JULY 20, 2025 — In a move to bypass a new state law, the Bozeman City Commission voted 4-1 late night on July 15 to designate the rainbow Pride flag as an official flag of the city, reports the Montana Free Press.
The decision came after more than five hours of passionate public testimony and allows the flag to be flown once again over City Hall.
The vote directly addresses Montana’s House Bill 819, a law enacted in May that restricts “politically charged symbols on state property.” The city had previously flown the Pride flag for several years but removed it to comply with the new statute.
By officially adopting the flag, Bozeman is utilizing a provision in the state law that permits municipalities to fly their own official flags.
“Everyone is welcome in Bozeman, and they are welcome under that flag,” said Mayor Terry Cunningham following the marathon meeting.
The resolution, which does not replace or alter the existing city flag, grants the mayor and city manager the authority to decide when and where to fly the Pride flag on city property.
The lone dissenting vote on the City Commission came from Commissioner Douglas Fischer, who argued the measure was divisive, said the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
“We took the wedge the Legislature handed us and we drove it right into the center of this community,” Fischer said, contending that the city “took the bait” without building community consensus first.
Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison emphasized that the commission’s action was not a workaround but a straightforward compliance with the statute’s own provisions.
“The law says cities can adopt official flags,” Morrison said. “Here is the procedure where we can adopt an official flag.”
Bozeman’s decision follows a similar path taken by another Montana city: In early June, Missoula voted to officially adopt the Pride flag.
