A Republican lawmaker in Idaho has put forward a bill aimed at penalizing cities that display LGBTQ+ flags, following Boise’s decision to adopt it as an official flag to sidestep existing state regulations.
State Representative Ted Hill (Republican) has introduced this legislation, which would impose fines on government entities that breach a newly established state law prohibiting any flags aside from national and military ones.
Hill has accused Boise Mayor Lauren MacLean of spearheading the move to designate the LGBTQ+ pride flag as the official flag. Reports indicate that the city council voted last May to make both the pride flag and the organ donation flag official symbols.
“She just went ahead and did it, defiantly disregarding the law,” Hill stated. “It’s like giving Congress the middle finger—saying, ‘I’m not going to comply with the law. I’ll do it my way.'”
According to East Idaho News:
The proposed bill would grant Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador the authority to prevent cities from displaying certain flags and enforce compliance with the state’s flag law through civil lawsuits targeting fines. If governmental bodies violate the flag ban, they could face fines of $2,000 per day for each flag displayed improperly.
Additionally, Hill’s bill would modify last year’s flag ban to permit state government agencies to display the official flags of Idaho universities and the Basque Autonomous Community.
East Idaho News noted that after Utah’s legislature approved a similar law last year, Salt Lake City Council responded by adopting a new city flag that closely resembles the LGBTQ+ pride flag, the transgender pride flag, and the Juneteenth flag.
Breitbart News previously reported on a large gay pride event scheduled in Boise that was canceled due to insufficient interest.
“Despite a significant interest, participation wasn’t enough to conduct the event safely. Therefore, the June 6 event has been canceled, and all ticket holders will receive refunds,” the cancellation announcement stated.
“After just one day of honoring those who died for America, we’re diving into Pride month—a whole month, mind you. First, the LGBTQ+ movement took control of the alphabet, and now it seems to be everywhere,” John Nolte of Breitbart News commented.
He further remarked, “I find narcissism more off-putting than anything else.”
