Hamtramck, Michigan's city council has unanimously voted to pass a resolution proposed by city councilman Mohammed Hassan banning LGBTQ+ flags flying on city property. Hassan, part of an all-Muslim city council, said LGBTQ+ people need to respect "religious freedom."
Photo via Mohammed Hassan's Facebook
June 14 (UPI) -- A Michigan city just outside of Detroit has voted to ban LGBTQ flags on city property under a "neutrality" resolution that was passed unanimously by the city council.
The Hamtramck, Mich., resolution said, "The City of Hamtramck does not allow any religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation group flags to be flown on the city's public properties, and that only, the American flag, the flag of the State of Michigan, the Hamtramck Flag, the Prisoner of War flag and the nations' flags that represent the international character of our city shall be flown."
Darren Shelton, executive director of Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theater, opposed the resolution.
"Make no mistake," Shelton wrote on Facebook, "this resolution has one purpose, to suppress the voice of our LGBTQ+ community."
The resolution, from Hamtramck City Councilman Mohammed Hassan, also stated, "the city does not want to open the door for radical or racist groups to ask for their flags to be flown."
Hamtramck seated an all-Muslim city council and mayor in 2022.
Hassan joined other members of the city council in saying LGBTQ+ people are welcome in Hamtramck. But he also said gay people need to be aware of religious views opposed to gay lifestyles.
City Councilman Nayeem Choudhury echoed Hassan's assertion that Muslim sensibilities must be respected in the banning of flying the LGBTQ+ flag on city property.
"We want to respect the religious rights of our citizens," Choudhury said. "You guys are welcome. ... (but) why do you have to have the flag shown on government property to be represented? You're already represented. We already know who you are. ... By making this (about) bigotry ... it's making it like you want to hate us."
A majority of the public comments read by the city clerk at the council meeting opposed the anti-LGBTQ+ flag resolution.
Former Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski flew the LGBTQ+ Pride flag outside City Hall in 2021, but she was defeated by current Mayor Amer Ghalib, who supported the resolution banning the flag.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ghalib translated Hassan's Arab language comments at the meeting supporting the flag ban resolution.
"Flying ... the LGBT flag is something unacceptable," Ghalib's translation said. "And it's odd, he said, to humanity and to the nature of people. And he thinks it will destroy the new generations."
No effort was made by the city to ban LGTBQ flags other than on city property. The vote banning the flag came after months of intense debate on the issue.
In March Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation affirming the rights of LGBTQ+ under the expanded Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
On June 11, Whitmer established Michigan's first-ever statewide LGBTQ+ Commission at Detroit's Motor City Pride parade.
Her actions are a sharp contrast to a raft of anti-LGBTQ+ rights bills in GOP controlled states.
