Irvington Board Rejects Call to Take Down Pride Flags in June

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May 12, 2024

By Barrett Seaman—

As far as culture wars go, it was a very brief skirmish. At the first May meeting of the Irvington Board of Trustees, Mayor Jon Siegel invited Dianna Rigos, who had submitted a letter to the board, to come up and read it aloud. The letter was a complaint—more of a lament, really—about the village policy of flying the Pride flag celebrating the LGBTQ+ community for the month of June each year. Her letter read in part:

“The Pride flags that you have made the decision to display, end up being on display longer than the American Flags for Memorial Day. That Flag represents ALL of us, the Pride Flag represents 5% of the population. They represent a way of life that is a personal choice, not a communal proclamation. They don’t represent self-expression, equality, or equity for all, but for a select group. Our own American Flag stands for and represents all of us, how long will it fly for Memorial Day, a month? As a devote Catholic and one of hundreds of Village members that are Catholic, it is month we all dread, a month we want to avoid Main Street. Why add a flag that takes away from our wholesome town?”

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When Ms. Rigos finished, there was a smattering of applause from the back of the meeting room. The Mayor then attempted to explain village policy, noting that Ms. Rigos’ letter also mentioned the village’s traditional yearly display of a “holiday tree” and an “egg hunt.” They could not be called a Christmas Tree and an Easter Egg Hunt because that would be a violation of the Establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents governments from endorsing any particular religion.

“At least in Irvington, Siegel said, “we are making an effort to try to be inclusive of all people.”

“To me and to many people,” responded Rigos, “the Pride flag represents sex.” At that point, Trustee Arlene Burgos jumped in: “It’ not about sex. It’s about people who have literally been excluded. It really has very little to do about sex. … We’ve had a lot of feedback from people about how important it is to see those flags.”

Unpersuaded, Rigos replied: “It’s not making it a welcoming community. It’s actually making it harder for us to live here—at least some of us.” Again, there was a smattering of applause.

A resident speaks out agains flying the Pride flag for the month of June

Later, during the public comment period of the meeting, a man who did not identify himself told the board that he had gay friends who didn’t need a flag. “I’m straight,” he declared, “and I don’t fly a flag for a month. I just don’t see why it has to be up for a month. We should be celebrating other things for a month.”

When Trustee Larry Lonky referred to the “holiday tree,” the man snapped back, “It’s not a holiday tree; it’s a Christmas tree, to which the Mayor replied, “Well if it is, I’m going to have to take it down” (another reference to the Establishment Clause).

“You could try doing that and see what this town says or does about that,” the man shot back. At that the Mayor suggested they all take a deep breath, and the meeting moved on to other matters on the agenda, with plans for flying the Pride flag in June intact.

It did not take long for news of the exchange to reach the Irvington Activists, an appropriately named group of progressives that played visible roles in several recent campaigns to shed Irvington’s perceived image as an insular and exclusive enclave, among them the opening of Matthiessen Park to non-residents, adoption of Juneteenth as a celebration of Black history, and the village’s recognition of June as Pride Month. The Activists and their supporters sparked a letter-writing campaign in defense of flying the Pride flags in June.

According to Mayor Siegel, the Board has since received more than two dozen letters, including one from the village’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. “Only the letter from Dianna Rigos,” the Mayor reported, “suggested the Village not fly the Pride Flags.”

Activist co-leader Peter Bernstein wrote an email thanking followers for their “strong, heartfelt and rational responses,” and reposted the Mayor’s return message to them. “I believe I speak for the Village Board,” the Mayor wrote, “when I say that we share your view that pride flags represent hope and acceptance and foster a sense of belonging and unity. Accordingly, the Village Board has no plans to remove the scheduled display of pride flags in June.”

As June approaches, it remains to be seen whether or not the issue rekindles.

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