Latest news with #HB77
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City leaders, Black community mark Juneteenth, raise controversial new city flag
Juneteenth is next week, and leaders in the Black community and their advocates gathered to preemptively mark the holiday, stressing the importance of resilience. The theme of Tuesday's gathering at the Salt Lake City-County Building was 'And Still We Rise,' which Betty Sawyer, one of the speakers, said is pertinent today. Sawyer serves as head of the Ogden branch of the NAACP and was instrumental in the passage of legislation by Utah lawmakers in 2022, making Juneteenth, June 19, a state holiday. The theme was selected to underscore the importance of 'not getting overwhelmed by circumstances, good, bad or indifferent, but to recognize and embrace the resilience that we have, the tenacity that we have and, most importantly, the love that we have for one another,' she said. Together, 'when we decide to do something, there's no stopping us.' Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also addressed the gathering, which drew around 100 people, noting the controversial new city flag that city officials approved last month, which incorporates the blue and red Juneteenth flag. HB77, approved by state lawmakers earlier this year, in effect prohibits the display of flags perceived as political at schools and local government offices. City officials added a sego lily flower to the Juneteenth flag and adopted it as an official city flag on May 6 to circumvent the law. 'This is what determination, partnership, creativity looks like,' Mendenhall said, referencing the new flag. 'Our values aren't changing. Diversity, equity, inclusion are our values. They're American values. That will never change.' Mendenhall's remarks drew applause from those on hand, but Gov. Spencer Cox blasted the flag when asked about it separately at his regularly monthly press conference later on Tuesday. In approving the Juneteenth-inspired flags last month, the City Council also adopted gay pride and transgender flags with sego lilies on them as official city flags, to get around HB77. 'They're dumb flags, and it was a dumb bill,' Cox said, noting that other racial and ethnic groups are left out. 'It's ridiculous. I feel bad for the Japanese Americans. I feel bad for the Polynesian Americans. I mean, who are we leaving out here? I'm sure they feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags. The whole thing is dumb.' The tone at Tuesday's ceremony, however, remained upbeat with a measure of defiance. She doesn't know if the Juneteenth flag will require a sego lily on it in years to come so that it can be flown outside the Salt Lake City-County Building, 'but this city's committed forever,' Mendenhall said. The Juneteenth flag, she went on, 'celebrates freedom, a new horizon, and it honors the bloodshed by the enslaved people who were oppressed for hundreds of years.' Though meant to celebrate the end of slavery, Juneteenth more specifically marks June 19, 1865. That's the day when Union troops reached Galveston, Texas — months after the end of the U.S. Civil War — to let some 250,000 African Americans know they were free. Some leaders in the Black community refer to Juneteenth, a federal and state holiday, as their second Independence Day, after July 4. 'The legacy of Juneteenth reminds us to never give up hope in uncertain times, to remember the resilience of generations that came before us and to keep these important stories and lived experiences alive, both today and for our shared future,' said Utah Rep. Sandra Collins, D-Salt Lake City. She sponsored the 2022 legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday in Utah. Numerous activities are scheduled around Utah in the days to come to mark Juneteenth. Ogden will host a Juneteenth Freedom Festival at the Ogden Amphitheater from Friday, June 13, to Sunday, June 15, featuring musical performances, a car show and much more. It's organized by Project Success, led by Sawyer. The city of Millcreek is hosting a Juneteenth celebration on June 18 from 6-10 p.m. at Millcreek Common. Salt Lake Juneteenth will be held June 19 at The Gateway in Salt Lake City from noon to 10 p.m. The Juneteenth Healing and Reconciliation Vigil will be held June 28 at the International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park in Salt Lake City from 4-6 p.m.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Dumb flags' and a ‘dumb bill': Utah governor rolls his eyes at SLC's workaround of flag ban
Flags adopted as official banners of Salt Lake City, circumventing the state's ban on most flags being displayed at government buildings and schools, hang outside the Salt Lake City and County building on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The official city flags include the Salt Lake City flag, pride flag, Juneteenth flag and transgender flag. (McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch) 'Dumb.' That was the word Utah Gov. Spencer Cox used Tuesday to express his annoyance with a new law that bans certain flags in schools and government buildings while also criticizing Salt Lake City leaders' move to circumvent the ban by adopting pride and other flags symbolizing diversity and inclusion as official city banners. 