On Monday night, Missoula City Council adopted the Pride flag as an official city flag.
It's an effort to side-step a law passed out of the 2025 Montana legislative session that bans state buildings from flying any "flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology."
City councillor Sandra Vasecka opposed the resolution.
"It does choose sides, and we do need to remain neutral as a local governing body," Vasecka said.
The vote passed 9-2 after about two hours of debate and public comment, most of which was from public school teachers like Petrea Torma, who spoke about having to remove her flags following the legislation.
"And I just can't fathom what that felt like to them," Torma said.
Ahead of the meeting, Pride flags lined Missoula's Bear Tracks Bridge to support a "yes" vote on the resolution as passing cars honked their horns in support.
Leah Ore helps run Missoula Resists, the political action group that organized the event.
"Having a symbol like a Pride flag shows them that they are safe, they are loved, and if they are feeling scared or they need extra help, they know who they can go to," Ore said. "I say Pride is suicide prevention. Our Pride flags are suicide prevention."
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