A federal judge has upheld a ban on gay pride flags after a years-long battle by an all-Muslim city council to remove the rainbow because it did not reflect their community’s values.
The court found that Hamtramck, an enclave surrounded by Detroit with a significant Muslim immigrant population, did not violate the US Constitution when it banned the flag from public buildings in 2023.
After a pride flag was flown in the city during Pride Month in 2021 and 2022, the city council said it clashed with the beliefs of some residents, so they voted to allow only five flags to be flown on publicly-owned property.
US District Judge David Lawson, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, dismissed a lawsuit that was brought against the city for its flag restrictions, saying the ban was okay because the policy targeted all private flags.
‘Hamtramck’s refusal to display the Gay Pride flag did not violate the Constitution,’ the judge said.
Hamtramck has a population of around 27,000, and more than 40% of its residents are immigrants. A large proportion of them are Muslim with Yemeni or Bangladeshi descent.
The city is right next to Dearborn, a larger enclave city in the Detroit area that the Wall Street Journal once called ‘America’s Jihad Capital’ in a piece that claimed the city’s leadership supported Hamas and Hezbollah. The publication was widely criticized for the moniker.
The Hamtramck flag ban restricted public property to only display the American flag, Michigan flag, city flag and flags that represent the ‘international character’ of the city’s population.
Businesses and residents are still allowed to fly whatever they want on private property.
Hellbound and Down 