A Connecticut town council voted to ban the LGBTQ+ pride flag in government buildings almost immediately after coming under Republican control.

The Enfield Town Council voted in a meeting Monday to ban all flags from flying at government buildings save for the United States, Connecticut state, and military flags. The new policy, which went through with a vote of 6-5, replaces a 2022 policy that allowed the rainbow flag to fly during Pride Month in June.

While some the council members pushing the policy claimed to do so as a way to remain “neutral,” Councilor At-Large Gina Cekala, who voted against the measure, accused them of directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community and Pride flag.

“I think the real reason is you don’t want that Pride flag up on this town hall,” she said, “which is absolutely disgusting."

Tom Tyler, the interim town attorney, claimed at one point that if the the Pride flag was allowed to be flown, “ISIS could come in and want to display one, the IRA…basically anybody. You’d have to be content neutral and let everybody." He then went off-topic to accuse schools of trying to indoctrinate students with “transgender ideology.”

The decision came as a betrayal to many of the town’s residents, including Brandon Jewell of PFLAG Enfield, who noted that two of the Republicans voting to ban flags previously voted in favor of the 2022 policy that allowed the Pride displays.

read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/connecticut-pride-flag-ban-isis

  • rivermonster@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Fox, OAN, NewsMax, etc. Those are gateways to the Christian Taliban… I mean ISIS. Same thing.

  • EndOfLine@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    The most amazing part is that they’ve resolved all of the more important issues and have the time to consider what flags should be allowed to fly at government buildings.

    Right? I mean how negligent would it be to prioritize passing an approved flags list while issues that affect their constituents still need attention.

    • Carighan Maconar@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Plus, notice the absolute freedom these people are enforcing. Republicans, truly the people who still take freedom and self-determination serious! Not like those Democrafts who always want to legislate everything and have rules and bans and shit! Just let people do what they personally want, the republican way.

      (Can we please just shove them all into the ocean already? Nothing of any value will be lost and we also reduce the carbon footprint a little bit.)

  • admiralteal@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    “ISIS could come in and want to display one, the IRA…basically anybody. You’d have to be content neutral and let everybody.” He then went off-topic to accuse schools of trying to indoctrinate students with ‘transgender ideology.’

    Yep, that sounds like a typical conservative. Mind is just a jumble of terrified nightmare-fantasies about the big bad de jour that wanders off into total nonsense without any notice.

  • bedrooms@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    ISIS could come in and want to display one

    I don’t think ISIS supports LGBTQ+…

    What are we supposed to do with these conservatives? They can’t be debated with, they don’t have the concept of logic.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Rethink what you mean by “what are we supposed to do?”

      You’re not going to convince them, you’re not going to change their mind, you’re not going to find the one flaw that shakes them from their delusion. Because conservativism is not founded on principles. A conservative is a narcissist, and should be treated as such. Ignore their tantrums, protect yourself and your interests, set boundaries and stick to them. Their arguments are flotsam flung from whatever position they think will help them most. Ignore them, it’s all bullshit. Their priorities are lines in the sand drawn around where they stand. Ignore them and do what you know to be right. Do not compromise, do not waver, do not negotiate. That’s a losing strategy every time, because their appetite for self interest is never sated. Their lust for power will grow with every inch you cede.

      They are not an enemy to be vanquished with thoughtful debate, they are an obstacle to be overcome with tireless devotion to doing good.

      Also do not seek revenge. Do not say “they have hurt me, I must hurt them.” The conservative craves your attention and will feel validated by your wrath. “See?” they will say, “I knew you were as bad as me. You criticize me, but we are the same.” Forgive them, and move on with your life. A conservative may learn that being kinder to others benefits themselves. This doesn’t mean they are cured of their conservativism, merely that they have adapted to the new normal where you aren’t playing their games. They will pretend they were on your side all along. They will claim to have been confused or lost or fooled, but they are merely deflecting blame for their willful ignorance. You can enjoy the time they spend feigning compassion, but be vigilant against the selfish gremlin inside waiting to latch onto any advantage they can find for themselves. If you give a mouse a cookie…

    • admiralteal@kbin.social
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      8 months ago

      The word for people who care about individual liberties is “liberal”.

      The right tells us they are not liberal. Believe them.

  • carl_dungeon@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Anyone that goes through that much effort to ban something that doesn’t harm them is hiding something.

  • geekworking@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    It must be great to live in a place that has so few real problems that the town can waste time with bullshit culture war distractions.

    • Daniel F.@aussie.zone
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      8 months ago

      Oh I’m sure they have plenty of problems, but it’s probably only minorities and poor people who experience them so who cares!

      • XTL@sopuli.xyz
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        8 months ago

        Noisy “news” like this are actually really good at hiding a lot of real problems. Especially chronic ones that are “old news”.

    • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Not necessarily, since this is a government building it would be the government’s speech, and they clearly don’t want to fly it. They aren’t preventing people from flying it on their personal property.

      That said, there’s a clear likelihood that this is purely anti-lgbtq sentiment in action.

  • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Ugggh, so I really don’t want to be on their side with this, but… I kind of agree that the only flags that should fly in government buildings is US, state, and military flags. There also shouldn’t be religious wall decorations like the Ten Commandments or crosses. There shouldn’t be Confederate flags. There shouldn’t be state university flags. It’s a government building, and it should represent everyone equally, and not promote any cause, group, or religion except explicitly what is part of the government.

    I reeeeeeally don’t like the reason they want to ban it, but I think it would be great for every government building to adopt those standards.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I think the government has an obligation to represent oppressed minorities, including their symbology when appropriate.There is no such thing as neutrality, and even if it wasn’t for regressive reasons it would still be a regressive policy.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      IMHO, the crucial difference is that the LGBTQ pride flag isn’t saying the gays are the best. It’s merely asking for equal treatment, for human rights. A government which does not agree with those goals, which does not work for the equal treatment and human rights of all its citizen, is being partial in precisely the way you describe.

  • bedrooms@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    If they believe they are doing the correct thing, why do they not write their intent in official announcements?

  • PlasterAnalyst@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    I’m surprised that he hasn’t updated his talking point to Hamas. Just shows just how out of touch this guy is.