Bozeman Turns BozAngeles, Adopts Pride Flag as an Official City Flag
Bozeman joins Missoula in openly violating House Bill 819.
The Bozeman City Commission voted 4-1 to approve a resolution that makes the pride flag an official city flag.
Bozeman now joins Missoula as the second city in Montana to openly violate Montana law that prevents municipalities from flying flags that express a political viewpoint towards a “political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology.”
The resolution states Bozeman’s history “is to adopt policies that ensure the City’s operations and services are free from bias and discrimination and supportive of the diversity that exists in the City.”
It notes Bozeman has flown the pride flag since 2022 as a “symbol of unity for all citizens” of the city.
Regarding House Bill 819, the resolution states that the bill grants the city permission to fly its official city flags. Additionally, the city states the pride flag, or any of its recognized variants, “serves a neutral governmental function in honoring the history and tradition of the City in support of its citizens.”
This resolution says Bozeman’s city manager can display the pride flag, or any of its recognized variants, at all city-owned facilities. Furthermore, this resolution lets Bozeman’s mayor or city manager determine where these flags can be displayed.
This may not be the only political flag that Bozeman adopts in the future as an official city flag. The resolution states the city commission can vote to add more official flags to the city. The current Bozeman city flag is not rescinded due to this legislation.
In a memo sent to city commissioners, Bozeman City Attorney Greg Sullivan warned Bozeman could face fiscal penalties for making the pride flag an official city flag. He said potential legal cases could result in “unplanned legal costs.” Also, Sullivan stated closer examination of the city’s initiatives could impact federal grants.
During the city commission’s Tuesday meeting, Commissioner Emma Bode asked Sullivan why the resolution also included recognized variants of the pride flag. He stated he included it in the resolution because the pride flag has many variants that represent different aspects of the LGBTQ community.
Sullivan said he previously told the city commissioners there were four ways the city could deal with HB 819.
The first option, he stated, was that Bozeman could have just flown its normal city flag, which it has had since 1966. Additionally, he said the city could have designated the pride flag an official city flag or a flag of historical significance. The last option he recommended was to create a brand new flag for Bozeman.
At the meeting, Sullivan called the process of designating the pride flag as an official city flag the most “straightforward.”
When discussing this resolution, Bode said the members of the State Legislature “mounted a systemic attack on the LGBTQ+ community this legislative session.”
Bode said HB 819 was a bill that removes local control from municipalities. She added that this bill is not a “neutral or unifying bill.”
The city commissioner said the State Legislature “has pushed” Bozeman into a corner to make a decision.
Bozeman Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison said this resolution complied with state law.
Morrison said he found it “deeply frustrating” that “a morally irrelevant part of somebody’s character” is “inherently political because somebody else has made a political statement out of it.” When this happens, he said it makes having discussions about discrimination, hate, trauma and violence more difficult.
Morrison added that “no one is having anything taken away” by Bozeman making the pride flag an official city flag.
Douglas Fischer, who was the only commissioner to vote against the resolution, explained this vote was driving apart the city’s community rather than bringing it together. He stated the vote did not feel “inclusive.”
Fischer said a Bozeman city flag should represent the entire city, bringing together its community under a common symbol and banner.
He stated no one participating in this conversation can say that this issue or flag is bringing people together.
Fischer said the city commission brought this “fight” to its community. He added that this vote was making it harder for the commission to do its job in city government.
“I have a feeling we will have a new flag tonight. But I fear it is going to be a symbol of divisiveness,” he said.
The public comment section for this bill lasted over three hours. Many Bozeman community members spoke in favor of it, while many others spoke out against it.
After its passage, this resolution takes place immediately.
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Zachery Schmidt is the founder of The Montana Chronicles. If you have any tips, please send them to montanachronicles@proton.me.