A Progress Pride flag signaling support for the LGBTQ community hangs Wednesday beside the public entrance of Hallowell City Hall. Officials voted to display the flag for one month, following the theft of multiple Pride flags in the city. Similar flags will also hang on city-owned flagpoles along Water Street until Oct. 13. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

HALLOWELL — Councilors have agreed to fly Pride flags from City Hall and along Water Street for one month following thefts that appeared to be motivated by anti-LGBTQ sentiment.

The decision, made at this week’s City Council meeting, prompted debate over whether nongovernmental flags should be displayed outside municipal buildings in the city.

It follows a string of Pride flag thefts, in which the alleged perpetrator made homophobic comments and was found with anti-LGBT stickers in his vehicle.

Leading up to Monday’s vote, City Manager Gary Lamb told councilors that he and most of the city’s employees felt that putting flags on city buildings is “wrong” because municipal government “is supposed to be completely apolitical . . . or as much as it can be for a government institution.”

“Municipal government has to serve liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Communists, Socialists, and citizens of all ethnic and religious denominations,” Lamb wrote in an email to the elected officials. “When you come into city hall we don’t care who you live with or marry, where you live, how or where or if you worship, what your political affiliations are, etc.”

Lamb said he would, however, support a “blisteringly clear council resolution repudiating the recent thefts and apparent anti-gay ideology” of the alleged thief, but advised “great caution” about putting anything other than state or federal flags on city buildings, as it could lead to groups such as the “Proud Boys, Socialist Party, Don’t Tread on ME, Biden camp, Trump camp,” demanding their flags be hung as well.

Councilors Peter Spiegel, Maureen AuCoin, Diana Scully, Berkeley Almand-Hunter and Patrick Wynne all showed strong support for hanging the flags — a request initially made by state Rep. Charlotte Warren, D-Hallowell — while councilors Michael Frett and Kate Dufour were opposed, citing similar concerns as the city manager.

Three community members also emailed Lamb in support of raising the flags, Lamb said.

“Our values as a community, period, are to be welcoming and accepting,” said Spiegel. “I understand and acknowledge the slippery slope argument, but if San Francisco can fly a Pride flag at their city hall, if New York City can fly a Pride flag at their city hall, if the White House can light up in a rainbow, we can fly a flag in support.”

AuCoin said she didn’t see this as a political issue, but a personal one. She said she didn’t marry her wife because of politics, or want to not be fired from a job, or want the same protections as other members of society because of politics.

“This, to me, is a cultural issue,” she said. “It’s a human rights issue. It’s not politics.”

A Progress Pride flag signaling support for the LGBTQ community flies Wednesday from a lamppost at the corner of Water and Winthrop streets in Hallowell. Officials voted to display Pride flags on the busy downtown street and on City Hall until Oct. 13, following the theft of multiple Pride flags in the city. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Wynne referred to the Lamb’s statement about a group such as the Proud Boys making a similar request as “creating a boogeyman.” The right-wing extremist group is not a protected class, meaning that members are not legally shielded from discrimination because of their association with the group, whereas LGBTQ people are legally protected from discrimination.

“We have a protected class that is telling us that they need our support,” he said, “and it’s not only our privilege but quite frankly it’s our responsibility to give them that support.”

Hallowell is not the only city to grapple with the issue. Earlier this year, Augusta officials decided to prohibit any flag other than the United States, Maine and Augusta flags from hanging on city flagpoles. And the Supreme Court ruled in May that the city of Boston could not deny a request to hang a Christian group’s flag outside its city hall because the message behind it is considered religious speech, which cannot be regulated by the government.

Dufour referenced the Supreme Court case and said that by granting the request to fly Pride flags on city buildings, Hallowell may later face unintended consequences, such as being forced to fly a flag they’re not comfortable with. She supported the idea of releasing a statement or holding a press conference so city officials could say that the recent thefts of Pride flags do not represent Hallowell’s values.

Frett, the other councilor who voted against the request, said he agreed with Dufour and that he’s opposed to flying anything other than the city, state or United States flags.

“I’m opposed to it for a very simple reason,” he said, “public property is just that: it is the property of all the citizens of Hallowell, and unless all of the citizens of Hallowell have had an opportunity to weigh in on such an issue, I don’t think that seven members who have been elected to represent all of these citizens should make a singular decision that, in itself, will have the rest of the citizenry walking around and wondering ‘What was the basis for this?'”

A Progress Pride flag signaling support for the LGBTQ community flies from a lamppost Wednesday at the corner of Water and Winthrop streets in Hallowell. Officials voted to display Pride flags on the busy downtown street and on City Hall until Oct. 13, following the theft of multiple Pride flags in the city. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Warren spoke in support of flying the flags, and criticized the city manager for emailing his opinion on the matter to the council and mayor.

“Quite frankly, what your opinion is on policy is not my business,” she said. “It’s none of our business. Because your job is to do what this council and this mayor says.”

Warren also criticized Lamb for discussing his opinion in an email outside of a normal council meeting and said the city government should be more transparent. She asked Lamb if policy discussions typically occur via email, and he responded that this is the first time in the year that he’s been city manager that anything like this has occurred.

On Wednesday, two Pride flags hung from Water Street flagpoles alongside about a dozen American flags. The Pride flags will be flown in a manner consistent with flag decorum until Oct. 13.