Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) and state Republican legislators are angry that the city of Missoula has figured out a way to get around their ban on flying Pride flags on government property: by following the law and declaring the rainbow flag as their official city flag. Now Gianforte and the ban’s legislative sponsor are pledging to change the law once again to stop the city from ever flying the “divisive” LGBTQ+ community flag again.

On Monday, the Missoula City Council approved a resolution recognizing the Pride flag as the only official city flag, according to KECI. The city’s attorney Ryan Sudbury noted that the city had no other official flag before Monday and that the city can still approve other flags as official banners. Other cities have taken similar moves to circumvent their own state’s Pride flag bans.

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One high-profile Democrat has called the move “spiteful,” “shameful,” and “vindictive.”

The city’s resolution came in response to House Bill 819, which Gianforte signed into law on May 13. The law allegedly restricts any flags that “represent a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology” from being flown on government property and public schools.

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However, the law has exceptions for the flying of the Confederate flag — a racist banner that shows support for owning Black slaves — as well as for the “official” flags of “any county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision within the state.”

The Missoula City Council passed the resolution for the new flag in a 9-2 vote on Monday. Councilmember Jennifer Savage said she introduced the resolution in consideration of her queer daughter, saying, “When I see the pride flag I breathe a little sigh of relief and think my kid is safe here.”

After learning of the city’s new flag, Gianforte criticized the council for making the flying of a “divisive” flag “their top priority…. all while ignoring the city’s housing affordability crisis, raising taxes by 17% because of over spending, and refusing to take firm action to end encampments in the city.”

“Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community,” Gianforte added.

The ban’s sponsor, 25-year-old state Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R), also criticized the so-called “ultra far left” city council, accusing them of “politicizing public property” and being “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,” Mitchell added. “The pride flag, like any other political symbol, has no place replacing a city’s identity.’

“If they try this, we will amend the law next session to make sure no city can make a political symbol their official flag,” he continued. “If they want to fly that flag, they can do it at home, not on the taxpayer’s pole.”

Both Utah and Idaho have signed similar laws restricting the flying of Pride flags in schools and government property. The move led the capitol city governments of Salt Lake City,Utah and Boise, Idaho to designate the Pride flags as official city flags, so they can still fly them under the bans.

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