Utah Republican Rep. Trevor Lee isn’t content with banning Pride flags from schools — he’s already planning more restrictions if teachers find ways to show LGBTQ+ support.
Lee says if his bill banning Pride flags in Utah’s classrooms doesn’t send a strong enough message to teachers, he’s prepared to come back with legislation next year to expand the crackdown.
HB77 restricts the display of flags on government property to an approved list. The bill creates a stark contrast: Pride flags would be banned, while Nazi or Confederate flags would be permitted temporarily if they are deemed educational.
During a Zoom call with the far-right organization Utah Citizens for the Constitution, Lee boasted that some form of his bill would pass the Utah Senate before the Legislature adjourns on Friday, according to a recording reviewed by Utah Political Watch.
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Originally, Lee’s proposal only targeted Utah’s public school classrooms. He later expanded the bill to include all government buildings, which has become a point of contention with his Republican Senate colleagues. Lee is aggressively pushing to keep that provision in the bill, which he added to target Pride Month displays in Salt Lake City.
"I think we have the votes in the Senate to make sure during Pride Month in Salt Lake City that you're not able to fly Pride flags all over the place, which is something people are sick and tired of," Lee said.
GOP Rep. Trevor Lee speaks to Utah Citizens for the Constitution on March 3, 2025.
The lawmaker made it clear he’s eager to expand his campaign against LGBTQ+ symbols if needed. Lee said he's aware that educators or public officials might try to circumvent the ban with Pride-themed pins or stickers, but hopes that banning the Pride flag will send an unmistakable message.
"If this doesn't fix those problems, and we are seeing teachers start to push pins and stickers and banners, it's going to be really easy to go back next year and say, you knew what we were doing with this bill. You knew what we were trying," Lee threatened. "It will be really easy to go back next year and just make a more blanket ban on other items if we can't get this done through just the flag. The flag is a big one and an easy one to do."
Aaron Welcher, Director of Communications for the ACLU of Utah, slammed Lee's comments as revealing a contempt for personal liberties.
"From the start, we've said HB77 isn't about protecting personal freedoms—it's about control," Welcher warned. "Rep. Lee's obsession with banning Pride symbols makes it clear: this isn't just about flags, but about othering and erasing LGBTQ+ people from public life. Today, it's Pride flags. Tomorrow, it will be broader restrictions on speech, education, or expression for anyone the state deems unacceptable."
