A woman in Brevard County, Florida received a surprising email from her HOA at Rockledge’s Ashwood Lakes community. The message was requesting that she remove the Pride rainbow flag that had been flying in front of her home for over two years.
Jenifer Raymond shared with WFTV 9 Orlando that her landlord received an email from a member of the neighborhood’s architectural review committee that only American, state, or military flags are allowed to be flown.
Raymond told WFTV:
It's a symbol of acceptance, tolerance and equality. They're saying it's offensive. To me, that's like saying I'm offensive because I exist.
Based on the community bylaws, the flag was deemed offensive and detrimental to the subdivision it also read the following:
Allowing the flag to be flown is setting a precedence for other homeowners to fly other offensive flags — for example, the Confederate flag.
Meanwhile, other flags were found in the neighborhood which included one that displayed a flower, a Florida Gators flag, and a Thin Blue Line flag in support of law enforcement. Did these residents also receive this email? If flags are not specifically limited in the HOA bylaws, this could definitely be considered discrimination.
After the incident gained some statewide attention, Raymond received an apology from the HOA and stated that she can fly the rainbow flag for as long as she chooses.
According to WFTV, Robert Kelso, Vice President of the HOA, sent Raymond an email that read:
I thank you for contacting me this afternoon, as I and the rest of the Ashwood Lakes Homeowners Association, were unaware of the erroneous assertions of one of our ARC committee members. Board members contacted the property owner and his tenants to inform them that the rainbow flag is both acceptable to the board and welcome in Ashwood Lakes. Appropriate steps are underway to prevent a similar recurrence in the future.
What utter nonsense.This
What utter nonsense.This "homeowner" should be branded a homophobic bigot. Flying a flag or other banner is offensive only if what it depicts or represents is known to be offensive.
Strangely enough, the emblem of the most maniacally non-violent religion, Jainism, includes an ancient use of the swastika, so that might need an explanatory addition.
People who march under the flags of two enemies of the USA, the Confederacy and Nazi Germany, should be granted their implied wish to be no longer citizens of the USA. Any state that wishes to fly the flag of the Confederacy might reasonably be permitted to do so on condition that it be at 'half mast', just under the flag of the USA. That is the ancient way of signifying defeat. The customary use of this convention in mourning is frequently done wrongly. It does not actually mean half way up the flagpole. It means one flag width and space from the top, below the invisible flag of Death.