On Friday, Wisconsin Governor Tony
Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order stating that the rainbow
flag will be flown over the state Capitol building in recognition of
Pride month.
The rainbow flag is a symbol of the
LGBT social movement and is widely displayed during Pride month.
(Related: Despite
rejected requests from Trump admin, some US embassies fly rainbow
flag.)
This is the first time ever Wisconsin
has flown the rainbow flag over its Capitol.
“Publicly displaying the Rainbow
Pride Flag sends a clear and unequivocal message that Wisconsin is a
welcoming and inclusive place where everyone can live without fear of
persecution, judgment, or discrimination,” Evers said in his order.
State Representative Scott Allen, a
Republican, was among the conservatives who questioned the move.
“Is this any more appropriate than
erecting the Christian flag over the Capitol?” Allen asked on
Twitter.
Wisconsin Family Action, a group
opposed to LGBT rights, described Evers' decision as “a flagrant
abuse of gubernatorial power.”
“Would the Governor authorize the
Christian flag to be flown over the capitol or a Nazi flag or any
number of other flags representing all sorts of Wisconsin citizens
and their beliefs?” the group's Julaine Appling said in a
statement.
State Senator David Craig, a
Republican, also criticized the move, saying in a tweet that Evers'
action “is in no doubt a statement to advance a cause. The only
cause that the Capitol flags should represent is fifty states united
in one republic.”