La Mesa to keep raising rainbow flag every year

Public is split over city’s decision, with some arguing against ‘political messaging.’

La Mesa has raised a rainbow flag before.

The city is flying one again this month, after a proclamation from the mayor.

But a proposal to keep raising a flag every year in honor of the LGBTQ community drew a small crowd to a public meeting Tuesday, divided over whether the city should fly anything beyond standards representing the city, state and nation.

“I’m always in favor of trying to make people feel that they belong,” Mayor Mark Arapostathis said before joining three colleagues in approving the plan, for a vote of 4 to 1.

The proposal will make every June in La Mesa “LGBTQ+ Month” and will allow a “representative flag” to be flown all 30 days.

The holdout was the newest councilmember, Laura Lothian, who posted a video Monday criticizing the proposal.

City Hall shouldn’t “be a billboard for any group of people, any cause, any agenda or any movement,” Lothian said on Instagram.

At Tuesday’s public meeting, Lothian said her post wasn’t intended as an attack. But supporting any group invites unneeded controversy, she said: What if a religious group wanted to fly an antiabortion flag?

“People need to be able to come to City Hall and conduct city business without having to encounter political messaging,” she said.

Nine members of the public showed up in person or online to weigh in.

“There’s nothing political about standing up as a community to tell the LGBTQI+ community that they are seen,” said Max Coston, a college sophomore.

Opponents said the flag needlessly excludes other residents and, by making the council a flagpole gatekeeper, opens the city up to lawsuits. One brought up a recent U.S. Supreme Court case in which Boston was found to have discriminated against a conservative activist by refusing to fly a Christian flag.

“I don’t appreciate having a divisive organization being represented,” said Lou Chavez, a veteran and La Mesa resident.

Echoing one of Lothian’s arguments, Chavez said, “I appreciate that we have the American flag flying that represents all Americans.”

Vice Mayor Jack Shu, one of the proposal’s sponsors, pushed back against the idea that flags representing the city, state and nation are enough.

“I think they aspire to be inclusive, they are meant to be inclusive, but the history of this country, of this state, has shown that it has not been inclusive,” Shu said.

Although Councilmember Bill Baber supported the proposal, he suggested amending the plan to allow other flags to fly in June, such as one for Juneteenth.

Other communities in the region — including Imperial Beach, National City and Chula Vista — have similarly moved to support Pride Month.

Nelson writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.