HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-14-25 Public Comment - A. Feige - Pride Flag ConsiderationFrom:Andrea Feige
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Pride Flag Consideration
Date:Sunday, July 13, 2025 12:38:27 PM
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Dear Commissioner,
I read that the City Commission is debating whether or not to adopt the Pride flag, and I
wanted to share my opinion and some statistics with you prior to your vote. Your vote on
this matter will play a role in whether or not I vote for you in future elections.
Currently, 9.3% of the population identifies as LGBTQ+. The rate of identification continues
to increase with younger populations (Jones, 2025). Some may try to make the argument
that, somehow, we’re “turning kids gay”, but that is simply not the case. Rather, young
people are finding themselves to be a part of the most accepting generation of different
sexual affectations in history, and feel safe enough to fully be themselves. Isn’t that
wonderful?
However, despite the younger generations being generations of acceptance, hate crimes
against marginalized sexual orientations are the third most common in our country (Luneau,
2024). Not only are these kids the most accepting, but they are also among the bravest.
They are standing up and saying “This is who I am”, while knowing full well that they live in
a country that does not want them to exist as they are.
Bozeman should be a city that prides itself on supporting its marginalized populations.
Flying the Pride flag is not a political statement, it’s a statement of values. It’s a clear sign to
anyone visiting our town that we support marginalized communities and will not tolerate bad
behavior against them. It’s a message to our citizens that we stand up for those that are
getting stepped on. Flying the Pride flag is not political, it is ethical.
Please vote in support of adopting the Pride flag as a city flag. If state legislators come
back next session and vote that we can no longer do that, then at least we gave our
citizens a couple more years of feeling safe in a country and state that increasingly wants
them to feel afraid.
Thanks for your time and dedication to making Bozeman a community we are all proud of.
Kindly,
Andrea
References
Jones, J. M. (2025, February 20). LGBTQ+ Identification in U.S. Rises to 9.3%.
Gallup News. Retrieved July 10, 2025, from
https://news.gallup.com/poll/656708/lgbtq-identification-rises.aspx
Luneau, D. (2024, September 23). New FBI Data: Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes
Continue to Spike. Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved July 10, 2025, from
https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/new-fbi-data-anti-lgbtq-hate-crimes-continue-to-
spike-even-as-overall-crime-rate-declines
Andrea C. Feige605.359.8531