After Dublin Raises Rainbow Pride Flag, State Capitol Does Too

DUBLIN, CA — Less than two weeks after Dublin raised the rainbow Pride flag over city hall, Monday state officials raised the Pride flag over the State Capitol building in Sacramento for the first time in history. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was mayor of San Francisco when the city first began issuing same-sex marriage licenses back in 2004, requested that the capitol building fly the flag in honor of Pride Month. Dublin, which has also declared June as Pride Month, will fly its rainbow flag through July 3.

"In California, we celebrate and support our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community's right to live out loud—during Pride Month and every month," Newsom said in a statement. "By flying the Pride flag over the State Capitol, we send a clear message that California is welcoming and inclusive to all, regardless of how you identify or who you love."

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said, "Seeing the Pride flag prominently flown at the capitol reminds people everywhere that while some states and the federal government dehumanize LGBTQ people, California stands firmly for equality and inclusion."

While this year is the first time the Pride flag will be flown outside the capitol building, in the past the flag has been hung over balconies both inside and outside. Additionally, in 2015, the building's dome was illuminated in rainbow colors after the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution should require all states to issue and recognize same-sex marriages.

After several weeks of protests, heated rhetoric and serious discussion, Dublin City Council voted unanimously June 4 to raise the rainbow Pride flag over city hall. The 5-0 vote came during council's regularly scheduled meeting, and afterward the city proclaimed the outcome on Twitter. "The flag was raised tonight and hangs beneath the city flag," the city said in the tweet.

The move in Dublin followed pressure on social media and from some residents, including a petition calling for the rainbow flag to fly. At its May 21 city council meeting, members voted 3-2 against flying the flag. In the days following that vote, about 50 people gathered near the Dublin civic center to rally in support of flying the Pride flag at city hall.

—Bay City News contributed to this report.