Utah House passes bill to ban woke flags from college campuses

A red state is one step closer to keeping woke, ideological flags off its public college and university campuses.

The Republican-controlled Utah House of Representatives passed a proposal last week that would restrict the types of flags allowed on government properties, including college campuses.

H.B. 77, the Flag Display Amendments, would allow only the American flag, the Utah flag, military flags and official college and university flags on government property.

State Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, who sponsored the legislation, thinks it will have no issue reaching the governor’s desk.

“There is tons of support for this as the vast majority of Utahns believe in political neutrality for schools and government entities,” Lee told Campus Reform. “Only woke activists that want to push political ideologies and agendas are against this bill.” 

Those who violate the law would be fined $500 per day for non-compliance. 

Additionally, the bill requires the state attorney general to protect anyone enforcing the flag display law in public schools. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah strongly opposes the bill, claiming it’s anti-LGBT and saying it violates freedom of speech. 

“From the start, we’ve said HB77 isn’t about protecting personal freedoms – it’s about control,” Aaron Welcher, communications director for the Utah ACLU, said in a statement. “Rep. Lee’s obsession with banning Pride symbols makes it clear: this isn’t just about flags, but about othering and erasing LGBTQ+ people from public life.” 

However, Lee said his bill is not hateful and is intended to “bring political neutrality across the state as it pertains to flying flags. 

“As many flags have become symbols of ideologies or political agendas from the left and the right, we would like to keep that stuff out of the classroom.” 

The measure now heads to the Senate for approval. Republicans control both houses of the Legislature and the governorship, increasing the chance of the measure becoming law.