Most people have heard of a new bill in Utah that bans pride flags displayed in government facilities, yet few actually know what this bill entails. H.B. 77 flag display amendments sponsored by Trevor Lee and floor sponsor Daniel McCay don’t just deny pride flags but any discoloration of an American flag and the Juneteenth flag. Government entities include schools, Native American reservations, and courthouses. This bill took effect on May 7th, 2025 and says that anyone who doesn’t comply will be fined $500 per violation day. Many of the public are outraged at this bill, specifically for the pride flag, yet even more don’t understand why this is being enacted in the first place. “Why do they care so much? Who is it affecting? They focus on all the wrong issues,” Bree Murphy, a Herriman senior states.
With lots of bills going through the Utah legislature we should be scaling which we pass by who gets affected. In a time with so many Utahns struggling to make ends meet, should we really be concerned about the coloring of a flag? The Utah government claims this is to save children, yet who is this saving? Mrs. Hyer, the chemistry teacher at Herriman high, has an American flag with her husband Mr. Hyer, the English teacher on it. Many students find this funny and not disrespectful, yet the government hopes to discourage this, deeming a joke as unconstitutional.
The other aspect of this bill surrounds the pride and Juneteenth flag. Around 68% of LGBTQ students have had verbal harassment and 12% physical harassment (Glen 2021). Utah also had the highest incident rate in the country towards black students with 11% according to Utah Education 2022. Students need some sort of support and it doesn’t have to be from teachers. Having a symbol where they know that they are cared for and that’s what this flag offers. It may seem silly to get upset over flags being taken away but this goes directly against freedom of expression. Taking away not just pride flags but any sort of discoloration. This isn’t always to hate America, it’s to make a joke or to express support for a group making students feel seen. Whether you disagree with the ideals of LGBTQ+ people, that doesn’t mean it is okay to take away a form of speech in the name of “protecting children” when there are much larger issues going on.
