In the upcoming 2025 Utah legislative session, Rep. Trevor Lee is once again running H.B.77, also known as “The Flag Bill.”

H.B. 77 outlines which flags can be displayed in public and charter classrooms across Utah. Failure to abide by limitations outlined in this bill ultimately grants the right for students or parents to sue their teachers.

Not so surprisingly, this bill specifically targets the display of pride flags. 

This bill reflects a push of Lee’s personal agenda on state affairs, a lack of awareness of Utah’s key issues and attempts to suppress the expression of queer communities. H.B. 77 fails to better Utah as a whole.

Separate the Church from the State

A vast majority of Utah’s population are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

This faith focuses on a strict definition of family, as outlined in a document titled “The Family: A Proclamation to The World.” This document defines the role of a man and a woman in creating a family. This record is where the church clarifies that it doesn’t recognize non-heterosexual relationships.

Though, it is important to note that the church teaches its members to be friendly towards queer individuals. Some members even identify as queer themselves.

Yet, as much as the dominating faith in Utah may not condone the expression of queer individuals, this personal bias must stand separate from state affairs. 

The First Amendment protects people’s religious expression by ensuring state affairs and religious affairs remain independent of each other. The banning of pride flags blurs the lines between the two.

This is especially true knowing Rep. Lee’s background. He is openly LDS, which is not an issue. The problem begins with how he expresses his beliefs. 

In a Salt Lake Tribune article, it was revealed that he had a private X account in which he used his faith to reiterate anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. 

The specific incident brought up by The Tribune is the account’s profile picture. The image is a house shielded by the phrase “FamProc,” short for The Family: A Proclamation To The World. The house is protected from none other than a rainbow.

The message here is simple. Rep. Lee pushes his faith into policies, satisfying a personal agenda instead of the needs of Utahns. 

Flags over Fentanyl

Utah’s 2025 legislative session will be critical. From higher education funding to immigration, Utah’s future could look vastly different in only a few months from now. 

One particular issue being discussed is that of drugs. In the first six months of 2024 alone, Utah saw a market rise of fentanyl by 16.5%.

Measures are being taken to address this though, such as HB87, proposed by Rep. Matthew H. Gwynn. This amendment, if passed, will target drug trafficking in Utah.

Issues like this are necessary to address. Successful attacks on the drug market can be the difference between life and death for some.

But not every bill is going to get the attention, funding and support it needs. Instead, Utah’s congress must divide its resources between potentially life-saving bills and bills that simply fulfill a certain representative’s personal agenda. 

The flag bill pulls resources and attention away from actual necessary legislation, doing little to better the lives of Utahns.

State of Progress

Utah has long been known for its progress in its industry. It’s time that its policies towards inclusion progress as well. 

Pride flags are often used by teachers to show the support they have for students of LGBTQ+ identities.  

In an interview with Jennifer Dunn, an English teacher at Maple Mountain High School, she said, “I think my job as an educator is to make sure all students of all backgrounds feel loved and welcome and safe to be educated… that is my ultimate goal. Otherwise, I can’t really do my job of educating them.”

Dunn, who got her masters in English with an emphasis on teaching, understands the necessity of creating inclusive classrooms. Students are more likely to be successful in classrooms where they feel respected. If anything, the display of pride actively helps students. It’s a way for teachers to show they respect their students regardless of how they may identify or love. 

Gay marriage in Utah has been legalized for over ten years. It is embarrassing to think that a simple expression of support for this law is cause for controversy.

There is no issue with expression of other laws in classrooms. Displaying a symbol of love of all things should not be grounds for a student to sue their teacher. Yet under HB77, it very well could be.

In 2022, 50% of LGBTQ+ youth in Utah seriously considered suicide. 76% of LGBTQ+ youth in Utah also experienced some form of discrimination.

It is necessary to allow the display of pride flags to teach students that classrooms are spaces where they are free from discrimination.

Banning pride flags not only affects a student’s ability to feel wanted in the classroom but also threatens the existence of queer youth. H.B. 77 disregards the needs of Utahns in the trade of Lee’s agenda. 

It’s time for Utah and some of its representatives to face the facts. Queer people will always exist and so will their symbols.

Utah must stop pushing legislation that suppresses its citizens’ ability to express themselves and instead begin pushing for bills that better this state.

In doing so, Utah may become a state not only known for its progress in industry, but its progress in inclusion.

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@CharlotteH97333