HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-07-25 Public Comment - S. Forrest - Pride Flag as City FlagFrom:Samantha Forrest
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL][SUSPECTED SPAM] Pride Flag as City Flag
Date:Monday, July 7, 2025 8:12:27 AM
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Hello Bozeman City Commission,
This is my letter of overwhelming support for Bozeman to adopt the Pride flag as a
symbol of Bozeman.
My name is Dr. Sam Forrest, I am a family medicine physician in Bozeman who
specializes in gender health and LGBTQ+ healthcare. I'm a Bozeman native, went to
Bozeman High, volunteered on the state suicide hotline and got my Master's degree
at MSU with my thesis on being about transgender healthcare in Montana and my
medical degree from the UW WWAMI program.
There are thousands of Montanans who identify as LGBTQ+, many who are not "out"
based on fears of discrimination and violence. The existence of this population is not
political, it is fact. Montana has a rich history of LGBTQ+ pioneers and our native Two
Spirit community - many of these stories have not been widely shared as it wasn'tsafe to disclose their identities while they lived.
The Pride flag has been so much more than a flag but a lifeline for many of my
patients, being a beacon for a safe harbor. Montana has one of the highest suiciderates in the nation, the LGBTQ+ community is at much high risk for suicide with
estimates showing transgender people 41% attempted suicide compared to 1.6% of
the cis population and nearly 45% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in
the past year (Grant et al, 2011; Testa et al, 2012; The Trevor Project, 2023). Highrates of depression, anxiety, parental rejection and discrimination all contribute to
negative mental and physical health outcomes (Grant et al., 2011; Haas et al., 2011).
Having inclusive symbols widely shown in public areas reduces minority stress and
shown to lower the rates of suicide attempts (The Trevor Project, 2023)
I have loved Bozeman because at Bozeman's core is a community that embraces
diversity, fights for the marginalized and unites to support each other. There is no
room for hate in our community, everyone is welcome here. A city flag shouldembrace those values and foster a sense of belonging, I can think of no greater flag
than the Pride flag that supports this.
I urge the city commission to approve the Pride flag as an official city flag, Thank you,
Dr. Sam Forrest, MD, MS, AAHIVS
Grant, J.M., Mottet, L., Tanis, J., Harrison, J.,Herman, J.L., & Keisling, M.(2011).
Injustice atEvery Turn: A Report of the National Transgender DiscriminationSurvey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gayand Lesbian Task Force.
Haas, A.P., Eliason, M., Mays, V.M., Mathy, R.M., Cochran, S.D., D'Augelli,A.R., & Clayton, P.J. (2011). Suicide and suicide risk in lesbian, gay, bisexual, andtransgender populations: Review and recommendations. Journal ofHomosexuality, 58(1), 10-51. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2011.534038
The Trevor Project. (2023). 2023 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQyoung people.
Testa et al. (2012). Effects of violence on transgender people. ProfessionalPsychology: Research and Practice 43(5), 452-459.