At West Valley City’s first Pride event on Saturday, there were plenty of rainbows on t-shirts, decorations and artwork, and there were several displayed flags, notably the Utah flag, the United States flag and the city’s flag.
But apart from some banners draped over people’s shoulders or sitting on small handheld sticks, there were no rainbow flags — nor were there any other variations of pride flags that are commonly displayed at Pride celebrations.
The event, held at West Valley’s Utah Cultural Celebration Center, took place on government property and consequently was subject to Utah’s ban on pride flags and any other banners other than those sanctioned by the state government.
“It’s a disappointment,” said Craig Thomas, the city’s community engagement and culture director, though he said the limitation hadn’t been a hindrance to vendors or attendees.
However, he added, the limitation did unfortunately keep some groups who wanted to display Pride flags from participating in the event.
Chad Call, the executive director of Utah Pride Center, said West Valley’s celebration was one of the few in Utah bound by the state’s restriction because it is put on by a municipality rather than a social group, nonprofit or other organizer.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) West Valley Pride, held at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
He said while the language of the new law is “convoluted,” the Pride Center’s legal team believes that special use agreements allow groups to display Pride flags at public facilities they have been authorized to use, and he said he’s not aware of any lawsuits or enforcement that could clarify.
But West Valley’s celebration was not a third-party event separate from the city, and attendees found the omission of flags made a notable difference.
Ginger Beck, an attendee who was holding a transgender pride flag she said she got from one of the booths, said the state’s ban makes her think “it seems we’re taking steps backward.”
After years of positivity and growing acceptance, she feels it sends the negative message to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community that something is wrong with them.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Elena Aguilar works on chalk art at West Valley Pride, held at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Michelle Nelson, who was at the Pride celebration running a booth for Mama D’s Designs, emphasized her resolve to sport pride flag colors even in the absence of pride flags. She dressed in rainbow tie-dye and proudly displayed three rainbow eggs tattooed just below a dragon on her arm.
She said she’s a member of Mama Dragons — an organization that helps mothers support their children in the LGBTQ+ community — and doesn’t understand how pride flags are harmful, but knows of the pain it causes when they’re taken away.
Three of her kids are members of the LGBTQ+ community, she said, and her youngest child is a teacher. When the state limited what they could display in their classroom, Nelson said it “kicked them in the gut.”
“It just makes me sick,” she said.