'They're dumb flags and it was a dumb bill,' Cox said curtly when asked during his monthly PBS Utah news conference about Salt Lake City's response to the flag ban. Salt Lake City adopts new banners, sidestepping pride flag ban Last month, hours before the new flag ban law took effect in Utah, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled a proposal to adopt three new city flags: a rainbow one symbolizing support for LGBTQ+ communities, a pink and white one for transgender people, and a red and blue one emulating the Juneteenth flag — all with Salt Lake City's official white sego lily symbol. That evening, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the flags. Cox allowed HB77, the bill Utah lawmakers passed aimed at banning many flags — including pride or LGBTQ+ flags — from schools and all government buildings to become law without his signature. The bill made Utah the first state in the nation to enact such a sweeping flag ban. Though he let it become law, Cox wasn't a fan of HB77. He described it in a letter as 'one of the most divisive bills of the session' and lamented that it didn't result in a compromise. Supporters of the flag ban, sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, have argued it was meant to promote 'political neutrality' in government spaces. But critics argued the broad ban would invite free speech litigation while also leaving some Utahns, especially the LGBTQ+ community, feeling unwelcome and erased. Cox could have vetoed the bill, but he indicated in his letter that it would likely have been overridden by the Republican-supermajority Utah Legislature. Instead, he urged lawmakers to 'consider commonsense solutions that address the bill's numerous flaws.' While Cox said he agreed with the 'underlying intent' to bring 'political neutrality to the classroom,' he also wrote 'unfortunately, this bill does not do that.' 'As tired as Utahns are of politically divisive symbols, I think they are also tired of culture war bills that don't solve the problems they intend to fix,' Cox wrote in his letter. On Tuesday, Cox called the ongoing debate over the flag ban and Salt Lake City leaders' response 'ridiculous.' As Sundance leaves, Utah Gov. Cox allows first-in-the-nation flag ban to become law without his pen 'You know, I feel bad for Japanese Americans. I feel bad for Polynesian Americans. I mean, who are we leaving out, here?' Cox said of Salt Lake City's new banners. 'I'm sure they feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags. The whole thing's dumb.' Pressed on what he thinks should be done instead, Cox said, 'We should raise the American flag, and let's unify around that. It's a great flag. It represents everyone. And the Legislature doesn't need to be in everybody's business all the time.' Cox let out an exasperated laugh before adding: 'we're living in the dumbest timeline right now. That's all I can say.' In response to a request for comment on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office said 'we've had an overwhelmingly positive response' from Salt Lake City residents for the newly adopted city banners. Lee, in a post on X responding to Cox's comments on Tuesday, wrote: 'So the bill to stop the divide and get everyone to raise one flag… was dumb?' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We're living in the dumbest timeline': Gov. Cox speaks on Utah flag ban
'They are dumb flags and it was a dumb bill,' Gov. Spencer Cox said Tuesday when speaking about Utah's flag ban bill and the alternative flags Salt Lake City approved in order to get around the bill. The comments were made during the governor's monthly press conference when he was asked how he felt about Mayor Erin Mendenhall adopting three new city flags. These new flags — adding the sego lily logo from Salt Lake City's flag to the Juneteenth, Progress Pride and transgender flags —were meant to get around the flag ban bill passed by the Utah Legislature. The new flags do not replace the city's primary flag, which was adopted in 2020. Cox repeated what he has said in the past, including that he doesn't support HB77, which banned the display of most flags by public school teachers and government entities. But the governor also made it clear that he doesn't approve of how Salt Lake City handled the situation. 'I'm sure they feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags, and it's just the whole thing's dumb,' Cox said. The governor said he feels bad for those being left out, such as Japanese Americans and Polynesian Americans. Cox did give a suggestion as to what he thinks should be done instead. 'We should raise the American flag, and let's unify around that, that it's a great flag that represents everyone,' Cox said. As he spoke about the flag ban and the alternative Salt Lake City flags, the governor used the word 'dumb' seven times in less than a minute. He ended his comments on the situation with a simple sentiment. 'We're living in the dumbest timeline,' Cox said.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah Pride Parade tries to present welcoming message
A large roar erupted from a crowd gathered along 100 South when members of an LGBTQ motorcycle club revved their engines, signaling the start of the 35th annual Utah Pride Parade. That enthusiasm carried for blocks Sunday as tens of thousands of spectators waved Pride flags and all sorts of rainbow-colored items toward the more than 100 organizations and businesses that made their way through the downtown Salt Lake City route. Some came with signs reading messages like 'Love First,' 'Everyone is welcome' and 'My existence is not political.' Many who came said they wanted to show their support during another complex time for the LGBTQ community. 'I think a lot of political things have happened recently, and I think more than ever it's important to support Pride,' said Autumn Krogh, who traveled from South Jordan to attend the downtown event with her 3-year-old pet pig, Cuzzie, which was wearing a rainbow-colored hat and bandana. Sunday's parade followed a series of other events this weekend, including a march to the state Capitol and an interfaith worship service. That's on top of a two-day festival that brought together members of the LGBTQ community and allies alike. While these types of events have taken place for decades, this year's events may have appeared to be more poignant. Some say new state and federal policies and decisions, such as this year's HB77, have left many in the community feeling targeted. HB77 became law last month, prohibiting governments and schools from flying Pride flags and other flags deemed political. Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, the bill's sponsor, said the move was meant to maintain political neutrality in public spaces. 