After more than five hours of debate, the city commission voted 4-1 to designate the flag as an official flag of Bozeman. Members of Bozeman’s queer community and their allies gather just after midnight on July 16, 2025, to celebrate the city adopting the Pride flag. The rainbow Pride flag can once again fly over Bozeman City Hall after commissioners voted Tuesday night to make it an official city flag, sidestepping a Montana state law targeting the controversial symbol. Four out of five of Bozeman’s commissioners supported the Pride flag, with the lone vote of dissent made by Commissioner Douglas Fischer, who argued that the flag was divisive and threatened to “drive a wedge” into the community. Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham spoke to the commission after hearing more than five hours of intense public comment on the issue, both for and against the resolution. Cunningham said it was clear to him that Bozeman had a responsibility to stand for a “safe, welcoming and diverse community,” and adopting the Pride flag sends that signal. “Everyone is welcome in Bozeman, and they are welcome under that flag,” Cunningham said. The resolution declares “the Pride flag and its variants to be official flags of the city of Bozeman” and allows the mayor and city manager to choose when and where to fly the flags on city property. The resolution does not alter or replace the current city flag.
via montanafreepress: Bozeman sidesteps new state law, adopts Pride flag
