Who is impacted?
The LGBTQ+ community of West Hollywood — especially our trans neighbors — were directly harmed when the Pride and Transgender flags were lowered to half-mast alongside the U.S. flag. These flags are not just decorations; they are symbols of safety, resilience, and visibility. Lowering them in honor of someone whose record opposed LGBTQ+ rights sent a painful and damaging message to residents who look to this city as a place of belonging.

What is at stake?
If this action goes unaddressed, it risks eroding the trust LGBTQ+ people place in West Hollywood to stand firmly as a beacon of progress and inclusion. Symbols matter — especially now. Allowing Pride and Transgender flags to be lowered without policy, accountability, or apology suggests that our identities and struggles can be disregarded. By contrast, a public apology and clear policy would restore confidence, protect the meaning of our flags, and reaffirm the City’s role as a leader in equality.

Why is now the time to act?
We are living in a moment of rising intolerance and division, where authoritarian impulses are spreading and LGBTQ+ communities are under attack across the country. West Hollywood must show that it will not follow that trend — that here, our symbols and our people are respected. Now is the time for the City to apologize, clarify its flag policy, and take a stand that reminds everyone why West Hollywood is seen as a global model for inclusion and pride.

----- The Open Letter to West Hollywood City -----

As residents and supporters of West Hollywood, we were deeply troubled by the recent decision to lower the Pride and Transgender flags to half-mast alongside the U.S. flag.

We understand that when the President issues a proclamation, the U.S. flag must be lowered under federal law. We respect that obligation. However, there is no such requirement for the Pride or Transgender flags. Lowering them was a local decision — one that sent a harmful message by honoring someone whose record and values opposed the LGBTQ+ community.

In today’s climate, where intolerance and authoritarian impulses are gaining ground, symbolic actions carry tremendous weight. Decisions like this do not happen in a vacuum; they reverberate through communities already navigating fear, division, and rising hostility. West Hollywood has always been a place where LGBTQ+ people could feel seen, respected, and safe. When our Pride and Transgender flags — the very symbols of resilience, identity, and hope — are lowered in this way, it sends the opposite message. It tells us that even here, in a city built on progress and inclusion, our symbols are not being safeguarded with the care they deserve.

We also recognize that there are consequences for not following protocol, and that is why — despite our own personal feelings — we are not addressing the lowering of official U.S. flags on government buildings. Our concern is specifically about the discretionary choice to lower community flags, in public spaces, in a manner that undermines their meaning and diminishes their power.

We urge the City to:

Issue a public apology acknowledging the harm caused.
Clarify and publish a clear policy for community flags going forward.
Reaffirm West Hollywood’s commitment to uplifting and protecting LGBTQ+ residents.
We call on the City to take swift action to restore trust and ensure our flags are treated with the respect they deserve.

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