'What we're trying to do here is make sure that we have neutrality as it pertains to politics,' he explained as the bill was going through the legislative process earlier this year. Lee made headlines again last week after he said he would seek 'significant legislation' against 'woke groups' after the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz posted messages recognizing Pride month on the social platform X. Those comments didn't stop the Jazz and Mammoth from having a spot in Sunday's parade. Members of the Salt Lake City Council, a majority of whom identify as queer, were also among the groups that paraded down the street along with other city employees. Many waved the city's new 'Sego Belonging' flags, a Progress Pride flag with the city's sego lily logo on top that the city adopted as a new city flag last month, along with the other designs, to bypass the new state law. This year's parade is 'more important now than ever' because of the current political climate, said Elliott Ramirez, a member of Utah Pride Guard, which participated in the event. Natalie Wolff, who attended the parade, agrees. 'We need to be here and show, support and love, and not be scared to use our voices to make sure there are not going to be laws that are going to take away rights that they've all fought so hard for — that we've all fought so hard for,' she said. Seeing the large outpouring of support Sunday was 'magical' and helped reinforce why Salt Lake City has taken steps to support the LGBTQ community, added Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairman Alejandro Puy, who rode down the route with a Sego Belonging flag attached to the back of his new motorcycle. Puy added that he wished more state politicians would come to events like Sunday's parade to see what the events are like. 'There's a lot of discourse about what this means. Is it political? Is this to separate? Is this to discriminate? No. Nobody is discriminating here. Everyone is welcome,' he said. 'This is about everybody. This is about celebrating our differences.' Contributing: Andrew Adams
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah Pride Parade tries to present welcoming message
A large roar erupted from a crowd gathered along 100 South when members of an LGBTQ motorcycle club revved their engines, signaling the start of the 35th annual Utah Pride Parade. That enthusiasm carried for blocks Sunday as tens of thousands of spectators waved Pride flags and all sorts of rainbow-colored items toward the more than 100 organizations and businesses that made their way through the downtown Salt Lake City route. Some came with signs reading messages like 'Love First,' 'Everyone is welcome' and 'My existence is not political.' Many who came said they wanted to show their support during another complex time for the LGBTQ community. 'I think a lot of political things have happened recently, and I think more than ever it's important to support Pride,' said Autumn Krogh, who traveled from South Jordan to attend the downtown event with her 3-year-old pet pig, Cuzzie, which was wearing a rainbow-colored hat and bandana. Sunday's parade followed a series of other events this weekend, including a march to the state Capitol and an interfaith worship service. That's on top of a two-day festival that brought together members of the LGBTQ community and allies alike. While these types of events have taken place for decades, this year's events may have appeared to be more poignant. Some say new state and federal policies and decisions, such as this year's HB77, have left many in the community feeling targeted. HB77 became law last month, prohibiting governments and schools from flying Pride flags and other flags deemed political. Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, the bill's sponsor, said the move was meant to maintain political neutrality in public spaces. 'What we're trying to do here is make sure that we have neutrality as it pertains to politics,' he explained as the bill was going through the legislative process earlier this year. Lee made headlines again last week after he said he would seek 'significant legislation' against 'woke groups' after the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz posted messages recognizing Pride month on the social platform X. Those comments didn't stop the Jazz and Mammoth from having a spot in Sunday's parade. Members of the Salt Lake City Council, a majority of whom identify as queer, were also among the groups that paraded down the street along with other city employees. Many waved the city's new 'Sego Belonging' flags, a Progress Pride flag with the city's sego lily logo on top that the city adopted as a new city flag last month, along with the other designs, to bypass the new state law. This year's parade is 'more important now than ever' because of the current political climate, said Elliott Ramirez, a member of Utah Pride Guard, which participated in the event. Natalie Wolff, who attended the parade, agrees. 'We need to be here and show, support and love, and not be scared to use our voices to make sure there are not going to be laws that are going to take away rights that they've all fought so hard for — that we've all fought so hard for,' she said. Seeing the large outpouring of support Sunday was 'magical' and helped reinforce why Salt Lake City has taken steps to support the LGBTQ community, added Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairman Alejandro Puy, who rode down the route with a Sego Belonging flag attached to the back of his new motorcycle. Puy added that he wished more state politicians would come to events like Sunday's parade to see what the events are like. 'There's a lot of discourse about what this means. Is it political? Is this to separate? Is this to discriminate? No. Nobody is discriminating here. Everyone is welcome,' he said. 'This is about everybody. This is about celebrating our differences.' Contributing: Andrew Adams
