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Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB819, banning Pride flags from schools and government buildings

On May 13, 2025, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 819, restricting the flags that may be displayed in K-12 schools and on state and local government buildings to the U.S. flag, Montana's state flag, other official government flags, and school mascot flags — explicitly excluding Pride flags and other nongovernmental banners. Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, the bill passed the Montana House 57-42 and the Senate 32-18.

Jurisdiction
Montana
Location
Helena, Montana

Abuses documented

Actors

On May 13, 2025, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 819 into law, restricting the flags that may be displayed in K-12 schools and on state and local government buildings and grounds. The approved list includes the U.S. flag, Montana's state flag, other official government flags (state, city, tribal, military, POW/MIA, and law-enforcement/first-responder flags), and school mascot flags — explicitly excluding Pride flags and other "politically charged" or nongovernmental banners. Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Flathead), the bill passed the Montana House 57-42 and the Senate 32-18 before Gianforte's signature.

By naming Pride flags among the banners barred from public buildings while permitting a broad range of other civic, military, and organizational flags, the law uses state authority to exclude one community's symbol of belonging from government spaces it otherwise allows comparable expression to occupy.

Updates

2025-06-03 — Missoula adopted a Pride-flag design as its official city flag [4]

In response to HB819 taking effect, the Missoula City Council adopted a Pride-flag-based design as the city's official flag, a status that Missoula officials said placed it outside HB819's restriction on nongovernmental banners.

Why we recorded this

Civil-rights protections bar government from disadvantaging people based on protected characteristics. Montana enacted HB819, which bars K-12 schools and government buildings from displaying Pride flags while permitting other civic and organizational banners, using state law to single out LGBTQ+ expression for exclusion from public space. This archive records when government policy treats a protected group's symbolic representation as impermissible while allowing comparable expression by others.

Sources

  1. Montana HB819 (2025) — LegiScan bill tracking, full action history — LegiScan primary accessed July 13, 2026
  2. State restricts which flags can be displayed in schools, government buildings — Daily Montanan investigative accessed July 13, 2026
  3. Montana bans Pride flags in schools and government buildings — PinkNews secondary accessed July 13, 2026
  4. Missoula recognizes Pride flag as an official city flag in response to new state law — Montana Free Press investigative accessed July 13, 2026

See also