Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall wants a
federal bank in Richmond to lower a rainbow flag that recognizes Gay
Pride month.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, a
private financial institution, riled
Christian conservatives when it decided to fly the flag underneath
the American flag.
In a strongly worded letter to bank
president Jeff Lacker, Marshall, a Republican from William County,
demands the flag's removal and calls the decision “a serious
deficiency of judgment.”
“A flagpole in front of a federal
building is not a commercial or political message board,” Marshall
wrote.
“Moreover, the homosexual behavior
'celebrated' by your Richmond's Federal Reserve Bank spokeswoman
undermines the American economy, is a class six felony in Virginia,
shortens lives, adds significantly to illness, increases health
costs, promotes venereal disease, and worsens the population
imbalance relating to the number of workers supporting the
beneficiaries of America's Social Security and Medicare Programs.”
“Mr. Lacke, take down that flag!”
he concludes.
Marshall, who has a long history of
anti-gay rhetoric, made
headlines last year when he introduced legislation that would ban gay
and bisexual troops from serving openly in the state's National Guard
after repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”