Salt Lake City raises Sego belonging flag in Washington Square as city pushes back on state restrictions

Salt Lake City held a public ceremony May 30, 2025, in Washington Square to raise the city esignated Sego belonging flag for the month of June, city speakers said, framing the action as both symbolic and a response to recent state legislation limiting non-official banners on government property.

An unidentified city official opened the event and described the ceremony as the city—amily marking the start of Bridal Month and "the first ever raising of the Sego belonging flag in Salt Lake City." The official said the flag combines the Sego lily, the rainbow, and an arrow to represent the city nd its commitment to inclusion.

"Seals and emblems are symbols of the government, but the flag is a symbol of the people," City Council Chair Chris Wharton said, urging that the flags belong to residents regardless of legislative pressure. Wharton, who said he participated in the flag discussion leading up to the city's 2020 flag choice, called the addition of the Sego lily fitting because of its resilience.

Jess Kauser, chair of the board of directors of the Utah Pride Center, said the state legislature had enacted a law banning government employees from displaying any flag on public property that is not an official government banner and characterized that change as an attempt to limit speech. "They are actively trying to silence the voices of the LGBTQIA community, their citizens, students, teachers, and public servants," Kauser said.

An executive director of the Utah Pride Center (name not given in the transcript) reviewed the pride flag's history and said House Bill 77 was passed with the intent "to erase our presence from public spaces." The executive director called the city's adoption of the Sego belonging flag "not just symbolism. This is strategy," and said the flag would "fly legally, proudly, and permanently for the month of June." The transcript does not record a formal council vote in the ceremony itself.

The city identified Lindsay Nicola, deputy chief of staff for Salt Lake City, as the staffer who helped coordinate the flags and invited her to begin the participatory flag-raising; attendees were invited to take turns cranking the flag to the top.

City officials and Utah Pride Center leaders presented the action as a local effort to preserve visibility and support for LGBTQIA residents and allies while signaling that the city will maintain symbolic displays even after new state-level limits.

The ceremony closed after the flag was raised; no next procedural steps or formal council votes were recorded in the transcript.