Downey goes backwards by banning Pride flag

The Progress Pride Flag flies over the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration for the first time in downtown on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Tuesday’s decision by the Downey City Council to rescind its policy allowing the Pride flag to fly each June is not just a step backward; it’s a puzzling act of divisiveness at a time when Downey is still healing from several years of instability.

The move sends a message of exclusion and discrimination, and it’s especially insulting that it comes during the mayoral term of Mario Trujillo, Downey’s first openly gay mayor.

With its 3-2 vote (Trujillo and Councilman Horacio Ortiz voted no), Downey city facilities are restricted from flying the Pride flag, something Downey began doing only three years ago.

Tuesday’s vote was the Downey City Council’s conservative majority flexing its muscle. Instead of fostering inclusivity and celebrating diversity, they’re choosing to sow seeds of division. Instead of promoting unity and acceptance, they’re widening the gap between different groups within the city.

As a symbol of pride and progress, the Pride flag represents the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Banning it during the leadership of a mayor who represents a milestone in Downey’s history — and two weeks before the start of Pride Month — is a direct affront to the values of equality and respect.

In a time when many cities and institutions are embracing diversity and actively working towards creating more inclusive environments, Downey’s step backward is disappointing and disheartening.

It’s my hope the City Council will reconsider their decision and either carve out an exception for the Pride flag or rescind their neutral flag policy entirely.