Evers raises LGBTQ flag over Capitol for Pride Month, but his Republican opponents may not do the same
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MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers hoisted an LGBTQ flag over the state Capitol on Wednesday under a 4-year-old tradition that could come to an end next year.
The Democratic governor first flew the rainbow flag for Pride Month in 2019, shortly after he was sworn in.
The Republicans running against him this fall may not do the same if they win.
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch called rainbow flags "political props" when flown over the Capitol. Management consultant Kevin Nicholson said he wouldn't raise the LGBTQ flag over the Capitol.
The other two Republicans running for governor did not say whether they would continue the practice if they win.
Kleefisch in 2010 said same-sex marriage could lead to people marrying dogs, tables or clocks. She later apologized and a campaign spokesman said Kleefisch now considers same-sex marriage settled law.
Nicholson said the only flags he would fly over the Capitol are the U.S. flag, the Wisconsin flag and the flag honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
He said he did not want the courts to revisit the legality of same-sex marriage.
“The American people have made clear their view on this, that they believe that it should be legal,” he said.
Also running in the Aug. 9 Republican primary are businessman Tim Michels and state Rep. Tim Ramthun of Campbellsport.
Ramthun did not respond to questions about the LGBTQ flag and same-sex marriage. Michels issued a statement that disparaged Evers but did not explain his own views on those issues.
"Tony Evers is more interested in flags than he is in solving any of the problems of his creation," Michels said in his statement.
Michels lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2004. During that campaign, he called for amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage and said people should not have "gay values" imposed on them.
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Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2006 that banned same-sex marriage. A federal judge overturned the ban in 2014 and the U.S. Supreme Court in a separate case a year later established a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.
Supporters of that ruling have become worried the high court could reverse itself on the issue after a draft opinion leaked this spring showing a majority was ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1972 decision that found a constitutional right to abortion.
Kleefisch drew criticism during her run for lieutenant governor in 2010 when she made her comment about inanimate objects and dogs.
"At what point are we going to OK marrying inanimate objects?” she said on a Christian radio station. “Can I marry this table or this, you know, clock? Can we marry dogs? This is ridiculous. Biblically, again I'm going to go right back to my fundamental Christian beliefs, marriage is between one man and one woman.
She later apologized for using a "poor choice of words."
She now considers the debate over same-sex marriage over, according to campaign spokesman Alec Zimmerman.
"Rebecca believes in the legalization of same-sex marriages and agrees with President (Donald) Trump that it's settled law no longer up for discussion. Like millions of Americans — and even Democrats like Joe Biden and Barack Obama — she has moved on from this debate,” Zimmerman said in a written statement.
That doesn't mean she would fly the rainbow flag over the Capitol.
"Rebecca will not use flags over the Capitol as political props," Zimmerman’s statement said.
Evers on Wednesday said he was concerned a Republican governor would stop flying the LGBTQ flag over the Capitol and would take actions that would hurt that community.
"There's lots of Republican legislators at this point in time that are spending time ... looking at the books and other materials that are in schools," he said. "And you can be damn sure that after they come out, they're going to be putting themselves in charge of banning books in the state of Wisconsin. And you can be damn sure some of that's going to be directly related to LGBTQ community efforts."
Evers said in 2019 he was placing the rainbow flag over the Capitol for Pride Month to send a "clear and unequivocal message that Wisconsin is a welcoming and inclusive place."
His decision was met with opposition from some.
"When we begin to hoist flags up for different philosophies or different attitudes or beliefs, it's inherently divisive," state Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, said at the time.
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers raises LGBTQ flag for Pride Month, but tradition could end
