HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-10-25 Public Comment - M. Dupras - Public Comment - Pride FlagFrom:Mara Dupras
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment - Pride Flag
Date:Thursday, July 10, 2025 2:11:40 PM
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To whom it may concern--
My name is Mara, and I am a renter currently living near downtown. I have been a student at
Montana State for almost two years now, and am also president of the Queer Straight Alliance(QSA), an organization on campus at MSU dedicated to creating a gathering space for
LGBTQ+ and allied students. I also identify as transgender and queer.
I moved here from Boulder, Colorado in 2023, and have been open as transgender ever since.Since the move, I've gotten very involved with the queer community in and around Bozeman,
and have met so many amazing people. However, despite the joy, it hasn't come withoutdifficulty. There have been many days when I've encountered anti-queer protestors and
demonstrators on campus and in the city, and I live every day with uncertainty and fear as tomy future as a queer person. The Pride flag flying over City Hall, therefore, was very
important to me since I started living here. Pride flags are more than just a symbol for queerpeople; they represent safety. Being visibly queer can be dangerous, since you never know if
the next person you encounter will be welcoming or hateful towards your very existence.Thus, when we see a Pride flag, it means "this is a safe space for you. You will not be hated
here." That is a very powerful message for a group of people who have been marginalized foralmost all of Western history, and who continue to be persecuted today.
Calls against the flying of the Pride flag have said that there should be neutrality. However,
this neutrality does not come from removing symbols of safety. LGBTQ+ people's right toexist should not come down to a political issue; those saying it should are using politics to
justify hatred of what they don't understand. The Pride flag symbolizes the right for all toexist, free of judgement or fear of being persecuted for who we are. Leaving it unflown is not
a move towards neutrality, but rather away from it.
I urge you, the city commission, to adopt the Pride flag as an official flag of the city ofBozeman, and in doing so, say to the large LGBTQ+ community of this city, "We see you.
You are welcome here." I urge you to strive for the equity of all persons, and help us in ourfight against hate.
Thank you for your time.
Mara Duprasshe/her(720)-919-4470