This bill would ban flags–including the Pride Flag, the Juneteenth Flag, or flags of Tribal nations– flown or displayed outside state and local government buildings. In addition to constitutional concerns with the bill’s application to private property owners that lease property to government buildings, this bill sends a chilling message to Wisconsinites who stand for
justice, equality, and an honest teaching of our nation’s complicated history: that their struggles and contributions are unworthy of acknowledgement and protection.
Specifically AB-58 prohibits a flag “used for ceremonial purposes related to a political party, a political or social cause, a sexual orientation or gender identity, a political, ideological, or religious viewpoint, or a gang or extremist group as designated by the federal bureau of investigation, [or] a flag that commemorates, represents, or shows support for or opposition to a political party, a political or social cause, a racial identity, a sexual orientation or gender identity, or a political, ideological, or religious viewpoint” from being “flown, hung, or displayed from a flagpole or the exterior” of:
- any state office building or facility, including the state capitol;
- any building or facility leased by a state agency;
- any building or facility owned or leased by a local government unit; or
- any building or facility owned, leased, or used by a school board
The bill also bans flags commemorating specific holidays, including Juneteenth and Indigenous People’s Day.
Today it’s flags. We fear there will be broader restrictions on speech, education, or expression
for anyone the state deems unacceptable tomorrow.
