to have a place where politics and identity and religion and all of these issues are set aside and we focus on American principles and we focus on student success.” Protester London Skies, a transgender woman, felt differently.
“I actually feel really safe when I go into a neighborhood and I see a trans flag because I know that I have an ally, somebody that is supportive,” Skies said. “Especially as a trans woman, there’s so much violence against us, especially with all the legislation and things that we’ve seen this year. When you see that, it makes you feel like if something did happen, I know that there’s someone on my side who would stand up for me.”
