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Residents urge apology after council president's remark about rainbow on Kiwanis mural, say businesses faced boycott
Summary
At the June 16 Emmaus Borough Council meeting, residents criticized Council President Michael Balliet for a comment about a proposed rainbow motif on a Kiwanis mural and said the remark has prompted a boycott and harmed the borough's reputation for inclusivity.
At the Emmaus Borough Council meeting on June 16, 2025, residents told the council that a remark by Council President Michael Balliet about a proposed rainbow element in a Kiwanis park mural has prompted local backlash and, they said, a boycott of borough businesses.
Alisa Bowman, a Berger Street resident, told the council she supported the Kiwanis project but was alarmed by Balliet's prior comment at a May 19 meeting that “it's a shame what the rainbow has come to represent.” She said the remark signaled to some that Emmaus is not a welcoming community and that some people have begun boycotting local businesses.
“The signal has really made it a lot easier to get across that intersection,” Bowman said earlier in her remarks when thanking the council for a traffic signal; on the mural she said the original design’s rainbow “was just a rainbow” and that the president’s comment “took Emmaus off the map of welcoming communities.”
Kevin Gaiman, a North Third Street resident who was at the May meeting, urged the council to keep public murals neutral and noted historical meanings of the rainbow. “The rainbow is primarily a symbol of God's covenant with Noah,” he said, adding he believed the symbol should be treated carefully on a public building.
Several speakers said the Kiwanis project itself and the Kiwanis volunteers are appreciated and that the controversy centers on one councilmember’s remark rather than the mural’s installation. The council did not make an immediate statement on the record responding to requests for an apology during the public-comment period.
Members of the council and the Arts Commission indicated the Kiwanis mural remains under the committees’ review. Council member Watt told the Community Relations, Planning and Development Committee she had suggested the arts commission include alternative slat designs — such as weather motifs or “some rainbow slats” among options — so the design reflects Kiwanis branding while addressing community feedback.
The parks and recreation committee is scheduled to meet June 19; the Arts Commission will continue work on the mural design and options discussed at committee meetings.
The matter was raised during the public comment portion of the June 16 meeting; the council’s formal agenda items that night proceeded after the comments.
