City Council Makes Pride Flag an Official Flag of Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - By an overwhelming 9-2 vote on Monday night, the Missoula City Council has declared that the ‘Pride Flag’ will become an official flag of Missoula.

The City Council chamber was full to capacity with supporters of the Pride Flag, with only a few dissenters.

In the last legislative session, HB 819 was passed, stating that ‘(1) Government property, including state buildings and grounds, public schools, and other government-owned facilities, should serve neutral governmental functions and not be used to promote political or ideological advocacy. (2) The United States flag and other officially recognized governmental flags represent the collective identity, heritage, and sovereignty of the nation, state, and local entities and should be the primary symbols displayed on government property. (3) Allowing nongovernmental or politically charged symbols on state property creates inconsistency in enforcement, legal challenges, and public divisiveness, undermining the neutrality and inclusivity of government spaces.’

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One of the first to speak in the public comment period was former Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, who expressed her support of the measure.

“I am Denise Juneau, a Missoula resident, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, former Seattle Public School Superintendent, and former educator,” began Juneau. "A lot of ‘formers’, but I'm just here because I was moved by the action on the bridge, and also all the people in this room to come support this resolution. I'm also the co-chair of the JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion roadmap).”

Another state representative also spoke in favor of the measure.

“I’m Representative Melody Cunningham, and this bill was heard before our judiciary committee in the House session,” she said. “We argued vociferously that the pride flag was certainly a historical flag, and that it was very important, and I bet 99 percent of Americans have heard of the pride flag as a historical flag, and very few of the Gadsden flag, (Don’t Tread on Me) which is included in this bill and allowed for.”

One Missoula woman, Sonja Quackenbush, expressed her opposition to adopting the pride flag.

“What you are proposing for the flag of our city is anything but inclusive,” said Quackenbush. “It is not inclusionary and it is not equitable, because there are many facets of our population that are not represented under a pride flag.”

Ward 3 City Councilor Gwen Jones spoke in favor of the flag ordinance.

“It's okay to fly flags with historical significance,” said Jones. “Well, the pride flag has huge historical significance. If you bother to look it up and read it all about it, which I read a lot more this weekend than I ever had before, you know it goes back to the 1970s with Harvey Milk in San Francisco. It has a ton of historical significance. So that's a contradiction. Then they say that you should not fly anything that has a political ideology. Well, the Gadsden flag is very much a political ideology.”

The vote was 9-2, with only Sandra Vasecka and Robert Campbell opposing the measure.