By Wendy Liberatore | Times Union, Albany, N.Y. (TNS)
MILTON, N.Y. — When those who are prejudiced against a Pride symbol go low, supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community go high — or in this case, technically higher.
That’s been the strategy of the Saratoga Pride group, which has installed a temporary taller flagpole to protect their rainbow pennant, which they said has been torn down. The group, which is displaying the flag on private property on Rowland Street, said on two occasions the flagpole was bent, the flag ripped and left on the ground. So now Saratoga Pride has ordered three taller poles — two 20-foot poles and one 25-foot pole — to replace the temporary one there now, in hopes that no one will disturb the three flags that are planned: an American flag, a peace flag and a Pride flag. But Cindy Swadba of Saratoga Pride remains concerned.
“I get angry,” Swadba said. “We all have someone in our lives that is from the LBGTQIA+ community. They are people we know and love. It makes me angry and resolved to continue to put the flag up.”
She also said the disturbed flags are especially distressing considering the town’s recent history with Pride flags. In 2020, then Supervisor Benny Zlotnick raised the rainbow flag on Veterans Memorial Park. Three were stolen before a fourth flag was raised. In order to protect it, the town put a surveillance camera on the banner. Zlotnick also called the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, asking it to investigate the plundered flag.
Shirleyan Ebert, who owns the property where the flag is now up again, said she filed a report with the sheriff. She was told that it’s near impossible to determine who vandalized the poles and flags without surveillance cameras capturing the act.
She said she offered her property to raise the flag because the town’s current supervisor, Scott Ostrander, won’t allow it to fly on town property.
“This ticked me off,” she said.
Ebert and Swadba pointed out that mayors of Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs hung Pride flags outside of Village Hall and City Hall, respectively.
Ostrander was not immediately available to comment about his decisions concerning the Pride flag. But in 2022, he told CBS6 that the decision to not raise a Pride flag was meant to look out for all residents “not just a few of our residents.”
Pride flag swiping seems to be on the rise. NBC News reported last week that in the first weeks of June, which is designated as Pride month, 14 banners were slashed in Poulsbo, Wash. Another 200 flags were stolen from the town center in Carlisle, Mass.
It’s not just the Pride flag, however. The Times Union reported on June 5 that two separate flag incidents took place in Delmar. The first incident involved a Trump campaign flag being raised onto a flagpole that was flying the American flag and a POW flag at the post office the morning of the town’s Memorial Day parade. The federal Hatch Act requires that no partisan political activity be done on federal property.
About a week later, a resident reported to police that someone allegedly went onto his property where he has an American flag flying on a pole, turned the flag upside down and rehoisted it.
While there are prohibitions on where flags displaying political speech can be raised, the American Civil Liberties Union has written a letter arguing that municipalities can’t outright ban the rainbow flag because such policies “are viewpoint discrimination and violate the First Amendment.
“When the government is speaking for itself, the government may decide which views it wishes to express and ‘the First Amendment does not demand airtime for all views,’” the letter reads.
Meanwhile, Ebert said there was a bright spot in the flag issue she is facing. After the flag was taken down and the pole destroyed for a second time, her nephew Michael Ebert found a note tucked into the twisted metal.
“Don’t let their hate get to you,” the note, decorated with hearts, read. “You are showing every person who is LGBTQIA+ that we are seen. You got this!!!”
“It was very touching and very encouraging and very kind,” Ebert said. “I was going to frame it and keep it in my place. Then, I decided it needs to be shared.”
She gave the note to Saratoga Pride. A GoFundMe page, set up by friend and supporter Cathy Hoff, has raised about $700 to purchase more flags, and the taller flagpoles.
“My goal is to let the people of Milton know what is happening,” Swadba said. “We have a lot of allies. We are hoping that people will respect the flag.”
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