Gay pride flag proposal sparks intense debate

By Charles Sercombe
Some old divisions in Hamtramck over gay-related issues reared their head at the last city council meeting.
What was supposed to be a routine resolution to allow a gay pride flag to be flown on a city-owned flagpole in Zussman Park sparked a deep division on council, and in the community; and a lengthy discussion.
On the council’s “consent agenda” last Tuesday, there was a proposal to hold a gay pride flag raising ceremony on June 19 in Zussman Park.
The proposal came from the newly-formed Arts and Cultural Commission.
Normally, in a consent agenda, the council simply votes on the various proposals up or down without discussion, although sometimes there are certain proposals pulled aside and placed on the regular agenda for discussion.
Such was the case for the gay pride ceremony. Councilmember Saad Almasmari made the request to separate the resolution and place it on the regular agenda.
That set the stage for what became a lengthy public comment section and, later, a lengthy debate among councilmembers before a vote was taken.
In a rare move, City Attorney James Allen spoke during public comment, and it was a preview for what became a passionate debate among those in favor of the recognition, and those against.
Allen said that having the city display the gay pride flag, for which there are several designs, is “beyond symbolic.”
“It sends a message on how we welcome people in this community,” he said.
Nasr Hussain, a former Hamtramck Public School District Boardmember, said displaying the flag will cause “division.”
He said that the council has other pressing issues to talk about, such as finances and public safety.
However, he countered one of Allen’s comments, in which Allen had said that recognizing gay rights attracts would-be business owners. Hussain said that the discussion shouldn’t just be about “money, money, money.”
Hussain said that the gay community is always “free to do what they want in their houses.”
Making this issue public, he said, is an affront to the city’s “majority conservative Muslim community.”
Kit Parks, who is a frequent commentator at council meetings, said she doesn’t “see this issue as controversial,” but conceded that “politics are controversial by nature.”
Another frequent commentator during council meetings is Bill Meyer, who said that the city “should support all sorts of flags. … Let’s fight for everyone who is targeted for discrimination.”
Timothy Price, the chairman of the Arts and Cultural Commission, said this resolution is “not a political statement. … It’s actually a human rights statement.”
Luqman Saleh agreed with Nasr Hussain, saying that the council should focus instead on finances.
“The city is going to collapse very soon,” Saleh said. “If anyone wants to practice their rights – they can do so at home.”
Sam Alasri urged the council to avoid topics that “divide us,” and called this proposal a “political game.”
Later, it was the council’s turn to take up the issue. Councilmember Carrie Beth Lasley started off the discussion by saying that she identifies with the LGBTQ+ community (“and if you’re wondering which one, you’re nosey.”).
She said that displaying the flag is a message of welcoming to that community, and if the council rejects the proposal, the city might as well take down the various “Welcome to Hamtramck” signs located here.
“It’s embarrassing we’re even having this discussion,” she added. “This is just really, really ugly.”
Councilmember Mohammed Alsomiri noted that this would be the first time the city flew the gay pride flag, but it was unclear what his point was.
Councilmember Fadel Al-Marsoumi said the council and the city have a history of supporting human rights.
“We’re here to support everybody,” he said.
Councilmember Saad Almasmari said that, while the city is welcoming, the city government should only display the American flag – not that of “someone’s lifestyle.”
Mayor Karen Majewski took issue with framing this as a “lifestyle” issue.
Gay rights, she said, “is not a lifestyle.”
Instead, Majewski said, it’s about recognizing “who you are, that is your being, the essence of your being.”
Councilmember Mohammed Hassan said that bringing this issue up for a vote only “creates more problems.”
Flying the gay pride flag, he said, is “destroying respect.”
Not surprisingly, the vote resulted in a 3-3 tie, with Councilmembers Hassan, Alsomiri and Almasmari voting against the resolution.
Councilmembers Nayeem Choudhury, Lasley and Al-Marsoumi voted in favor.
The led to Mayor Majewski having to break the tie with a vote in favor of allowing the flag ceremony to take place.
The council meeting sparked widespread debate among residents, and others, on several Hamtramck-based Facebook pages.
As of this week, that discussion is ongoing — with some opinions not fit for a family newspaper to print.
One gay couple who moved out of the city, noted on Facebook that one key reason for their moving out was they felt they faced hatred from half of the city’s population.
This debate has played out in many other communities across the nation.
Some states, such as Illinois and Wisconsin, fly the gay pride flag during June, which is Gay Pride Month, over their state capital buildings.
Some communities and counties also fly the flag, always underneath the American flag.
The US Flag Code allows communities to fly flags of their choice below American flags.
Many states and communities fly their own state flag, as well as the POW-MIA flag, below the American flag.
(The gay pride flag ceremony will be this Saturday, June 19, 9 a.m., at Zussman Park, which is located across from Hamtramck City Hall.)
Posted June 14, 2021

Updated on June 17, 2021