Missoula, MT Adopts Pride Flag As "Official Flag," Legally Defying Ban On Flying It
Montana HB819 was intended to ban Pride flags from flying on city property, but had an exception for "official flags." So Missoula made the Pride flag an official flag.
During the 2025 legislative session, Montana passed HB819, a thinly veiled ban on Pride flags displayed on city property and in public schools. While the bill permits “historically significant” flags with loaded political meaning—such as the Gadsden and even the Confederate flags—it limits official displays to state-sanctioned banners, with narrow exceptions. The bill’s intent was unmistakable. Lawmakers made clear during debate that the measure was crafted specifically to target the Pride flag. But the City of Missoula didn’t back down. Instead, in a 9–2 vote, the city council formally designated the Pride flag as an official city flag.
HB819 states that “No flag or banner may be displayed in or on government property, including but not limited to state buildings and grounds, public schools, and other government-owned facilities,” and then makes a list of exceptions. Those exceptions include “historically significant flags” as a way to allow the flying of the confederate flag. They also include “official law enforcement flags, including but not limited to flags honoring law enforcement officers and fallen officers” so as not to ban the thin blue line flag supporting police officers, another flag that has gained loaded political context. Most importantly, though, it makes the flying of “official flags” permissible.
At a packed city council meeting on June 2, Missoula lawmakers advanced a resolution to designate the Pride flag as an “official city flag.” More than 100 residents attended, with dozens testifying in favor. Some spoke to Pride’s history and the need to visibly defy the state’s targeting of LGBTQ+ people; others focused on what the resolution would mean in practice—namely, restoring the ability to display the flag in public schools as a show of support for LGBTQ+ students. In the end, the council passed the measure by a 9–2 vote, formally elevating the Pride flag to official city status.
“By declaring this pride flag an official flag of our city, we are doing what we have always done. Recognize, support, nurture, and stand up for everyone in our community and everyone who calls it home,” said Council Member Eric Melson.
“Watching the federal and state government this year has had us on the edge of our seat, wondering what is going to happen next. Every time that happens, I look and see what’s going on in Missoula and I can count on our community to show up, protest, and call on our government officials to do everything we can to show solidarity any time the government is attacking human rights… It’s important that we pass this today… To be able to fly these flags in schools and our government, the kids are watching what’s going in the world and the kids need to know they are supported,” agreed Council Member Daniel Carlino.
In a post on Bluesky, state representative Zooey Zephyr, who opposed the bill in the state legislature, chimed in in a viral post, “My home of Missoula just voted to establish the pride flag as an official government flag of the city, thereby circumventing the state's asinine pride flag ban. Missoula is once again showing how to fight back against policies that seek to erase the LGBTQ community.”
Missoula isn’t alone in deploying this tactic—other cities have begun adopting similar measures to shield their right to fly the Pride flag. In Salt Lake City, council members moved to designate the Pride flag, the transgender flag, and others targeted by state bans as “official city flags.” Boise, Idaho, took the same approach after its state legislature enacted a similar restriction. The workaround may prove to be a potent tool for cities looking to push back against symbolic culture war laws designed to erase LGBTQ+ visibility during Pride.
Missoula’s move drew ire from Republican politicians, including the bill’s sponsor, Representative Braxton Mitchell, said in a statement, “Leave it to Missoula to try and turn a city flag into a pride flag. Nothing says ‘unity’ like politicizing public property. The ultra far left Missoula City Council and their mayor are completely out of touch with reality and the values of the vast majority of Montanans. Taxpayer owned property should represent everyone, not just the loudest political movements of the moment. The pride flag, like any other political symbol, has no place replacing a city’s identity,” and then vowed to update the law in the next legislative session to further prevent the flag from being flown.
That process will take at least two years, require another bruising vote in the Legislature, and may not survive a challenge under the state constitution. But for now, none of that matters. This Pride Month, the flag will fly in Missoula—legally, officially, and defiantly.
Disclosure: Representative Zooey Zephyr is happily married to the writer of this article.
Each time an article mentions Zooey Zephyr, I get a little hit of happy anticipation for this line at the end:
"Disclosure: Representative Zooey Zephyr is happily married to the writer of this article."
This is good news and almost begs the question, which is worse, the cruelty of the Republicans and MAGA movement, or their sheer incompetence? (I say "almost" because clearly conservatives' cruelty is beyond the pale.)