Muslim-majority city council votes to ban LGBTQ Pride flags in public spaces
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, who ascended to his position in 2021 after criticizing his predecessor for flying the Pride flag outside city hall, stressed the council's commitment to equal treatment.
The city council of Hamtramck, Michigan, the only U.S. city with an all-Muslim governing body and mayor, passed a resolution to prohibit the display of LGBTQ Pride flags on all city properties.
The unanimous vote took place on Tuesday night, with the resolution introduced by the Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Mohammed Hassan.
The resolution clarifies that “the government of 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, and the nations’ flags that represent the international character of our City shall be flown.”
Amidst opposition to the proposal, Hassan stated, "Please don’t threaten us. … I’m the elected official. … I’m working for the people, what the majority of the people like,” Detroit Free Press reported.
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, who ascended to his position in 2021 after criticizing his predecessor for flying the Pride flag outside city hall, stressed the council's commitment to equal treatment.
The city has a history of controversy surrounding LGBTQ rights. As early as 2008, conservative Christians and the local Muslim community aligned against the LGBT community regarding a city ordinance proposing to include the LGBT community as a protected group.
During the public comment session, an attendee sarcastically suggested the city change its slogan to welcome only straight individuals before kissing another woman.
Muslim community leader from nearby Dearborn, Michigan, Hassan Aoun, stated, “Pride month, don’t put it down our throats. You can be gay by yourself. … Do not put [the Pride flag] on city property.”
The newly-passed resolution puts into question the plans of Hamtramck’s Human Relations Commission Chair Russ Gordon, who last year sparked controversy by flying a Pride flag alongside other national flags on Jos Campau Avenue. It remains to be seen whether he will repeat the gesture this year.
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