Two Democrat-led cities in the heart of red-state America — Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho — are pushing back against newly minted state laws that ban non-governmental flags from being flown on public property. The battleground? The Pride flag, and more broadly, the question of whether local governments can prioritize progressive symbolism over statewide directives.
Facing a new law that went into effect Wednesday banning the display of most flags on government buildings — including the Progress Pride and Transgender Pride flags — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall rushed to adopt a novel workaround. On Tuesday, just before the law took effect, the city formally adopted four official flags via ordinance:
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The city’s existing flag
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A modified Progress Pride flag featuring the city’s sego lily symbol
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A modified Transgender Pride flag
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A modified Juneteenth flag
According to Mendenhall’s office, the goal was to incorporate these culturally symbolic flags as official representations of Salt Lake City’s identity — a technical maneuver to skirt the law’s restrictions.
“My intent is to represent our city’s values and honor our dear diverse residents,” Mendenhall said. “This is not about provocation.”
But Utah’s Republican-led legislature sees it differently. House Speaker Mike Schultz insisted the law was about maintaining neutrality in public institutions.
“Salt Lake City should focus on real issues, not political theatrics,” Schultz told reporters. The law, signed without comment by Governor Spencer Cox, imposes a $500-per-day fine for non-compliance.
In neighboring Idaho, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean took a similarly defiant approach. After the state passed a flag law restricting what could be flown above government buildings, McLean retroactively designated the Pride flag as an “official city flag” via mayoral proclamation.
She has gone even further than Mendenhall, having already flown the flag over City Hall after the law was in effect. So far, the state has not taken enforcement action, but the tension is rising — especially as McLean has doubled down, refusing to comment to Fox News Digital amid growing scrutiny.
Despite speculation of coordination, both mayors’ offices maintain that their efforts were independently conceived. According to Salt Lake City spokesman Andrew Wittenberg, while the mayors spoke briefly Monday, there was “no prior or additional coordination.”
