Gov. Cox says Salt Lake City adopted "dumb" flags to get around "dumb" flag ban.
Disagree Dumber
By Benjamin Wood @BjaminWood
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Tuesday that Salt Lakers are living in "the dumbest timeline" after the mayor and City Council circumvented a new ban on Pride and other pro-diversity flags by adopting those designs as official SLC banners.
Earlier on Tuesday, city leaders held a ceremony on Washington Square to raise the Sego Celebration Flag, which combines a traditional Juneteenth Flag background with the Sego Lilly canton of the city's standard design. The Sego Celebration Flag is one of three design variants adopted by the Council in May, alongside Sego versions of the LGBTQIA Pride Flag and the Transgender Visibility Flag.
Speaking to reporters during his monthly televised press conference at PBS Utah, Cox made no attempt to hide his irritation toward the persistent flag controversy, which began last winter with the decision by state lawmakers to ban all non-official flags from government buildings like city halls and school campuses.
"I feel bad for the Japanese Americans; I feel bad for the Polynesian Americans. Who are we leaving out here?" Cox said. "I'm sure [Salt Lake City's leaders] feel great that they got around this dumb law—and they did it with dumb flags. The whole thing is dumb."
The state's flag ban was sponsored by Layton Republican Rep. Trevor Lee, a far-right traditionalist who has vowed to pursue additional legislation targeting not just Salt Lake City, but also private entities like the Utah Mammoth NHL franchise that embrace Pride Month and pro-diversity messaging.
And while Cox has criticized the Legislature's meddling in city and private affairs, the governor has also steadily drifted away from the allyship that marked his early political career, increasingly supporting the anti-LGBTQ and anti-diversity efforts of his Republican colleagues, like bans on gender-affirming health care for minors and DEI programs in higher education.
"We should raise the American flag and let's unify around that," Cox said Tuesday. "It's a great flag. It represents everyone. And the Legislature doesn't need to be in everybody's business all the time."
Cox's comments also came just days after the annual Utah Pride Festival, which included a Saturday march down State Street and a Sunday parade through downtown. In both cases, thousands of Utahns took to the streets of the capital city in a demonstration of support for the LGBTQ community.
A spokesperson for the Mayor's Office said that City Hall has heard overwhelming support from residents toward the new, "dumb," city flag variants.
About The Author
Benjamin Wood
Lifelong Utahn Benjamin Wood has worn the mantle of City Weekly's news editor since 2021. He studied journalism at Utah State University and previously wrote for The Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News and Entertainment Weekly
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