Red states have their blue pockets — like the areas where numpties vote for Maxwell Frost in Florida or Hank Johnson in Georgia. In Utah, Salt Lake City is one of those blue areas. The capital of the Beehive State is defying a new law that goes on the books this week in yet another example of left-wing performance art.
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It’s a massive understatement to say that HB77 is a controversial law, even in Utah. The bill’s sponsor said that it was about political neutrality in public buildings, but the usual leftists whined that it’s unfair to minorities.
“HB77, which goes into law on Wednesday, lists which flags can be flown at schools and government buildings,” reports Deseret News. “U.S., Utah, county, municipal, tribal, military, and Olympic flags are among the approved flags, while flags representing the LGBTQ communities and the Juneteenth flag — used to celebrate the holiday where the last slaves were freed after the Civil War — were not included.”
The bill passed both chambers of Utah’s legislature, but Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) thought the bill was “divisive.” Although he faced pressure to veto it, HB77 passed with an overwhelming majority.
“I continue to have serious concerns with this bill. However, because a veto would be overridden, I have decided to allow the bill to go into law without my signature and urge lawmakers to consider common-sense solutions that address the bill’s numerous flaws,” Cox explained in a letter telling how the bill came into law without his having to sign it.
Related: When You Have No Substance, All That’s Left Is Performance Art
Enter Salt Lake City into the fray. The city adopted a new flag in 2020 that features the sego lily, the flower that represents the city, in the corner, with a blue stripe on top and a white stripe on the bottom. On the eve of HB77 becoming law, the city council adopted a measure that allows three alternate flags: a transgender flag, a Juneteenth flag, and that hot mess “Progress Pride” flag, each with the sego lily in the same place it rests on the city flag.
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“All three flags were not included in the list of flags approved to be flown outside of government or in schools,” reports Deseret News. “The new flags would not replace the city’s primary flag, which was adopted in 2020.”
Mayor Erin Mendenhall mustered up all the gravitas she could to try to explain how meaningful this silly symbolism is:
“These city flags represent the ideas and principles Salt Lakers know as core tenets — belonging and acceptance, or better stated: Diversity. Equity. Inclusion,” she said, sitting next to all four flags in a Salt Lake City Council work session chamber.
“I have given this so much thought, and I do not do this lightly. My sincere intent is not to provoke or cause division; my intent is to represent our city’s values and honor our dear, diverse residents who make up this beautiful city,” she added. “Let the sego lily represent the beauty and resilience of everyone who lives here, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, faith, income, or sexual orientation.”
“Today is an act of love… for every member of our community,” Councilwoman Sarah Young chimed in.
No, it’s not. It’s just progressive performance art.
State Rep. Trevor Lee (R-16th District), who sponsored the bill, reacted to Salt Lake City’s silly stunt on X:
Maybe instead of trying to divide, and push political ideologies, Salt Lake City should be trying to fix their homeless, drug and crime problems.
No wonder their city is a mess, raising taxes and worried about how to try and get around a very popular bill Utahs want.… https://t.co/hGtXcpTX28
— Trevor Lee (@VoteTrevorLee) May 8, 2025
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The progressives in Salt Lake City have demonstrated yet again that the left is bereft of ideas. All they have are symbolic gestures like this, although I can only imagine these people smugly congratulating themselves for really showing those bigots!
Flags and symbols that don’t represent the public in its entirety have no place in public spaces — of course, that ridiculous “Progress Pride” monstrosity doesn’t belong anywhere. It’s not inclusion when you exclude the vast majority, but you can’t tell those fools in Salt Lake City anything.
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