Letters to the Editor: First library books, now the LGBTQ+ Pride flag. What’s next, Huntington Beach?

To the editor: I don’t know what is more depressing — the fact that Huntington Beach passed the hateful measure banning the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from being displayed on city property, or that only 23% of the city’s registered voters even cared enough to vote.

This says an awful lot about our city, and it isn’t good. What is so horrible about flying a rainbow flag on city property to show support for a marginalized group?

Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns is quoted as saying, “To me, it’s demeaning to the LGBQ community to fly that flag.” Using his reasoning, wouldn’t it also be demeaning to soldiers and their families to fly the POW-MIA flag? Of course it isn’t.

The POW-MIA flag is flown at City Hall throughout the year; the LGBTQ+ flag was flown only during Pride Month. Now it will likely never be flown again.

First, there were the library restrictions on books dealing with homosexuality and puberty. Now we have a flag ban. What’s next, Huntington Beach? What happened to teaching children about compassion for those different from you?

Barbara Richardson, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: While I do not, in any way, support bigoted or anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, I oppose flying any flag, other than our state or national flag, on a public building.

If we are all equal under the law, then the only two flags that should represent us under the laws of the land are state and national.

Denis Montenaro, Laguna Niguel

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To the editor: The supporters of Huntington Beach’s ban on flying certain flags on city property are clearly political and dishonest in their defense.

Supposedly limiting flags to those of government entities, the initiative allows the POW-MIA flag to be displayed. That flag is the symbol of a nonprofit organization that the voters apparently support, as opposed to others they do not.

This is not to criticize any of the organizations, but only to point out that the ban’s reasoning is inconsistent. Shame on Huntington Beach.

Lon M. Burns, Manhattan Beach