A Connecticut town council voted to ban the LGBTQ+ pride flag in government buildings almost immediately after coming under Republican control.
The Enfield Town Council voted in a meeting Monday to ban all flags from flying at government buildings save for the United States, Connecticut state, and military flags. The new policy, which went through with a vote of 6-5, replaces a 2022 policy that allowed the rainbow flag to fly during Pride Month in June.
While some the council members pushing the policy claimed to do so as a way to remain “neutral,” Councilor At-Large Gina Cekala, who voted against the measure, accused them of directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community and Pride flag.
“I think the real reason is you don’t want that Pride flag up on this town hall,” she said, “which is absolutely disgusting."
Tom Tyler, the interim town attorney, claimed at one point that if the the Pride flag was allowed to be flown, “ISIS could come in and want to display one, the IRA…basically anybody. You’d have to be content neutral and let everybody." He then went off-topic to accuse schools of trying to indoctrinate students with “transgender ideology.”
The decision came as a betrayal to many of the town’s residents, including Brandon Jewell of PFLAG Enfield, who noted that two of the Republicans voting to ban flags previously voted in favor of the 2022 policy that allowed the Pride displays.
read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/connecticut-pride-flag-ban-isis
Fox, OAN, NewsMax, etc. Those are gateways to the Christian Taliban… I mean ISIS. Same thing.
The most amazing part is that they’ve resolved all of the more important issues and have the time to consider what flags should be allowed to fly at government buildings.
Right? I mean how negligent would it be to prioritize passing an approved flags list while issues that affect their constituents still need attention.
Plus, notice the absolute freedom these people are enforcing. Republicans, truly the people who still take freedom and self-determination serious! Not like those Democrafts who always want to legislate everything and have rules and bans and shit! Just let people do what they personally want, the republican way.
(Can we please just shove them all into the ocean already? Nothing of any value will be lost and we also reduce the carbon footprint a little bit.)
“ISIS could come in and want to display one, the IRA…basically anybody. You’d have to be content neutral and let everybody.” He then went off-topic to accuse schools of trying to indoctrinate students with ‘transgender ideology.’
Yep, that sounds like a typical conservative. Mind is just a jumble of terrified nightmare-fantasies about the big bad de jour that wanders off into total nonsense without any notice.
ISIS could come in and want to display one
I don’t think ISIS supports LGBTQ+…
What are we supposed to do with these conservatives? They can’t be debated with, they don’t have the concept of logic.
Rethink what you mean by “what are we supposed to do?”
You’re not going to convince them, you’re not going to change their mind, you’re not going to find the one flaw that shakes them from their delusion. Because conservativism is not founded on principles. A conservative is a narcissist, and should be treated as such. Ignore their tantrums, protect yourself and your interests, set boundaries and stick to them. Their arguments are flotsam flung from whatever position they think will help them most. Ignore them, it’s all bullshit. Their priorities are lines in the sand drawn around where they stand. Ignore them and do what you know to be right. Do not compromise, do not waver, do not negotiate. That’s a losing strategy every time, because their appetite for self interest is never sated. Their lust for power will grow with every inch you cede.
They are not an enemy to be vanquished with thoughtful debate, they are an obstacle to be overcome with tireless devotion to doing good.
Also do not seek revenge. Do not say “they have hurt me, I must hurt them.” The conservative craves your attention and will feel validated by your wrath. “See?” they will say, “I knew you were as bad as me. You criticize me, but we are the same.” Forgive them, and move on with your life. A conservative may learn that being kinder to others benefits themselves. This doesn’t mean they are cured of their conservativism, merely that they have adapted to the new normal where you aren’t playing their games. They will pretend they were on your side all along. They will claim to have been confused or lost or fooled, but they are merely deflecting blame for their willful ignorance. You can enjoy the time they spend feigning compassion, but be vigilant against the selfish gremlin inside waiting to latch onto any advantage they can find for themselves. If you give a mouse a cookie…
It’s not about issis supporting lgbt+ but about having to allow any flag if you allow one.
How is this different than a city saying “if we allow you to fly a flag for the Steelers, what’s next, a Nazi German flag?” Any reasonable person can see that there is a clear line between something like a flag that supports an innocuous mainstream idea and a flag representing a terrorist organization, it’s ridiculous and clearly motivated by bigotry. Cities and towns have been displaying rainbows in various forms for years during pride month and I haven’t seen any inch of progression towards right-wing Islamic terror groups being supported also.
The post is about flagging in public buildings. I can’t imagine public buildings setting up a flag for the steelers and not doing so for any other team.
I expect the issue is, that you can’t expect reason especially when it’s in up to the public. People and organisations will find ways to exploit this.
Right except that isn’t true. Having a public space to display a flag doesn’t mean that all flags are open to be displayed. Meanwhile, as the article clearly states, this so-called attorney was yelling against trans people.
How and who decides what flag is open to be displayed and how much more backslash would a council group have to accept for having to decide on this?
I agree though, that the attorney is wrong in going into a personal rant about schools brainwashing lgbt+ into children.
It’s the decision to limit what flags a public organisation flags (and ideally what ideas they support). IMO they should be completely neutral in regards to anything
It must be great to live in a place that has so few real problems that the town can waste time with bullshit culture war distractions.
Oh I’m sure they have plenty of problems, but it’s probably only minorities and poor people who experience them so who cares!
