California Lawmakers Sued For Flying Pride Flags

LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach Rep. Alan Lowenthal Wednesday pledged to fight a lawsuit by a lobbyist, who wants to force him to take his "Pride Flag" down from his Washington, D.C., office because it makes him feel uncomfortable.

Chris Sevier, a self-described "former Judge Advocate General, combat Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, DC lobbyist, overseas missionary, whistleblower and recording artist," filed the suit in federal court in Washington Tuesday. He specifically named Lowenthal and Reps. Susan Davis, a San Diego Democrat, Donald Beyer, a Virginia Democrat and Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, as defendants.

Sevier claims the flag makes him feel unwelcome in federal buildings and therefore unable to approach the defendants to perform his lobbying duties.

Lowenthal, among the first legislators to raise the Pride flag in his office, said he won't be intimidated by the lawsuit.

"I fly the Pride Flag outside my office in support of every LGBTQ individual — those in my district, those in our nation, and those around the world," Lowenthal said. "It is a symbol of both how far we have come on equality for all Americans and, as these incidents illustrate, how far we still have to go. It is a symbol of love, of peace and diversity. I will fight this hateful attempt to silence equality and justice. We have come too far to allow the voices of bigotry and hate to win."

Lowenthal has been flying the flag since in March 2013.

But the symbol of love is simply too hateful to Sevier, who has long waged war against marriage equality. In his 36-page complaint, Sevier said he was offended by the defendants' display of the banner, a symbol of gay and lesbian pride, outside their offices but was not opposed to the flag being displayed inside congressional offices. The suit "respectfully asks" that a judge force the four lawmakers to "remove the Gay Pride Rainbow Colored Flag on display."

In his court papers, Sevier argues that "homosexuality" is a "religion," so the display of the flag violates the 1st Amendment establishment clause. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

Davis, one of the three defendants named in the case, also released a statement, saying it was "disheartening that in this day and age this is still an issue."

"Be assured that hateful lawsuits are not going to stop me from celebrating our nation's diversity. If anything, this lawsuit is a reminder of the need for us to work even harder for full equality for all Americans," she said. "As the proud representative of the heart of LGBTQ San Diego, the rainbow flag in front of my D.C. office is a source of pride for me and my constituents. It is a symbol of our commitment to full equality."

Among other things, Sevier has asked the court to declare homosexuality a religion and strike down rulings that led to the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage. He also seeks damages of $1 and to recoup legal fees.

According to news reports, Sevier has also filed suit in Utah and other states demanding the right to marry his laptop computer, in light of the same- sex marriage ruling.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo by Benson Kua via Wikimedia Commons