Republican lawmakers in Iowa have introduced legislation to ban public buildings or spaces flying any flags other than patriotic ones.
The legislation, introduced by Sens. Roby Smith (R-Davenport), and Jake Chapman (R-Adel), stipulates the only flags allowed to fly should be the US flag, the State of Iowa flag, the prisoner of war and missing in action (POW/MIA) flag, plus official flags for political subdivisions that own or control the building.
Sioux City Journal says Senate Study Bill 3017 was introduced following a trans flag being flown for a few minutes at the Iowa Capitol building on the annual Trans Day of Remembrance on November, 20, last year.
Today Iowa Safe Schools had a trans flag fly over the Iowa Capitol, the first time a trans flag has flown over any state capitol in the country. We honor those students we work for every single day and will always have your backs. #TransDayofRemembrance #IowaProud #TDOR pic.twitter.com/dTEpI5y7pu
— Iowa Safe Schools (@iowasafeschools) November 20, 2019
The flag was flown at the request of the LGBTQ advocacy group Iowa Safe Schools.
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The gesture upset some Republican lawmakers at the time, with one, State Rep. Skyler Wheeler telling the Iowa Starting Line it represented “one of the most egregious acts of political aggression I’ve ever seen … It’s another way that the Rainbow Jihad continues to give those of us who don’t agree with them a finger in the eye and push their beliefs on us.”
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State officials said that two employees had not followed relevant protocols in agreeing to fly the flag. A spokesperson said all employees had been written to, reminding them of the correct protocol around flag flying.
However, for Chapman, this wasn’t enough, who said it set “a terrible precedent”. Hence the need to introduce legislation.
“I think that was completely disrespectful to the brave men and women who served in the military,” he said.
“I heard from numerous constituents who were very concerned about the precedent that’s being set. My understanding is that there were some internal policies that perhaps were violated during that demonstration but I think it’s important that at least my constituents know that we’re taking this serious.
“It’s what the flag represents and the fact that it was taken down and another flag was flown instead of the American flag and the Iowa flag and the POW/MIA flag, I think at a lot of Iowans find that to be very offensive.”
A state official contradicted Chapman’s claim that the three flags that had been flying were taken down, saying the trans flag was flown on another of the building’s poles.
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The request to fly the trans flag last November came from Iowa Safe Schools. The organization’s Executive Director, Nate Monson, said they arrived at the Capitol Building as planned with their flag. It was flown for a few minutes, and they had a certificate to commemorate the flying of the flag.
He said the symbolic gesture sent a message to “trans youth that they were a part of Iowa, they are part of the country and that they matter.”
The Iowa House of Representatives is currently divided by 53 Republicans to 47 Democrats, and the Senate by 32 seats for Republicans against 18 for the Democrats.
The bill now passes to a Senate State Government subcommittee for consideration. At least one member of the committee has already voiced criticism of the bill.
Democrat Senator Tony Bisignano, of Des Moines, said he felt it was “reactionary,” adding: “We’ve got to look at the broadness of this and is it really necessary? Leave America the way it is — free. When we react and we try to write a law to outlaw, restrict, intimidate — we’re going in the wrong direction.”
Aires the Ram
Public buildings are built, paid for, maintained with PUBLIC Tax Dollars, the Federal taxes we pay, the State & Local taxes we pay in a variety of different forms. Therefore, because these public buildings represent, and are owned by the TAXPAYERS, I believe only the US flag, the State flag and the POW/MIA flags should ever be flown on these public properties. You can fly whatever flag you please on your house, your business, your car, your t-shirt, whatever, but other than the 3 flags I mentioned above, NOT on publicly funded buildings that serve all of the public. That’s my two cents-worth on the matter.
cliche guevara
2 cents is really overstating the value of your opinion.
Aires the Ram
@cliche guevara. Typical of you leftist nutcases. You don’t have the vocabulary nor the information to even have your own opinion, you just think you disagree with mine, so instead of a counter-argument, you resort to the only thing you know how to do, and that is to throw insults.
Cam
Says the account that had zero problems with the Confederate Flag being flown over public buildings.
Look, we get it, you right wing accounts are always here to defend Republican anti-LGBT bigotry.
cliche guevara
The irony of unleashing insults and then wrapping up with whining about insults is pretty rich. The reality is your well thought out and independent opinion valued at 2c MSRP was nothing but restating what the GOP member in the article had said. You literally added nothing new. Your ilk are nothing new, every disposed group has its members that are happy to stay on their knees rather than upset their betters. Then there are those that will push back and demand go live with dignity. The latter makes progress for the whole, you’re welcome.
rustyiam
Well said!
Cam
@rustyiam Awwww, Aires needed his other screename to help him out.
theafricanwiththemouth
“2 cents is really overstating the value of your opinion”
Is this the greatest reply ever known to man? LMFAO!
I must be sure to use this whenever a stupid reply comment includes or ends with “that’s my 2 cents…. “
masterwill7
Such nonsense!! Like it’s shameful to fly another flag?? Like there aren’t any tax paying trans people..? Like it’s important which flag waves somewhere! Get a life!
rbernard
PURE RUBBISH –
In addition to our national, state, and local government flags, that are already being flown on government buildings, people should be able to solicit their politicians to fly their representative flag of the week. It is being done this way all over the nation for years, it raises awareness, is fun to see, and THE FACT IS ONLY INTOLERANT BIGOTED REPUBLICANS have a problem with it.
