LGBTQ+ Pride flags fly for first time outside Austin police headquarters, other city facilities

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The flag pole in front of the Austin Police Department's downtown headquarters has a colorful new addition this month.

Police are flying the rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flag in front of their tall, brick building along the southbound Interstate 35 frontage road near East Eighth Street. A spokesperson confirmed Wednesday this is the first time the department is doing this, too, at all of its buildings.

KXAN asked why Austin police decided to make such a public display of support this year to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride month, which is normally observed across the U.S. during June. However, Austin usually holds its own parade to celebrate the local LGBTQ+ community later in the summer during August. A police spokesperson pointed out a memo indicating that city departments are putting up these flags this month at all of their public-facing facilities based on a past action taken by city leaders.

The Austin City Council approved a resolution on Aug. 31, 2023 directing the city manager to display and fly the Progress Pride flag at city-owned facilities throughout the month of June each year. In addition to the standard six rainbow-colored stripes, this particular flag also has bands of white, pink and light blue to represent the transgender community as well as black and brown stripes to reflect people of color and those living with or lost to HIV/AIDS. There's also a yellow triangle with a purple circle to represent the intersex community.

The director of the city's building services department put out a memo in May to share some helpful information about how to comply with the resolution. He wrote, "Department Directors shall at a minimum display the Pride Flag at their department headquarters buildings and use discretion in determining the appropriate display of the Pride flag at other locations in alignment with the resolution. Flags may be displayed rather than flown in cases where a flagpole is unavailable. Displays may include being hung against a wall or in the air of an atrium. Displays should be in an area where a member of the public could reasonably view the flag and in alignment with established flag guidance and norms."

For instance, drivers may notice the Pride flag is not flying on the flagpoles outside of Austin City Hall on West Cesar Chavez Street by Guadalupe. Instead people will be able to see a couple of the flags displayed inside in the lobby.

These actions taken by the City of Austin follow what Travis County already started doing four years ago. County leaders agreed to begin raising the rainbow flag in June outside the Travis County building in downtown Austin. Another ceremony is planned on June 25 to commemorate the fourth annual flag raising.

Pride celebrations are happening at a time when Equality Texas, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the state, recently shared a troubling report. The group shared it responded to an uptick in anti-LGTBQ+ incidents each month in 2023 compared to 2022. Its leaders expect to take in more reports about these kinds of incidents during Pride Month since the LGBTQ+ community becomes much more visible at this time.

LGBTQ+ advocates are also anticipating for Texas lawmakers to introduce even more bills impacting their community during next year's regular legislative session, which begins in January. Those debates will come on the heels of the 2023 session when lawmakers put forward a record number of proposals related to the LGBTQ+ community.