In the wake of antagonism from the state government, the Boise City Council is set to consider a resolution today that would designate the Pride flag as an official city flag.

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean (D) has been fighting for LGBTQ+ visibility since a state law was passed in April saying government entities may only fly local, state, and federal flags.

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A Pride flag has flown outside Boise City Hall for almost 10 years, and despite pressure from Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, McClean has refused to take it down.

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After Labrador sent her a letter demanding she follow the law and remove both the Pride flag and an organ donation flag, McLean responded with a letter of her own stating that the new law “was brought by a legislator hostile to Boise and was touted, specifically, as a vehicle to force the City of Boise to take down the Pride flag.”

She said she thinks the law “is not enforceable as drafted” since “the legislature knowingly failed ot include any civil or criminal penalties” and that “the City of Boise will take appropriate legal and political steps to stand up for members of our community.”

“Let me be clear,” she added, “Boise isn’t acting out of defiance – we’re acting out of duty. I take my oath of office seriously, and my responsibility to the community that has entrusted me to lead just as seriously.”

She also slammed Labrador for lobbying the legislature to withhold funding from Boise despite the fact that the law has no penalties or enforcement methods.

My response to Attorney General Labrador pic.twitter.com/hZqjRuhPXX

— Mayor Lauren McLean (@boisemayor) April 24, 2025

The Idaho GOP has been on an anti-LGBTQ+ tear as of late. In January, Republican legislators in the state’s House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution urging the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality in the U.S. The state has many anti-LGBTQ+ laws in place, including a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. The Movement Advancement Project gave the state an equality score of -9.5 out of 49.

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