I think the two problems to fix in our diverse society is intolerant bigotry and not let friends vote Republican.
lesterf
Public tax dollars are supposed to be used to service everyone it serves and that includes the LGBTQ community. Your tax dollars provides shelter to youths living on the streets, monies to hospitals and getting veterans back on their feet, just to name a few. Almost half of youth living on the streets are LGBTQ, and almost half of transgendered ppl attempt suicide. If this small gesture can make a positive change, it would free up schools, hospitals, shelters, VAs, police and so many other needed services to better serve all of us, including those in your own family.
When we help the ones in need, we all succeed.
Cam
The main platform of the Republican party now is bigotry and trying to erase any mention that LGBT people exist.
Aires the Ram
The main platform(s) of the Republican party are a surging economy, bringing thousands upon thousands of jobs back from China and elsewhere, cutting taxes, rebuilding the strength of the military that 8 years of a Democratic administration damaged, re-working trade deals that favor the US, rather than trade deals which harm us. I could build a longer list, but to say “the main platform of ……is now bigotry and erasure of any mention of lgbt people…” is purely simplistic, tunnel visioned, and incorrect.
Not everybody is gonna like gay folks. Looks at all the strides that have been made in the past decades, any gay person under the age of 40 has it a hell of a lot better today in this country, than those over 60 who knew what it was like for us previously. Doesn’t mean things are perfect, because guess what? It ain’t never gonna be perfect. Not everyone likes us. We can, and have pushed for legislation that has helped us, but nobody can legislate who we like or dislike.
Cam
@Aires the Ram
Sweetie, if you’re going to try to quote Republican P.R. get it right. Surging economy? Interesting because wages aren’t up…stocks are. So who is that helping? Bringing jobs back from China? Really? How many new Apple Plants or Manufacturing hubs have opened here that left China? None? Manufacturing is still moving.
But thanks for showing your cards. You will always defend Republicans and minimize their attacks on LGBT people. It’s literally the only reason you are here on this site.
cliche guevara
The U.S. economy while doing great has actually slowed in the last four yearsand the stock market has not done as well as it did under Obama or Clinton… At least he has the Bushes beat (kinda a low bar though).
Please cite a source for all of these jobs that were brought back form China or other places, or how our military needed to be rebuilt…. I mean actual data not repeating talking points.
Creamsicle
The Republican party has abandoned all of its principles and has turned in to a kleptocratic cult if cowardice. Almost nobody is willing to risk Trump stumping against them in their home districts, because none of them can anger the case like Trump can.
They’re terrified that he’ll direct that anger at them. They don’t understand their base. They don’t even try to promise economic success to anyone who isn’t already wealthy enough be on their short list of donors, and fiscal responsibility has gone out the window since their leader keeps talking up a fantasy Wall that will very little to stop illegal border crossings, and has only encouraged more people to cross the border before it’s “closed permanently.”
rustyiam
@ cliche alternative facts much???
Cam
@rustyiam Translation: The troll account cant dispute what @cliche said so tries an anemic deflection.
cliche guevara
@rustyiam really?
Job creation:
2014 averaged 250,000 a month
2015 averaged 227,000 a month
No year past 2015 has matched those numbers, job growth has remained strong but not as strong as it was.
Unemployment Rate:
Dropped from a high of 10% in to 4.7% during Obama’s 8 years.
During the current administration it has gone from 4.7% to 3.7%
GDP Growth:
GDP growth in 2014 2.5
GDP growth in 2015 2.9
GDP growth in 2016 1.6
GDP growth in 2017 2.4
GDP growth in 2018 2.9
GDP growth in 2019 2.1
Stock Market Growth
Clinton annualized 17.49%
Obama annualized 16.25%
Trump annualized 15.38%
Bush 1 annualized 14.7%
Bush 2 annualized -3.82%
All easily verifiable.
Hussain-TheCanadian
What about that vapid, racist, treacherous flag of the defeated separatists, the disgusting Confederate flag that many southern states, states that are so poor, they recieve federal welfare mind you, fly all over their government buildings???
Thad
Oh…the deficit is still climbing.
And the income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grows.
But we have time to say “no” to a small, marginalized group of people who would like their existence recognized by flying a colorful flag on a pole by a public building. Why the enmity toward trans people?
sillyme
@ Aries the Ram, get off the Far side of being a disgusting republican Alt nothingness and read what the hell is happening in the world by looking up articles and check the fact’s and open your eyes for then you will see what the hell is going on around you and if you want to support Trumpy you can but I don’t vote for a party because of that party I vote for the person I think can do the best job and I use a computer with internet and get real facts not go with hate this or that speech like Rumpy has done back in 2015 and so forth. I don’t call people liars or misinformation for no reason I see what is happening and talk to others across the country also and go from there and they are LGBT friends and hetro friends also and I do pretty good just by talking with them and get some more facts on my own.
i SUGGEST you try doing some of that yourself.
gavo92
It’s a pretty flag. Needs glitter or a unicorn on it . . . tho…..
Josh in OR
Wait…Republicans acting like bigoted asshats but couching it in less brazen terms? Not REPUBLICANS!! They’re the party of love and accepptahahahahahahahaha!!!
Sorry, I couldn’t keep going with a straight face…