Salt Lake City and Boise adopt pride flags as official city flags last night

Flying with Pride: Salt Lake City and Boise Make Pride Flags Official Amid State Bans

In a bold stand against rising conservative crackdowns on LGBTQ+ visibility, both Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho, took unprecedented steps to safeguard Pride symbols in their communities — by making them official.

On Tuesday night, Salt Lake City adopted three new official city flags, including designs honoring the LGBTQ+ and trans communities. The move comes in response to a new Utah law, set to take effect Wednesday, that effectively bans most non-governmental flags — including Pride flags — from being flown at public schools, universities, and government buildings.

Mayor Erin Mendenhall presented the flag proposal to the Salt Lake City Council, which passed it unanimously. The three new designs are bold and intentional:

• The Sego Belonging Flag, to represent LGBTQ+ residents;
• The Sego Visibility Flag, to uplift the trans community; and
• The Sego Celebration Flag, to honor Black residents and the significance of Juneteenth.

Each flag incorporates the existing city flag in the top-left corner, symbolizing unity while elevating historically marginalized communities.

“Our city flags are powerful symbols representing Salt Lake City’s values,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “I want all Salt Lakers to be able to look up at these flags and be reminded that we value inclusion and acceptance, leaving no doubt that we are united as a city and people, moving forward together.”

City Council Chair Chris Wharton echoed those sentiments, saying the flags “reflect our shared humanity and the values that help everyone feel they belong.”

The Utah law, passed earlier this year, imposes a $500-per-day fine on any state or local government building flying unauthorized flags. While proponents claim the bill supports “political neutrality,” critics see it as a targeted effort to erase LGBTQ+ visibility.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox allowed the bill to become law without his signature, citing concerns that the legislation went too far. In a public letter, he acknowledged the LGBTQ+ community, saying, “I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state.” Still, his message rang hollow for many advocates who viewed his inaction, as well as his signing of anti-transgender bills the past two years, as complicity.

Meanwhile, in Boise, the City Council took a similarly defiant stance. In a 5-1 vote Tuesday night, council members passed a resolution officially recognizing the Pride flag as one of Boise’s designated city flags —directly challenging Idaho’s newly enacted HB 96.

The law, signed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little in March, limits flag displays at government buildings to only state, federal, and a few select others. Though vague, the law references “official” flags — a loophole Boise is now using to keep the Pride flag flying legally.

The decision followed a public spat between Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, who had warned the city to comply with the new law. In response, McLean released a sharply worded letter, accusing the law’s backers of targeting Boise specifically to “force the City of Boise to take down the Pride flag that has flown at City Hall for nearly 10 years.”

Several dozen community members gathered outside Boise City Hall ahead of the vote, waving both rainbow and American flags in a peaceful rally. Emotions were high, but the message was clear: Pride isn’t just symbolic — it’s vital.