Salt Lake City has designated the Pride flag as an official city flag
Pride Month is coming, and what better way to celebrate than sharing the news that Salt Lake City has designated the Pride flag as an official city flag. According to an article from LGBTQ Nation, the move allowed the city to skirt Republican-sponsored hateful Utah state law HB0077, which prohibits a government entity or employee of a government entity from displaying a flag in or on the grounds of government property except certain exempted flags. The law banned government buildings from “flying any flags except official country, state, and city flags, flags of other countries, Native American tribal flags, and flags for colleges and universities,” according to LGBTQ Nation.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall (D) proposed the resolution that designated not only the Pride flag, but a version of the trans pride flag and another representing Juneteenth and the city’s Black residents as “official” Salt Lake City flags. “I want all Salt Lakers to look up at these flags and be reminded that we value diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Mayor Mendenhall said, “leaving no doubt that we are united as a city and people, moving forward together.”
Meanwhile in Florida … Go Magazine reports that, “In a shocking win for the Sunshine State, Florida’s LGBTQ+ community has blocked every anti-queer bill this year.”
“Not a single bill passed,” said Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, whose tireless leadership helped galvanize opposition to over a dozen pieces of legislation targeting the queer and trans community of Florida, wrote Melissa Goset in the Go Magazine report. “In total, four anti-LGBTQ+ affirming bills failed to move forward.”
While Florida still has many harmful laws in place that negatively impact the LGBTQ+ community, including a state ban on same-sex marriage, it’s important to celebrate progress.
According to the ACLU, as of April 30, “Just 100 days into President Donald Trump’s second term, the ACLU has filed 53 cases against his administration. “We sought emergency relief in 38 of these cases, winning at least some form of preliminary or temporary order in 27 cases.” The fight is on. Join nationally. Join locally. Give time. Give money. Give whatever you have.
Here are a few of my favorite orgs:
- Defense of Democracy. I’m a co-founder. We began in the Hudson Valley in 2022 and have grown nationwide. DofD makes it SO easy to fight for your community.
- Human Rights Campaign. Find out how to become a volunteer.
- The Trevor Project. You can volunteer virtually and help save lives.
- Google your local Pride organization and get involved!
And remember, the future isn’t entirely bleak: According to HRC, projections indicate that the LGBTQ+ voting block will represent approximately 20% of American voters by 2040. This means roughly 1 in 5 American voters!
queer, chaotic & courageously candid
Hey there. Laura Leigh here. I’m a wife, writer, mama, small business owner, podcast host, and the Head of Content here at Pink Robin.
I love supporting the queer community and bringing shared experiences to life.
If you have a story to tell, I’m here for it.
la********@pi***********.com
I remember when my wife and I first became moms, I knew that our ability to “pass” was behind us. I was never going to pretend that my wife and family were something other than exactly who they were. It was freeing to know that I had to live my queer life out loud, that I would forever be myself in every space, all the time.
In a 2023 CNN article Daniel Korschun, associate professor of marketing at Drexel University explained that when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community, executives “are becoming much more skittish about taking these stands and making strong statements.
According to a 2022 Pew Research Poll, roughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say there is at least some discrimination against transgender people in our society. Because trans rights have become such a contentious issue across the country, companies that used to view supporting pride as “low stakes” have become less likely to support the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. “The pendulum is swinging a bit back … toward a more conservative approach, where they’ll be less vocal,” says Korschun. According to a recent NBC News article, Target stores will only sell pride merchandise in select locations this year. The retailer will not have Pride collections in about half of their locations. Additionally, they will only sell pride merchandise for adults.
An argument that Target has made in the past and is now using again is that this decision protects their LGBTQ+ employees, but let’s be clear: Conditional allyship is not support. Pulling queer merchandise from their shelves and essentially pretending that we don’t exist–and ignoring those of us who have children that want to celebrate pride with us–is detrimental to our community. Erasure threatens our safety. This weekend my mom told me that she’s done with Target. Like her, I can’t say I feel good about spending my money in a place that doesn’t value my family. As of today, the ACLU is currently tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. We exist, and abandoning us only endangers us.