LA County Board of Supervisors votes to fly Pride Flag on all county buildings during June

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to fly the Progress Pride Flag on all county buildings throughout the month of June, which is Pride Month. 

A motion introduced by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, which received votes from all members of the board, directs L.A. County's Internal Services Department to fly "the Progress Pride Flag at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration and Los Angeles County facilities where the American and California flags are displayed during the month of June, while we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month this year and every year moving forward."

The move comes just about a month after Huntington Beach City Council performed the exact opposite, voting to no longer fly the Pride flag on any city-owned property. The recent decision comes just two years after they unanimously voted in the other direction. 

 "We are seeing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills being passed at an alarming rate across the country," Hahn said in a statement released after the vote. "Here in Los Angeles County we're making our position clear: in the largest county in the nation, LGBTQ+ residents here the unwavering support of their government."

The first Gay Pride flag was first flown back in 1978, when it was adopted on Freedom Day. The design was created by Gilbert Baker, with help from gay activist and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The original design, which features eight colored stripes, represent sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic and art, serenity and spirit. A newly-designed flag, which now includes a chevron-shape and four new colors, symbolizes marginalized and diverse communities of color, community members lost to HIV/AIDS as well as those living with that disease.