Rainbow Pride Flag Won't Fly At Dublin City Hall

DUBLIN, CA – For nearly two hours Tuesday night, Dublin City Council wrestled with whether a rainbow Pride flag should be raised on the city's flagpole. After hearing from 13 community members—10 of whom spoke against the idea—council members voted down the initiative, 3-2. Mayor David Haubert, Vice Mayor Melissa Hernandez, and Councilmember Arun Goel cast the nay votes.

The Pride flag was part of a discussion on whether the city should proclaim June as LGBTQ Pride Month. Councilmember Shawn Kumagai brought both issues forward. He initially requested the flag be flown throughout the proposed Pride Month, but later amended his request to just one day, June 1. Councilmembers unanimously voted in support of a Dublin Pride Month, which calls on residents to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ community members and to "actively promote the principles of equality and liberty."

But Haubert, Hernandez and Goel expressed concern about raising the flag. "Are we doing [this] out of sequence?" Goel questioned, noting that the city has no flag policy in place. "That pole is sacred. Should we bring a policy first?" How would the city would respond to future flag-raising requests, he questioned. "What is the next ask?"

One of the community members who spoke against the flag raising was Mike Grant, owner of Dublin-based Gun Repair Unlimited. He unfurled a National Rifle Association flag during his public comments and asked if council would consider flying it. "Anyone willing to hang that out in front of city hall?" Grant also accused Kumagai, who is gay, of having a personal motive. "We don't use public property to push out private agendas," Grant said.

During his turn to speak, Kumagai said the flag was meant to be inclusive. Everyone in this country "has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he said. Dublin's goal, he continued, is to "embrace, without qualification, all members of humanity."

Another public speaker who was against the flag initiative called the LGBTQ community "confused," and said the Pride flag would confuse children in the community who might question what the rainbow design represents.

Councilmember Jean Josey, whose brother died of AIDS, voted in support of the Pride flag initiative and said, "some of the comments highlight why we need to hang a flag."

A 69-year-old San Ramon woman who identified herself as a lesbian said tearfully, "The rainbow flag stands for love—the freedom to choose who to love. It's all it is."

A transgender woman who also spoke at the meeting said, "The rainbow flag ... represents hope."

No one at the meeting spoke against the Dublin Pride Month proclamation.

Patch reached out to Mayor Haubert for further comment after Tuesday night's city council meeting. In an email to Patch he said, in part, "... many people said they felt the regular flagpole should be reserved for the American, state and city flag only, so we should find another suitable location. All these are good ideas and we should take the time to listen. I fully support the LGBTQ community and respect their struggle, and I will always fight to protect them. In the end, I’m confident we will find the best ways to show support for the LGBTQ community."

With support from Josey, Kumagai and Hernandez, the issue of whether a flag policy should be implemented at city hall will be brought forward at a future council meeting. Haubert and Goel were not in support.