Mitchell to Amend Law After Missoula Declares Pride Flag as Official City Flag
“We're going to amend the law next session regardless of whatever happens.”
State Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Columbia Falls) told The Montana Chronicles this week that he plans to update state law after Missoula passed a resolution making the gay pride flag its official flag.
Mitchell said what the Missoula City Council did violated House Bill (HB) 819.
In May, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB 819 into law. This bill said that state properties could not fly flags that expressed a political viewpoint towards a “political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology.”
The Betsy Ross flag and the Gadsden flag were not included in this list due to their historical significance.
Also, flags honoring law enforcement officers, military service members and public service organizations are allowed to be flown in “recognition of their contributions to public safety and national defense.”
Mitchell, who sponsored HB 819, explained that the bill intends to say that regardless of whether it is a Let’s Go Brandon flag, Kamala Harris flag, gay pride flag or Black Lives Matter flag, these are not meant to be flown by government entities.
He added that state government flags should remain “neutral” and free from “political or ideological viewpoints.”
To update this bill, Mitchell said he would add a clause that prevents Montana municipalities from adopting a flag that expresses a political or ideological viewpoint as their official flag.
He called this adjustment a “pretty simple fix.”
“We're going to amend the law next session regardless of whatever happens,” Mitchell said.
The state representative stated that he doubts that another city in Montana will do what Missoula did.
Regarding the Gadsden flag, Mitchell described it as one that doesn’t represent “any sort of political or ideological movement” and “predates modern political movements.”
The U.S. Navy flew this flag on its ships during the American Revolution.
One of the concerns expressed at the Missoula City Council on Monday was that pride flags were being pulled from classrooms after Gianforte signed HB 819. The sponsor of the resolution, Councilmember Jennifer Savage, stated that many people had contacted her about this issue.
Despite this concern, Mitchell said that this law has nothing to do with schools.
The state representative was not the only Montana Republican to denounce the Missoula City Council’s actions.
Gianforte said on Tuesday that the city council’s nine members who approved the resolution “made clear their priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools” while ignoring city issues such as housing affordability, homelessness and overspending.
“Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community,” Gianforte added.
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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.