LGBTQ+ Pride flags, Black Lives Matter flags and others could soon be barred from public schools, universities, and government buildings. A bill that prohibits such places from displaying flags that represent a political viewpoint passed its first committee stop today. Jon Harris Maurer with the group Equality Florida spoke against the measure.
“It is unclear because it purports to be about political viewpoints, but we have heard that it is in fact targeting sexual orientation and gender identity, which we know is about identity, not politics," Maurer says.
Opponents have also argued the measure violates First Amendment rights, but Rep. Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay), one of the bill’s sponsors, disagrees. He says the measure doesn’t limit the rights of individuals because it allows them to display any flag they choose on their personal property.
