One more flag will be flying outside Albany City Hall — and it’s a rainbow.
The progress Pride flag will be raised for the month of June in support of the LGBTQ+ community after a City Council decision at its Wednesday, May 10 meeting.
The decision was not an item on the agenda and came up during business form the council, when Councilor Steph Newton made a motion to put up the flag during Pride month as a symbolic act of inclusion.
Albany city councilors, from left, Ramycia McGhee, Steph Newton, Jackie Montague and Ray Kopczynski voted Wednesday, May 10, 2023 to fly the progress Pride flag at City Hall.
“I believe it is imperative that Albany City Council raise the Pride flag for the month of June, displaying our commitment to embracing diversity, fostering acceptance, and supporting the LGBTQIA+ members of our community who are frequently marginalized,” Newton said.
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Displaying a Pride flag is an act of representation that tells people in the community that they belong and don’t have to hide who they are, she said.
The progress pride flag that Newton brought to council is a redesign of the 1978 rainbow flag with added colors to represent trans, nonbinary individuals and people of color.
Newton argued that flying the flag was not a political statement.
“Supporting human rights and equality should never be a political issue. It is a matter of basic decency, compassion and respect for our fellow citizens,” she said.
Being inclusive benefits everyone in Albany, Newton said. It increases diversity, which opens the doors for more perspectives and creates an environment where everyone feels safe. It can even attract individuals and businesses and enhance economic growth, she added.
“By proudly displaying the Pride flag, we send a message of love, acceptance and unity,” Newton said.
City leaders asked City Attorney Sean Kidd if flying the flag had any legal implications. He said the city had no restrictions against flying the flag and that other cities had done so, even the embassy around the world.
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He added, though, while he understood the sentiment behind the motion was not political, any flag that isn’t the country’s, state’s or representing prisoners of war is considered political legally.
Councilor Jackie Montague seconded the motion, and Councilor Matilda Novak asked to remove herself from voting: “I don’t want to be on either side,” she said.
In the end, city councilors voted to fly the flag with four yes votes and one no vote from Councilor Marilyn Smith.
Smith said she voted against the flag because she doesn’t believe it is necessary.
“I believe that the city’s value statements confirm to our community that we recognize and respect all people in Albany,” she said in an interview after the meeting.
She believes the values statements and the annual Pride event show that Albany is for all and that a flag pole should be restricted to only government purposes.
“Actions speak louder than symbols,” she said.
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Although he did not vote on the matter, Mayor Alex Johnson II echoed a similar sentiment.
He believes that no flag other than those required by law should be hoisted up the flag pole, he said in an interview after the meeting.
When asked why he didn’t want to be pictured with the flag when Newton asked, he said that the action “felt like a political statement” and it wasn’t something all the councilors agreed upon.
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Councilor Ramycia McGhee said that having the symbol was important, especially at a time when Black trans women face violence and murder at high rates, she said after the meeting.
Montague said that she purposefully wore a rainbow shirt to show her support of raising the flag.
The flag will be on the City Hall flag pole by June 1 and will remain until the end of the month.