A city close to Detroit, Michigan, has voted to outlaw the flying of Pride flags on public land permanently as communities across the country observe June as Pride Month.
The contentious resolution prohibiting the city from flying any “religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation group flags” on public property was overwhelmingly approved by the members of the Hamtramck city council on Tuesday, according to meeting minutes.
There will be no restrictions on residents or businesses flying Pride or other flags on their own property.
Mohammed Hassan, a member of the city council, proposed the resolution, which states that the city will not give any group preferential treatment. Members of the city council warned that hoisting the Pride flag might prompt other “radical or racist groups” to request the hoisting of their flags.
During the several hours allocated for public comment, dozens of neighborhood residents discussed the resolution. In opposition to the resolution, one person stated that “for Hamtramck to attempt to equate the LGBTQ Pride flag with hate symbols, when it is a symbol of progress and love, is now a local attack on our community.”
The resolution calls Hamtramck “one of the most diverse cities in the United States
The resolution calls Hamtramck “one of the most diverse cities in the United States.” City manager Max Garbarino said on Thursday that the city has a sizable immigrant population and that all of the members of the city council are Muslims. According to a CNN report, Hamtramck was also the first American city to officially establish an all-Muslim administration.
The resolution mandates that the city flies flags “that represent the international character” of the region in addition to the American flag. According to the statement, “each religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexually-oriented group is already represented by the country it belongs to.”
Another person claimed in an email to the city council that it is “patently false” to assume that all groups are represented by their national flag of origin.
“Does Hamtramck wish to participate in this trend of alienating, threatening, and punishing members of the LGBTQ+ community, or does it wish to embrace our diversity as touted in our model, ‘The world in two square miles?’” the resident asked.
A majority of the resolution’s opponents may not have actually read the document, according to Mayor Amer Ghalib.
Ghalib claimed that the resolution sought to prohibit the exhibition of flags from other groups as well, in addition to Pride flags. Ghalib noted that he recently spoke with someone who requested to fly a religious flag, which would not be permitted following the passage of the resolution.
“We are not targeting one group or another,” Ghalib said.
As a result of the decision, Hamtramck will only permit extra flags that honor the city’s immigrant background.