BOZEMAN — The space where the pride flag has flown at Bozeman City Hall for four years now sits vacant.
And after a passionate round of public comment from both supporters and opponents of House Bill 819, the debate continues.
At Tuesday night's meeting, supporters voiced opinions: “Please seriously consider the Pride Flag as an official city flag, not as a symbol of unity between gay people but as a symbol of unity between all citizens of Bozeman.”
And opponents made their stance, “If these activists had their way, we wouldn’t just be replacing the city flag, we would be removing the Montana and American flag right alongside it.”
WATCH: House Bill 819 Sparks Heated Discussions Over Pride Flag in Bozeman
The Bozeman City Commission is now tasked with considering its response to new legislation aimed at limiting the display of certain flags on government property.
“This is a new bill that came to us from Helena, and it was not a bill that we were expecting, quite frankly. And so, we must comply with this new law," says Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham.
House Bill 819 was signed into law by Governor Gianforte on May 13. Since then, various municipalities, including Butte and Missoula, have challenged the bill by passing resolutions to adopt the pride flag as an official flag, given that the legislation allows for exceptions for state or city flags.
Mayor Cunningham noted that last night’s public comment feedback appeared split between supporters and opponents of a similar resolution in Bozeman.
“We’re interested in learning more and trying to do it in a way that sort of brings the community together, rather than pits citizen against citizen," he says.
A follow-up meeting is scheduled for next week, Tuesday, July 15th, at 6 PM at Bozeman City Hall.
