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# Proposed Utah bill says Stars and Stripes, yes. Rainbow stripes, no.
- URL: https://utahpolitics.news/proposed-bill-says-stars-and-stripes-yes-rainbow-stripes-no/
- Published: 2025-01-03T18:50:17.000Z
- Updated: 2025-12-30T17:52:12.000Z
- Author: Bryan Schott
- Tags: Legislature

For the third time in less than a year, Utah Republicans are pushing legislation that would effectively ban Pride flags from public school classrooms. The latest proposal would restrict classroom displays to a narrow list of approved banners, outlawing any flags that could be seen as political, while never mentioning Pride flags directly.

[HB77](https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0077.html?ref=utahpolitics.news), sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, sets out which flags can be displayed in Utah's public schools and classrooms. If a flag isn't on the list, it's not allowed. Parents could go to court to force a school or teacher to remove a non-authorized flag.

The list includes the U.S. flag, the Utah State flag, the POW/MIA flag, and flags representing an Indian tribe or a branch of the military. Flags of foreign countries or other city/state flags are also allowed.

It allows temporarily displaying a curriculum-related flag. For instance, a teacher could display the Confederate "Stars and Bars" during a Civil War lesson.

Schools can display flags representing [Utah's public colleges and universities](https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53B/Chapter1/53B-1-S102.html?ref=utahpolitics.news). A flag for the University of Utah is fine, but a flag for Brigham Young University, which is private, is not.

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If a school or teacher displays a non-sanctioned flag, the bill empowers parents to have it removed. After a parent notifies local school boards or governing bodies in writing, they will have 10 days to resolve the issue. After that, parents can go to court to force a school or teacher to take down the flag.

Lee's proposal is nearly identical to legislation [Republicans tried to sneak through](https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2024/02/27/utah-plan-ban-pride-flags/?ref=utahpolitics.news) on the final night of the 2024 session.

With hours before adjournment, Senate Republicans attempted twice to gut a bill dealing with public school employees under criminal investigation and replace it with legislation listing flags allowed in public schools. Those efforts failed.

[Earlier during the 2024 session, another bill banning public school employees](https://apnews.com/article/utah-education-lgbtq-flag-ban-08f7c13746c811d8ed7b8ab7b9b9a43d?ref=utahpolitics.news) from using their position to endorse a "political viewpoint or viewpoint regarding sexual orientation or gender identity" was defeated.

Before his first election in 2022, Lee ran a now-deleted [anonymous X/Twitter account](https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/09/23/gop-candidate-trevor-lee-ran/?ref=utahpolitics.news) that repeatedly attacked the LGBTQ+ community. [That animus continues](https://x.com/search?q=from%3AVoteTrevorLee+pride&ref=utahpolitics.news) on his current social media profiles.

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