Defying new law, LGBTQ+ pride flag is raised in Hamtramck, then removed by city

In defiance of a new law approved last month in Hamtramck that bans the display of LGBTQ+ pride flags on city property, an appointed city official raised the pride flag Sunday afternoon on a city-owned flagpole on a city sidewalk.

But it was soon taken down by the city, just a few hours after it was raised.

The flag raising by Russ Gordon, chair of Hamtramck's Human Relations Commission, appeared to violate a resolution approved unanimously on June 13 by the City Council that prohibits on government property any flags displaying sexual orientation, as well as other religious, ethnic, racial and political flags.

A city official confirmed to the Free Press late Sunday afternoon that a crew with the city removed the LGBTQ flag from the pole after Gordon had raised it. Residents near where the flag was flown said that a city official and some police officers were there when the flag was taken down.

Gordon raised the pride flag one year ago this month at the same spot on Joseph Campau Avenue, sparking a controversy that has led to intense debates between progressives and Muslims in the city with the highest number of immigrants in Michigan. Gordon has been raising various flags along Joseph Campau over the past decade and on Saturday raised on the street about 15 other flags of various nations representing Hamtramck's diversity. Gordon said the city also removed on Sunday the African union and Cherokee nation flags he had raised.

Several LGBTQ+ advocates and supporters joined Gordon Sunday, with some scrawling pro-LGBTQ+ messages with colored chalk on the sidewalk around the flagpole that read: "Hamtramck Will Always Be Gay," "Here and Queer," "TransTramck," and "All Are Welcome."

With LGBTQ+ activists blaring a techno song, Gordon stepped up on a ladder to unfurl the flag known as the Progress Pride flag, which contains a triangle pointing towards a row of colorful horizontal lines. Gordon was assisted by former Mayor Pro Tem Catrina Stackpoole, both of whom spoke to a crowd after they raised the flag.

"Religious dogma has no place in the legislative process," Gordon said of the all-Muslim City Council. "It's inappropriate, unconstitutional. However, it's obvious the catalyst behind this restrictive flag resolution was bigotry stemming from the (perceived) sin of homosexuality. None of the council's rationale for this flag holds water."

Gordon said his action today was "a plea for tolerance."

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib did not return emails Sunday seeking comment. The mayor and others on the council have previously defended the resolution, saying it reflected the will of the people. They had expressed concern that groups such as racists and other extremists could ask to raise their flag on city property and so wanted to have a neutral policy.

"Our residents are all equally important to us, and we will continue to serve them equally without discrimination, favoritism or preferential treatment to any group," Ghalib said in an earlier statement. "The city government will stay NEUTRAL and IMPARTIAL toward its residents."

Ghalib, an immigrant from Yemen who is Muslim, also has said in a recent Facebook post that he has received "hundreds of emails full of hate, aggression and threats, attacking and degrading me, my religion, my culture and the country that I grew up in."

Other elected officials in Michigan, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized Hamtramck for banning the pride flag.

"Take down the wall you have now built that has made this proud city into a national embarrassment and raise the flag of equality," Nessel said at a LGBTQ+ protest on June 24th at a park next to Hamtramck City Hall.

More: LGBTQ+ advocates plan year of protests in Hamtramck as attorney general lends support

Former Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski, who raised the pride flag outside City Hall in the summer of 2021, attended Sunday's flag raising to show her support. Majewski lost to Ghalib in the November 2021 election after a campaign when the two candidates debated pride flags on city property, which Majewski supported and Ghalib opposed.

Residents who support the mayor and council have criticized progressive activists for defying the democratic will of the people. They also question why their city is being targeted on this issue when other cities in Michigan, such as Livonia, have passed similar measures restricting pride and other flags. The Livonia City Council moved to restrict the flying of pride and other flags after Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan raised the pride flag last year at City Hall, which drew criticism from some conservatives.

"This flag represents people in this community that for years were unable to be openly gay with harassment and worse," Stackpoole said. "We are free to be ourselves without religious beliefs telling us to go back into the closet. We will not go back."

More: Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib fires back at politicians criticizing city's LGBTQ flag ban

Stackpoole said that rightwing "MAGA" (Make American Great Again) supporters are trying to divide Hamtramck. She noted that she and other liberals supported Muslims several years ago when they were asking the city to allow the public broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer, which the city approved.

"I heard four Yemeni teenagers on video this week and they said that Hamtramck was a Muslim city," Stackpoole said. "But it's not. Hamtramck is a diverse, welcoming city. We need to remind out neighbors of this."

Stackpoole said she and others intend to challenge the city in court if the flag was taken down.

Gracie Cadieux, a local activist who attended the flag raising, said it was part of a series of protests that LGBTQ+ supporters are planning over the next year. At a recent council meeting, they had a gay marching band protesting, Cadieux said. They are also plastering the city with LGBTQ+ stickers and symbols.

Gordon told the Free Press he's not sure he will be still allowed to be chair of the human relations commission after raising the flag Sunday.

Photographer Audrey Richardson and Hometown Life reporting contributed to this story.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: [email protected], Facebook.com/nwarikoo, Twitter @nwarikoo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: LGBTQ+ pride flag is raised in Hamtramck, then taken down by city