Spend some time at Huntington Beach, and someone will try to sell you something. From “Jesus saves” to “stop the steal” to “free the weed,” there are many perspectives and beliefs on parade. However, if you hit Huntington this summer, one thing will be missing: rainbow Pride flags on city property.
With elections held in California on Tuesday, March 5, 2014, Huntington Beach voters approved Measure B. According to the latest tally provided by the Orange County Registrar of Voters, the measure received massive support. More than 58% of voters cast ballots in favor of Measure B.
Therefore, the rainbow Pride flag and other nongovernmental banners will no longer fly on city property in Huntington Beach, California. Huntington, an oceanside community that has become a hotbed for broader culture wars, came out en masse, supporting the bill.
Measure B prohibits the display of Pride, breast cancer awareness, and religious flags from city properties. According to reports, this is the first time voters have directly considered what kind of flags are flown in a city.
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However, Measure B exempts city, county, and state flags and the U.S. and armed forces flags from the ban. It also allows commemorative banners, like those for the Olympics, in places like City Hall.
“It sets a tone,” said Huntington Beach City Council Member Rhonda Bolton, who opposed the measure. “If people think it’s OK or it becomes normalized to display bigotry towards a particular group,” Bolton added. “Then folks are going to crawl out of their rock and do bad stuff.”
The ballot measure enshrines an ordinance approved by the conservative City Council majority into the city charter. It also undid a previous council vote supporting flying rainbow flags on city buildings during Pride Month in June 2023.
POLL—Should Laws Be Enacted To Protect LGBTQ+ Individuals From Workplace Discrimination?
Consequently, the community now requires a unanimous vote by the City Council to fly a commemorative flag from city facilities. In recent years Huntington Beach has made national headlines for its outspoken conservative reputation. From protests against masks and vaccine regulations during the pandemic to hot-button issues such as immigration.
However, the recent measure and its overwhelming support have received backlash from LGBTQ advocates. Peg Coley, the executive director of the LGBTQ Center Orange County, said a “hateful majority” runs the Huntington Beach City Council.
Furthermore, Coley noted that their “only interest is advancing an agenda of intolerance for minority communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals.” “The pendulum always swings back, and history is the harshest judge,” Coley added. “But informed votes are the very best prevention.”
In addition, critics say Measure B is a thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community. However, supporters say it removes divisive identity politics from the public square. The LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD also criticized the idea, calling the ballot measure “extreme.”
“Enshrining discrimination fuels division,” a spokesperson for GLAAD said in an email. “We saw it flying proudly in Huntington Beach to honor trans teenager Nex Benedict last month.” The spokesperson added, “Pride flags show LGBTQ people, youth, and our allies that they are welcome.”
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