The Downey City Council adopted a “neutral flag policy” last week, which limits the kind of flags that can be flown on city property. Under the new rules, public displays are limited to federal, state, and local flags, as well as flags for prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The policy constitutes a de facto ban on LGBTQ pride flags, which will no longer fly at City Hall during the month of June. Downey is following in the footsteps of Huntington Beach, which adopted a similar policy last year.
The 3-2 vote was cast May 14. Downey Mayor Mario Trujillo, who is the city’s first openly gay mayor, and Councilmember Horacio Ortiz voted no.
Mayor Pro Tem Hector Sosa, who introduced the policy, denied he was motivated by LGBT issues or pride displays. He said he introduced the resolution after receiving requests to fly other flags, including the Blue Lives Matter and Israeli flags.
Trujillo doesn’t buy it. He said the city has been pressured for three years by an anti-LGBTQ organization called MassResistance.
“When my colleagues had a chance to align themselves with this struggle, they chose to align themselves with a hate group,” Trujillo said, calling the development “a step backward for our city.”