Should state and local government buildings be allowed to fly flags advocating certain political or ideological positions — like Black Lives Matter flags, MAGA flags, pride flags, or the Christian flag — or should there only be neutral symbols — like the North Carolina flag and United States flag?
That’s the question a new bill working its way through the General Assembly seeks to address.
In April, House Bill 244, the “Depoliticize Government Property Act,” passed the state House by a fairly safe margin, with four Democrats joining all but two present Republicans to vote for the bill. As of May 1, it sits in Senate Rules Committee waiting for action. But HB 244’s path to becoming law is already meeting some loud objections.
I asked primary sponsor NC Rep. Brian Echevarria, R-Cabarrus, why he proposed HB 244, and he said, “The primary objective is to ensure that government properties maintain a neutral and objective stance by displaying only official government flags. In today’s political climate, fostering confidence that all citizens are equally served is a meaningful and positive step forward.”
The bill would require that “only official government flags may be flown or displayed on property owned by the state or a political subdivision of the state.” Violations include putting any unapproved symbol or flag “anywhere, including the walls of a facility, employee breakroom, and sidewalks.” Those in violation are “subject to disciplinary action, including termination from employment.”
Under the bill, the “official government flags” permitted for display are limited to the 10 following:
(1) The flag of the United States of America.
(2) The flag of the State of North Carolina.
(3) The flag of a county, city, or other governmental agency, school, or other
educational facility.
(4) The flag of any military branch of the United States of America.
(5) The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag.
(6) The Honor and Remember flag.
(7) The flag of nations recognized by the United States of America.
(8) The flag of any state or territory of the United States.
(9) The flag of a political subdivision of any state or territory of the United States.
(10) The flag of any Indian tribe or Indian group recognized by State or federal law.
This would prevent libraries, public schools, town halls, court houses, and other state and local government buildings from flying flags connected to social or political causes, a fairly common practice. Many Democrats spoke up in opposition to this, saying it restricts free speech and prevents officials from reaching out to the marginalized.
WRAL quoted state Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, saying in response, “These are minority groups that don’t always feel welcome. To have a display of affection or support of a group or organization, I don’t find that to be alienating to another group.”
Just for a couple examples, in the WRAL story on this bill, the mayor of Carrboro, a notoriously progressive town in the Triangle area, said their town hall flies four flags at all times — the United States flag, the Black Lives Matter flag, the pride flag, and the state flag.
In 2023, UNC Asheville hung giant banners for various progressive causes at their very prominent Ramsey Library, as seen below. In addition to the BLM flag and pride-progressive flag (which differs from traditional pride flags due to additional lines for trans people and racial minorities), they had a land-acknowledgement flag, which says the campus stands on the ancestral land of the Cherokee. The flags were taken down in 2023, but the images are still live as of May 2, 2025, on the land-acknowledgement page of their website.
I don’t doubt that within their own worldview, these government employees see themselves as planting a flag, so to speak, for what they believe is right. They see themselves as making these public venues, which should be open to all citizens, more welcoming to all people. But, ironically, they are doing the opposite.
I’ve heard countless stories by conservatives reporting that during a visit to their child’s elementary school or to a public library or to a university, they were overwhelmed by symbols of left-wing activism. More often than not, they took this as a message that these spaces were not for them, that they were not welcome.
When this is pointed out, progressives often seem absolutely besides themselves that anyone would dare to object. They wonder: Do you not think black lives matter? Do you not think people with all sexual identities should feel welcome here? Do you not think we should acknowledge that the land we are on was unjustly stolen from natives?
But these are complicated, sensitive, and nuanced topics on which people have many legitimate views. Pretending it all comes down to love versus hate is simplistic and insulting to those who object to certain implications of what those flags stand for. In a purple state like North Carolina, it makes about half the state feel unwelcome, failing the alleged goal of making the spaces welcoming to all.
It may be hard to express to those on the left what an equivalent experience would be for them. It may be something like if they walked into their local library and there was a giant MAGA flag behind the front desk, and when they objected, they were met with, “You don’t want America to be great?” Or if they walked onto a public university campus and saw pro-life stickers on every classroom door that said “Protect human life,” and when they objected, they were met with, “You don’t think human life should be protected?”
Slogans are hard to disagree with. They’re purposefully constructed to be rhetorically impenetrable, so as to sneak in presuppositions and conclusions on which there is less consensus. If a symbol or slogan is currently used in political activism, that’s evidence it’s still a topic of controversy and debate in society at large. There may be some topics that are settled to a degree that they aren’t controversial, or that are foundational enough (like free expression) that institutions need to advocate them to fulfill their mission. But on topics of current debate, having government buildings be a neutral space ensures an environment of free speech, where both left and right feel they are welcome to express their views.
Editor’s note: An earlier version stated that the banners were currently hanging at UNC-Asheville. While being up on the website as of May 2, 2025, the banners were taken down in 2023. This article uses the image to show the kind of display that is possible under current law. Representatives from the school contacted CJ and said they are committed to institutional neutrality.
