Why are Reform-led councils refusing to fly the flag for Pride Month? - Jayne Dowle

Unless it is intended to foment division and cause trouble, what is the point of raising flag politics yet again, right now?

Hoisting a Pride flag costs nothing, nor does it take anything away from anyone. Neither does it divide person against person. Rather, it stands for the simple belief that every human being deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of who they are or their sexuality.

In Calderdale, where the newly-elected Reform UK-led council has posted on its social media that in “Pride Month, we celebrate Calderdale as a place where everyone, regardless of who they are or who they love, is valued and free to be themselves”, there’s concern that the rainbow flag has been banned from a key historic site that attracts tourists from all over the world.

Labour councillor Sarah Courtney (Hebden Bridge and Todmorden East) claims the administration has “refused to fly the Pride flag from any council buildings during Pride Month, including at Shibden Hall, an iconic place and the setting for Sally Wainwright’s hugely successful Gentleman Jack TV series.”

Gentleman Jack, you may recall, tells the story of Anne Lister (1791-1840), a wealthy landowner, businesswoman and diarist who has earned the sobriquet of "the first modern lesbian”.

In response, the leader of Calderdale Council, Coun Dan Sutherland (Reform UK, Illingworth and Mixenden) commented: “We are proud to fly the Union Flag from the Town Hall throughout the year, to represent all the people of the borough, and we continue to celebrate Calderdale as a place where everyone is valued.”

In Barnsley, the new Reform UK-led council has announced that it will no longer fly the Pride flag over the town hall. As part of a new policy, only the Union Flag, St George’s Cross and the Barnsley Council flag will be allowed.

It’s a similar situation in Gateshead and Havering, where Pride flags will remain unfurled this year. And Essex County Council has informed all its libraries that they must not promote any events, including Pride, which are not directly related to their daily activities. The council says it wants to avoid highlighting “any particular groups or themes” in its institutions.

Presumably this means the WI and their local history groups might be finding themselves out in the cold too.

Not only is picking on Pride divisive and potentially dangerous, it speaks of an ignorant assumption on the part of these bullish Reform UK councils.

Pride is not about making LGBT+ people a special case, it is about recognising that in a modern, democratic society there is room for everyone. Or is that actually the point? That these days, there isn’t?

How many of the 2,000-plus Reform UK councillors are LGBT+ themselves, or have family members and friends who are? Obviously, we have no way of discerning this, but it is definitely worth consideration. Do some of them privately disagree with such an obdurate stance, or accept that such discrimination is the price to pay for power?

As Reform UK knows only too well, flags are an emotive issue.

They are running a risky game. It would be more than naïve to presume that everyone who voted for them will agree with what they are doing. I can think of many people in Barnsley who voted for Reform UK in May, but also have LGBT+ family members.

For parents of LGBT+ young people especially, this is of huge concern. Is the message now that their children are not welcome in their own home town, that they are not seen or recognised? Is this the start of a slippery slope? Parents can be forgiven for wondering what might happen next. Would the council rescind services in schools and youth settings which support LGBT+ youngsters?

“While it does not single-handedly erase systemic discrimination, flying a Pride flag is a low-cost, high-impact action that provides comfort to vulnerable individuals, normalises diversity, and challenges social stigma,” says Coun Courtney.