Missoula adopts Pride flag as official city flag

Adoption this week of a new official city flag in Missoula means the rest of the state can display Pride flags in public buildings — despite a new law meant to restrict such displays.

On a 9-2 vote Monday night, Missoula City Council passed a resolution to adopt the Pride flag — as well “as flags representing portions” of the Pride flag — as an official flag of the Garden City.

The action by the city follows Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signing of House Bill 819, which regulates which flags can be flown or displayed on government property. The law prohibits nongovernmental and “politically charged” flags.

But a stipulation in the law says any public building can display the flag of “any county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision within the state.” Since Missoula adopted the flag as its city flag, it opens up the possibility for other communities to also display the Pride flag.

Rep. Braxton Mitchell, a Columbia Falls Republican who sponsored the bill, vowed in an email he would seek to change the law. He also said he believes it’s likely the law will not be challenged in court.

“We will amend the law next session to make sure no city can make a political symbol their official flag,” Mitchell wrote. “If they want to fly that flag, they can do it at home, not on the taxpayer’s pole.”

Council member Jennifer Savage, who sponsored the ordinance, said in an interview that Pride flags were starting to come down in schools as a result of HB 819. Missoula County Public Schools had previously said it would follow state law.

For Savage, the mother of a queer daughter, the flag being displayed meant something else, too.

“When I see a Pride flag, I think that my kid is safe in that place,” Savage said. “I think it symbolizes inclusion. I think when a public school teacher flies it in their classroom, it says to students, this is a safe place for you. And it also signals to other students that hate won’t be tolerated there.”

The law includes carveouts, such as for the Gadsden flag, law enforcement flags, school flags, and the flag of any nation recognized by the United States. Similar laws in Utah and Idaho prompted Salt Lake City and Boise to adopt Pride flags as city flags in response to state legislation.

Savage said her inbox was flooded with Missoulians concerned over the law. Fellow council member Daniel Carlino said he hadn’t seen Missoulians turn out to a city council meeting all year quite like they did on Monday night.

The council took public comment for around an hour prior to voting to approve the change.

“I think it was important that Missoula did what we can to fight back when the state and federal government are trying to attack the LGBTQ+ community,” Carlino said on Tuesday.

Missoula did not have a city flag prior to Monday night, Carlino said. There was some confusion about whether more than one city flag was allowed, though Savage said other flags could be brought before council for consideration.

In a comment posted on Facebook, Gov. Greg Gianforte said Missoula City Council “should be ashamed.”

“Last night, nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools — all while ignoring the city’s housing affordability crisis, raising taxes by 17% because of over spending, and refusing to take firm action to end encampments in the city,” Gianforte wrote. “Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community.”

Mitchell stated during his bill’s Senate hearing that he’d seen Black Lives Matters and Pride flags in his classrooms growing up, and said he did not feel those issues should be pushed in schools.

“Leave it to Missoula to turn their city flag into a Pride flag. Nothing says ‘unity’ like politicizing public property,” Mitchell said in a statement. “The ultra far left Missoula City Council and their mayor are completely out of touch with reality and the values of the vast majority of Montanans. Taxpayer owned property should represent everyone, not just the loudest political movements of the moment. The Pride flag, like any other political symbol, has no place replacing a city’s identity.” 

He added situations like this are exactly why he pushed the law.

“We resoundingly passed HB 819 to stop governments from hijacking public property to push ideology,” Mitchell said. “If this resolution passes, it only proves how necessary HB 819 is, and I’m sure it won’t be good for Missoula’s local economy either.”

Missoula City council members Sandra Vasecka and Bob Campbell voted against the measure. Councilor Campbell said he had a request for the people who said the flag makes them feel safe.

“Stop and think for a minute whether or not that’s true for everyone in the community, whether or not that the flag is the cure, the be all, the end, to feel safe,” Campbell said to council on Monday night. “And I propose that’s not always the case.”