For the third time in less than a year, Utah Republicans are pushing legislation that would effectively ban Pride flags from public school classrooms. The latest proposal would restrict classroom displays to a narrow list of approved banners, outlawing any flags that could be seen as political, while never mentioning Pride flags directly.
HB77, sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, sets out which flags can be displayed in Utah's public schools and classrooms. If a flag isn't on the list, it's not allowed. Parents could go to court to force a school or teacher to remove a non-authorized flag.
The list includes the U.S. flag, the Utah State flag, the POW/MIA flag, and flags representing an Indian tribe or a branch of the military. Flags of foreign countries or other city/state flags are also allowed.
It allows temporarily displaying a curriculum-related flag. For instance, a teacher could display the Confederate "Stars and Bars" during a Civil War lesson.
Schools can display flags representing Utah's public colleges and universities. A flag for the University of Utah is fine, but a flag for Brigham Young University, which is private, is not.
If a school or teacher displays a non-sanctioned flag, the bill empowers parents to have it removed. After a parent notifies local school boards or governing bodies in writing, they will have 10 days to resolve the issue. After that, parents can go to court to force a school or teacher to take down the flag.
Lee's proposal is nearly identical to legislation Republicans tried to sneak through on the final night of the 2024 session.
With hours before adjournment, Senate Republicans attempted twice to gut a bill dealing with public school employees under criminal investigation and replace it with legislation listing flags allowed in public schools. Those efforts failed.
Earlier during the 2024 session, another bill banning public school employees from using their position to endorse a "political viewpoint or viewpoint regarding sexual orientation or gender identity" was defeated.
Before his first election in 2022, Lee ran a now-deleted anonymous X/Twitter account that repeatedly attacked the LGBTQ+ community. That animus continues on his current social media profiles.
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