Morgan Hill residents and City Councilmembers Jan. 17 strongly rebuked a proposal by a fellow citizen to fly a “Traditional Family” flag over City Hall as homophobic, divisive and a contradiction of the community’s values.
Morgan Hill resident Olympia Peralta submitted the proposed flag last year, in accordance with the city’s “flag raising” policy, which was approved by the council in September 2017. She was hoping the flag would fly at city facilities during the month of February 2018.
At the Jan. 17 meeting, the council unanimously rejected the flag on a 5-0 vote, also in accordance with their policy. That policy states that any commemorative flag to be considered for display on city flagpoles must “(identify) with a specific date, historical event, cause, nation or group of people,” and must be “consistent with the city’s vision, mission, and ongoing and strategic priorities, incorporating themes of diversity, equity, social justice and inclusion.”
The “Traditional Family” flag design proposed by Peralta—which depicts a silhouette of a man, woman and two children holding hands with a red heart above their heads—seeks only to divide the community and promote hate, according to councilmembers and members of the public. The flag does not support a recognized cause, and is not consistent with the city values identified in the city’s policy, according to city officials.
The policy applies to city flagpoles at City Hall, the Community and Cultural Center and the Centennial Recreation Center. These flagpoles daily fly the flags of the State of California and the U.S., but any proposed commemorative flag is subject to the council’s approval. One example of a commemorative flag is the Rainbow Flag that the city flew for LGBTQ Pride month in June 2017.
“As a member of the LGBTQ community, I was deeply troubled when I saw this,” said Councilmember Rene Spring. “It is extremely hurtful.”
Spring, who met his husband 20 years ago, went on to describe his experience as a gay man. He and his husband only got married “after years of being afraid” of legal and social repercussions against their orientation—a typical experience for LGBTQ people all over the world.
He added that the flag proposed by Peralta is similar to flags used by “right-wing homophobic groups” in France, Russia and other countries.
“I do not think flags like that reflect what we are in Morgan Hill,” Spring said. “We are proud to be living in an inclusive community. This flag is offensive to all the LGBTQ members, but also to all our friends. Raising this kind of offensive flag would send the wrong signals across the board.”
Other councilmembers objected to the label “traditional family,” noting that there is not a consensus on what the phrase defines. Councilmember Rich Constantine noted that Webster’s dictionary defines a “family” as “traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children,” without specifying the gender of the parents.
As a black American, Constantine noted his family has experienced discrimination sponsored by the government, as many members of the country’s LGBTQ community have.
“Let’s remember the rights we have, have been trampled on for quite some time. This is not ancient history,” Constantine said. “And we still have a long ways to go.”
Councilmembers and members of the public also pointed out that the families defined by Peralta’s flag as “traditional” are not oppressed or targeted for discrimination as minorities and the LGBTQ community have been throughout the country’s history.
“People (in the LGBTQ community) are targeted, abused and murdered for who they are,” Councilmember Caitlin Jachimowicz said. “Traditional families are celebrated every day.”
The agenda item was on the council’s consent calendar for the Jan. 17 meeting, with a recommendation by city staff to reject the flag. While items on the consent calendar are typically approved without discussion, four members of the public asked that the item be pulled for further comment. These residents addressed the proposal before the council made their remarks.
Joy Joyner said, “A lot of people were unaware this item was on the agenda,” but she and others wanted the public to be aware of the undertones of hatred that she thinks inspired the “Traditional Family” flag request.
“This flag proposal was designed specifically to alienate members of this community. ‘Traditional families’ have never had laws (enacted) against them. They have never faced the fear of having their head bashed against the curb for loving the person they love,” said Joyner, who went on to describe that she has been the target of such violence because she is a member of the LGBTQ community.
Only one Morgan Hill resident, Brian Faircloth, spoke in favor of the family flag proposal. He said it is “simply not true” that “traditional values” are not under attack, but he didn’t offer any specific data. “What you’re saying is ‘traditional values’ are not supported in Morgan Hill,” Faircloth told the council.
Peralta did not speak at the Jan. 17 council meeting, and did not return a phone call requesting comment. Her proposal for the flag noted, “We want to highlight the mothers and fathers who are doing their best day (in) and day out to provide a loving and caring environment for their children and ultimately society.”
On April 19, 2017, the council declared the month of June “LGBTQ Pride Month” in Morgan Hill, which led to the rainbow flag raising in June. The resolution declaring LGBTQ month notes, in part, “The City of Morgan Hill encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month to recognize all people in the community deserve to be treated respectfully, fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
