SOURCE: Wire
Another day, another culture clash over who gets to fly what — and where — in small-town America.
This time it’s Northport, Long Island, where Pride flags and veterans’ tribute banners ended up in an uncomfortable tug-of-war over lamppost real estate. What started as a feel-good seasonal display quickly spiraled into accusations, complaints, and a municipal cleanup operation that satisfied no one.
Village officials ultimately removed several Pride flags after concerns were raised by the local American Legion post, which objected to the flags being placed above “Hometown Heroes” banners honoring military veterans.
MASSIVE CONTROVERSY UNFOLDING IN LONG ISLAND
Some Pride flags were REMOVED from a park in Northport after a veteran organization sent a letter to the village mayor expressing that Pride flags should NOT be flown above US flags at the spots in the park that honor veterans.
LGBTQ… pic.twitter.com/mJyJYt6owN
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Mayor Donna Koch defended the decision, insisting the move was not about ideology but about placement and respect. “I had the Pride flags removed. It had nothing to do with my feelings about the Pride community. I support them 100%. I also support our veterans,” she said.
But that explanation didn’t exactly cool tensions. American Legion Commander William McKenna made clear the objection wasn’t to Pride flags themselves, but to what he saw as a hierarchy problem — literally.
“They were putting the pride banners above my veterans, and that does not work, sorry,” he said. He went further, warning: “If you put a pride flag by one of my veterans, I’m taking every one of them down.”
In a letter to the mayor and village board, McKenna framed the issue as one of respect rather than exclusion, arguing that veterans and their families felt overshadowed. The concern, he wrote, “is not at the pride flags themselves… rather, many veterans and families feel that placing another banner above the veterans’ banners diminishes the recognition and prominence that was originally intended for those who served our country.”
Predictably, PrideFest organizers were not impressed. Jeff Cusick, treasurer for Northport Pridefest, called the situation “very offensive,” arguing the conflict was less about logistics and more about messaging. He said the Hometown Heroes program had been granted use of the lamp posts for months at a time, leaving little room for other community displays. In his view, the removal amounted to selective enforcement dressed up as tradition. “We believe it’s a point to leverage patriotism for discrimination against us,” Cusick said.
Others in the community took a simpler view — and not necessarily a diplomatic one. One resident, Angel Deleva, said Pride flags “should not be above our veterans because they risked their lives for us,” reflecting a sentiment echoed by others who view military service as inherently deserving of top billing in public symbolism.
Another veteran, Bruce Adams, struck a more measured tone, saying he had no issue with Pride flags personally but still bristled at the visual hierarchy. “The American flag should be superior to all other items. I looked up and saw my lamp post bare,” he said.
In the end, officials opted for separation: Pride flags and veterans’ banners will no longer share the same poles. Pride organizers reportedly plan to relocate their flags to Village Hall flagpoles during a council meeting, with the village agreeing to cover hardware costs.
So the compromise is in — at least on paper. But as anyone familiar with these symbolic skirmishes knows, the real dispute isn’t about lampposts or brackets. It’s about what gets publicly elevated, what gets visually prioritized, and who decides.
