Long Island Pride flags spark controversy over being displayed next to veterans tribute banners
A dispute over Pride flags and veterans’ tribute banners has sparked controversy in a Long Island village after officials removed some Pride flags following complaints about their placement alongside banners honoring local military veterans.Mayor Donna Koch said she had the Pride flags removed after concerns were shared by the Northport American Legion over the Pride flags being displayed above “Hometown Heroes” banners honoring veterans, CBS News reported.“I had the Pride flags removed.It had nothing to do with my feelings about the Pride community.
I support them 100%.I also support our veterans,” Koch said.ABC’s Eyewitness News reported Monday that American Legion Commander William McKenna told the outlet, “They were putting the pride banners above my veterans, and that does not work, sorry.”“If you put a pride flag by one of my veterans, I’m taking every one of them down,” McKenna said.ABC’s Eyewitness News reported that McKenna sent a letter to Koch and the village board which said, in part, “The concern being expressed is not at the pride flags themselves, nor is it intended to diminish the importance of recognizing any group within our community.
Rather, many veterans and families feel that placing another banner above the veterans’ banners diminishes the recognition and prominence that was originally intended for those who served our country.”Jeff Cusick, treasurer for Northport Pridefest, called the situation “very offensive” in a quote published by CBS News.“We love and support our vets, but the Hometown Heroes program was apparently given the rights to these lamp posts from May to November, which is the entire outdoor season, and that doesn’t leave room for other community members.We believe it’s a point to leverage patriotism for discrimination against us,” Cusick added.The outlet reported that the Pride flags and veterans’ tribute banners are now being displayed separately, and that PrideFest orga...