MADISON (AP) — Flying a gay pride rainbow flag over the Wisconsin state Capitol for the first time Friday drew backlash from a conservative Republican lawmaker who said it was divisive.
The flag flap erupted after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers ordered the raising of the flag to recognize June as "Pride Month." The move drew a fast rebuke from state Rep. Scott Allen, who tweeted, "Is this any more appropriate than erecting the Christian flag over the Capitol?"
Allen, in a follow-up message to The Associated Press, said the rainbow flag "advocates a behavior or lifestyle that some Wisconsin residents may not condone. Therefore, it is divisive."
Democrats praised the raising of the flag, including Democratic state Sen. Tim Carpenter, one of five openly gay state lawmakers.
"This is a very welcoming sign to many of us and it signifies a new direction for Wisconsin," Carpenter said in a statement thanking Evers. "We are showing that we are a welcoming and inclusive state and that means a great deal."
Evers, who defeated conservative Gov. Scott Walker in November, said in an executive order that the rainbow flag has become an important symbol for the LGBTQ community and publicly displaying it "sends a clear an unequivocal message" that in Wisconsin "everyone can live without fear of prosecution, judgment, or discrimination."
The flag was to be raised Friday afternoon and fly over the east wing of the Capitol where the governor's office is located. Evers also authorizes other state government buildings and any jurisdiction of the state to fly the flag in June.
The U.S. flag, the state of Wisconsin flag and a flag recognizing prisoners of war typically fly over the state Capitol. The move comes after Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, the city's first openly gay mayor, raised a rainbow pride flag over the building that houses city offices — across the street from the Capitol — earlier this week.
The rainbow flag has been a popular symbol of gay rights since the late 1970s and has been used in various forms at gay pride events for years.
