Utah prohibits most flags, including pride, in schools and government buildings

UTAH’s state legislature has approved a measure which prohibits the display of all flags except approved in schools and government buildings, a division decision which, according to civil rights groups, will undermine free expression for LGBTQ and their supporters.

The measure, which has become law on Thursday, only allows flags explicitly exempt from the ban – including the American flag, the Utah state flag and military flags – to display. Other flags, such as the flag of pride and those who support political causes, will not be prohibited from being transported by plane in government buildings.

The new law is one of the most restrictive adopted by a state to govern the display of flags, in what has become a polarizing debate largely focused on the flag of pride and other expressions of LGBTQ support.

Other states, such as Idaho, have adopted restrictions on the presentation of flags in schools, while Florida legislators are considering similar proposals. Supporters of the measure have formulated it as a way to make schools and government buildings less political.

“The entities funded by taxpayers should not promote political agendas,” a republican legislator said on Friday that sponsored the bill. “This is a massive victory for Utah.”

In a letter Thursday, Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, said that he had “serious concerns” concerning the bill. He said he had made it to become law without his signature because his veto would have been replaced.