After months of planning, the city of Merced, CA (pop. 80,793) unveiled its very first LGBT community center this summer, proudly raising its rainbow flag and opening its doors to the public on August 30.
Now, that rainbow flag is being forced down.
Earlier this week, the center received a letter from the building’s landlord demanding they immediately stop flying the flag.
“We’re the first LGBT community center to happen in Merced ever,” Chris Jervis, president of Gay Central Valley, which oversees the Merced LGBT Center, told KVPR. “Having the flag up and then taking it down is a real slap in the face to the community because they felt suddenly there’s a place that welcomes them and now the flag is being taken down.”
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In the letter, the landlord informed the center that only American and/or California flags were allowed to be flown over the building.
No exceptions.
“What they told us was that if we were allowed to fly our flag then the other businesses in the complex would have to be able to fly their flags as well and it would be too complicated,” Jervis explained.
Sounds like a pretty thin argument to us.
According to Jervis, the letter also stated that the center was forbidden from advertising itself by using the flagpole. But workers insist that they’re not a business, their a community center, and the rainbow flag is recognized the world over as a symbol of gay pride.
Marissa Chavez, an organizer in charge of the center, told KVPR that the lease doesn’t say anything about the flagpole, and that there had been a verbal agreement with the landlord.
“We were kind of confused because when we had gotten the building, we did ask for the key to the flagpole and we received that key,” she said.
But to avoid further conflict, Chavez said the center “complied” with the landlord’s demands. The flag is now hanging in the window and the center remains open.
The landlord did not respond to requests for comment.
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Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Alan down in Florida
A friend of mine who lived down the street from me in a housing development started flying a rainbow flag from his house which was located where almost every car entering the complex had to go past it. The Homeowners Association threatened him with sanctions if he didn’t take it down saying only the American flag was allowed under their rules. It’s amazing how quickly they backed down when he filed a $2 million lawsuit for the violation of his First Amendment right of free speech after shooting pictures of over a dozen other houses flying non-American flag flags without the HOA making them take it down. When the HOA backed down he started flying the biggest rainbow flag I’ve ever seen, right up to the day he packed up his mother and his dog and moved elsewhere locally.
Kamuriie
“Their a community center”? Ugh. Cringe!
Kieru
This strikes me more as news that isn’t news. Assuming the leasing agreement does prohibit the use of the flag pole well… you signed it you live with the consequences. The fact that this space is being used as a community center is irrelevant.
Even if no other space in the building wants to use the flag pole… allowing access to ONE would necessitate allowing the rest access should they ever choose to have it. Then it does become a question of what size flag, in what order, who maintains the flags, etc, etc.
A rainbow flag is hardly necessary for the community center to flourish or even to make itself known.
Stache99
@Kieru:Just like some apartment bldgs won’t allow you to paint or change the drapes of your apartment on the outside. Decreases the property value.
petensfo
I’d bet anything the objection came from the other tenants that were afraid they & their customers might get the gay on them.
I’m a landlord, if it’s not specifically in the lease, it’s very difficult to backtrack.
rand503
@Kieru: OMg! There might be flags! Everywhere! What could be more horrible??.
Zekester
@Kieru: Did you bother to actually read the article? It clearly states that the lease said nothing about flags.
Zekester
@Stache99: How does your example relate in any way to the issue of flying a flag on a FLAG POLE?
Dakotahgeo
The landlord sounds like a first class jackass and doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on!
bender1955
@Kamuriie: well you may not agree with it; we are here to stay and if you do a little research you will find that every time gay people move into a neighborhood they fix up the buildings /area and 9 times out of 10 there’s and everyone else’s property value goes up and ends up bring lots of money into that area . it is a known fact throughout the realestate world. I just don’t understand why people are so homophobic in this day and age.But I guess there are still some very uneducated people out there about who and what we are.
SouthwestSun
I’m a landlord myself and I just realized my lease agreements also say that only the US and state flag may be flown on my rental properties. I need to change that ASAP. As a gay landlord I can’t believe I never thought about that.
jwtraveler
It’s odd that the landlord doesn’t mind renting to a Gay Community Center, but objects to the flag. Maybe he needed the money and they were the only tenant he could get, but now he wants to make them as invisible as possible.
interesting
@bender1955: I think Kamuriie was referring to the fact that the word “their” was used inappropriately. The word “their” should always be follow by a noun, and whoever wrote the article meant “they’re”, which is shortened for “they are”. I cringe too whenever I see people using: their, there, and they’re (they are) incorrectly.
Harley
@bender1955: ” I just don’t understand why people are so homophobic in this day and age.” it’s because of Jesus. Or whichever other myth religion homophobes worship and give their hard earned money too.
NoCagada
@Kamuriie: Is that English? Ugh. Cringe
RNBill
Time to move!!!
crowebobby
@bender1955: He was obviously referring to the grammatical misuse of “their” for “they’re” (they are).
crowebobby
@bender1955: Sorry, I didn’t see how many others had already responded to this comment.
Kieru
@Zekester: Pardon me for not taking one persons word against another. You’re right; the community center CLAIMS the lease does not reference the use of the flag pole outside the building. They also claim that as a ‘community center’ they should somehow be subject to different leasing rules so… I’m skeptical to say the least.