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Hillsborough officials have chosen to openly support residents who belong to a community specifically targeted in a historic attack. It is a shame that such changes often come in the wake of bloodshed, but it is heartening to see the progressive and inclusive response.Īs LGBT Pride Month continues, residents of Hillsborough County and all of Tampa Bay should be glad to see the rainbow flag flying over public property. Though there is a long way to go in fighting discrimination in this country, attitudes are changing for the better. The Hillsborough County Center is an example of how, even in a time of political polarization, our institutions can make progress. The county is right to understand that even though there are people who object to each, the flags are not equally offensive. It is a symbol of advancing rights, not opposing them. The rainbow flag has been a symbol for a group seeking equal rights and protections.
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The Confederate flag, after representing states that fought their own country to preserve the right to enslave humans, was resurrected in many Southern states in the mid 20th century as a response to the civil rights movement. Some critics of the decisions say the county is substituting one flag that can be seen as offensive for another.īut the two symbols have distinctly different histories. The tragedy led to a nationwide debate over the symbol and persuaded Hillsborough officials to remove a Confederate flag from inside the county center. The vote was nearly a year to the day after nine black churchgoers died in the Charleston shootings, killed by a white man who had posted photos of himself holding the Confederate battle flag. Commissioner Ken Hagan cast the lone vote in opposition. The measure was proposed by Commissioner Kevin Beckner, the board's first openly gay member. The attack led the Hillsborough commissioners to vote 5-1 to fly the rainbow flag at the county center through June 30. Pete Pride, for which law enforcement officials have now pledged extra security. They were gunned down during LGBT Pride Month, a time of celebrations and parades across the country, including this weekend's St. The June 12 murder of 49 people in an Orlando gay bar terrorized a safe space to many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Floridians. The choice demonstrates the power of our institutions to change for the better. While this use of the rainbow flag originated in Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area, the flag is now used worldwide. The decision came Wednesday, just two days before the first anniversary of the Charleston, S.C., shooting that led the county to take down a flag of the Confederacy. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, as the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride during LGBT rights marches. Hillsborough County commissioners honorably demonstrated support for sexual minorities by making the still-controversial choice to raise an LGBT flag.