A community in Michigan has elected to ban Pride flags from public poles, causing an uproar within the Detroit-area community as the city council denounced the flag as violating the religious rights of citizens.
After three hours of debate on June 13, the Hamtramck City Council – which is made up entirely of Muslims -voted unanimously to ban the displaying of Pride flags on publicly owned flag poles within the community, the Detroit Free Press reported. The resolution also prohibits the public display of flags that represent racist or political views, the outlet stated. (RELATED: All-Muslim City Council Approves Animal Sacrifices At Home)
The decision was met with outrage from members of the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters, one of which argued Hamtramck should change its slogan to say the city “welcomes you if you’re straight,” before kissing the woman standing next to her to further her point, the Detroit Free Press reported.
During the public comments, two women who opposed the Hamtramck resolution banning LGBTQ flags from city property, one wearing a clown nose, gave a sarcastic presentation, then kissed in front of the city council: pic.twitter.com/QFO4ws3i4H
— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) June 14, 2023
The act of defiance did little to sway the council with member Nayeem Choudhury countering that members of the LGBTQ community were still welcome within the community even if the council deemed the flag should not be displayed on publicly owned poles. “Why do you have to have the flag shown on government property to be represented? You’re already represented. We already know who you are,” Choudhury argued, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Other advocates for the ban argued that as American soldiers sacrificed their lives for the US Flag and not the Pride flag, the latter does not belong on government-owned flag poles, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Other members of the LGBTQ+ community argued that the Muslim immigrants who now make up a large part of the city were once met with discrimination and should therefore be more cautious about discriminating against other groups, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan rejected this argument, stating that the Pride flag does not respect the religious views of many citizens. Quoting Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Hassan stated the government should be of the people, by the people, for the people, the outlet stated.
“You guys are the ones making problems,” not us, Hassan said of the Pride flag advocates, “Please don’t threaten us. … I’m the elected official. … I’m working for the people, what the majority of the people like.”
After the vote, a resident who claims to have moved from California to Hamtramck because of its diverse culture wondered whether she had made the right decision. “I knew it was a diverse community,” but now, “I’m questioning whether it is. … I don’t want to live in a place like this, “Hayley Cain stated, adding that the resolution was a “clear message of discrimination.”