The Missoula City Council voted 9-2 to adopt the rainbow flag as its official city flag in protest of a new Montana law banning activist banners on government property.
MISSOULA, Montana (LifeSiteNews) – A far-left city in Montana adopted the rainbow LGBT “pride” flag as its official city banner in a particularly dramatic act of defiance to the prevailing values of the Republican state in which it rests.
The Missoula City Council voted 9-2 Monday to adopt the flag, NBC Montana reported. "Currently, there is only one official flag for the City of Missoula, and that's the Pride flag adopted last night. There was no prior official flag," city attorney Ryan Sudbury said.
The move was a protest of sorts against Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signing a law to ban government property from flying any flags other than the American flag, state flags, the official flags of cities, counties, or localities, official school flags, law enforcement and military flags, and banners of similar non-partisan purpose, a change that effectively bans government offices and schools from erecting pride flags or other activist flags. As the city’s official flag, the pride rainbow now qualifies to be flown under the law.
“When I see the pride flag, I breathe a little sigh of relief and think my kid is safe here,” claimed Jennifer Savage, sponsor of the Missoula resolution.
Bob Campbell, who voted no, had a different take. “The last thing (my autistic grandson) needs, the last thing he needs is to be handed a flag,” he said. “I think for this particular purpose and for what a government symbol should be, my view is pretty narrow -- the United States flag, the state of Montana flag. I don’t think it should be anything beyond those two.”
Gianforte responded by declaring that “nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools -- all while ignoring the city's housing affordability crisis, raising taxes by 17% because of overspending, and refusing to take firm action to end encampments in the city. Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community."
The Daily Wire noted that Missoula County “voted overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in 2024, 59% to 38%, while former Democratic Sen. John Tester received 66% of the vote in Missoula to just 32% for Republican Tim Sheehy. Trump and Sheehy went on to win the state.”
In April, Gianforte also signed laws to exclude biological males from women’s restrooms, lockers, and showers, and to limit school athletic programs meant for girls to actual girls. The following month, he repealed a mandate for “gender balance and proportional representation of minorities” in filling state government vacancies, effectively eliminating DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) ideology from state hiring.
