ENCINITAS — The city of Encinitas could become the first city in the county to fly the rainbow pride flag at its City Hall in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month.
Taking its cues from the state of California, which had the pride flag raised at the state Capitol June 17, Encinitas will join a number of jurisdictions taking aim at the Trump administration’s recent policy forbidding the flag at federal buildings.
The City Council will take the issue up at a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. June 19 at City Council Chambers.
“It’s important to stand up for inclusive values,” Mayor Catherine Blakespear said. “The pride flag demonstrates the city’s commitment in a public way.”
While municipal elected positions are nonpartisan in nature, Encinitas is one of the only cities in the county with five registered Democrats serving on its city council. The authorization is expected to receive the council’s full support.
Encinitas’ decision is being hailed by leading members of the LGBTQ community, who said it demonstrates that the city is an ally to the community.
“Flying the flag over City Hall during Pride Month is a clear message of support to the thousands of LGBT families that live in North County,” said Max Disposti, executive director of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center in Oceanside. Disposti worked with Encinitas Councilman Joe Mosca — the city’s first openly gay elected official — on the matter.
“In this climate of rampant hate and anti-LGBT rhetoric our youth need the support of our community and political leadership to create visible and clear support in our schools and community,” Disposti said.
The Coast News left a voicemail and several text messages for Mosca seeking comment and will update the story when it is received.
Encinitas’ decision comes shortly after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that the Trump administration rejected U.S. embassies’ requests to fly the rainbow pride flag in June. Some embassies have defied the policy and flown the flag or found other ways to honor Pride Month, such as by shining rainbow lights on the exterior of embassies.
California was joined by Wisconsin and New York, which also decided to raise the pride flag at their state capitols for the first time in their history.
