HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-03-25 Public Comment - R. Larson - A letter in support of flying the pride flag in BozemanFrom:Rowan Larson
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]A letter in support of flying the pride flag in Bozeman
Date:Thursday, July 3, 2025 9:15:15 AM
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Dear City Commissioners,
I write in support of continuing to fly the pride flag at city hall in Bozeman.
I’m the rector (head priest) of St. James Episcopal Church on the corner of Olive and Tracy. If
you don’t know us, we’re the church that looks like a castle with red doors.
St. James has been a bastion of welcome and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community for many,many years in Bozeman. Calling me, a non-binary trans and queer priest, to lead them about a
year and a half ago was a show of their commitment to their principles as a parish.
My wife is from Bozeman, and we always hoped to be able to live it. This has been a dreamcome true. But after the legislative session in 2021, we were afraid that it wouldn’t be safe for
us to live here. We wept, quite literally, thinking that there was no way to come home.
In 2022, we were in Bozeman in June for a wedding of one of my wife’s BHS classmates,coincidentally at St. James. We were stunned by the clear support of the LGBTQ+ community
on display for Pride that year. Nearly every business on Main St. had a sign or sticker orbanner showing their welcome. We were elated to see that maybe, just maybe, it would be safe
to come home one day.
This year, the absence of community support was very conspicuous. Most stores andbusinesses who displayed their welcome in 2022 let June go by without a whisper of support.
At St. James, I already receive hate mail for being who I am and daring to lead a church
(which is growing and thriving!) and I am afraid to fly a pride flag. I know how often the flagsat Pilgrim UCC and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bozeman are vandalized or stolen.
For my own safety, I try not to draw attention to myself as an LGBTQ+ person and I fear aflag on the church would be too much.
A few weeks ago, one of my priest associates called me before church saying he couldn’t
come in that day because overnight, the pride flag on his and his husband’s house had beenstolen and slurs written on their porch. They’re both Montanas with generations of history in
the state and have been in Bozeman for almost two decades. It’s the first time this has everhappened to them and my priest was so shaken he couldn’t leave his house.
In a time where those who oppose welcome and kindness are becoming increasingly loud, I
believe it’s more important than ever that the city government shows that you have our backsand that we are welcome in Bozeman and in Montana.
The detractors might say that this alphabet soup identity politics nonsense is some neoliberal
invasion but we all know there’s always been queer folks here. In generations past, there were
bachelor farmers and ranchers who just happened to work together so frequently they spent alltheir time together and no one said a word, though most suspected there was something odd
about them. Or the school teachers, single women of course, who lived together into their oldage as “friends” while being pillars of the community. Looking back even further, the
indigenous peoples of Montana recognized people who weren’t just male or female butsomething other as well as those whose relationships did not fall into the man/woman pairing
binary.
I implore you to make a choice that is kind. That is welcoming. That shows that you love yourneighbors—all of them—even if you don’t personally agree with them. If you happen to be
Christian, that is the greatest commandment Jesus left us with. And if you aren’t, love andkindness are still the basis of community.
Please support continuing to fly the pride flag at city hall. And to speak up in support of your
neighbors who are afraid to be themselves in our community for fear of harsh words at bestand physical violence at worst.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
The Rev. Rowan Larson Rector, St. James Parish