B&NES Council plans to raise a new Pride flag, inclusive of intersex people, from the permanent flagpole on the roof of the Guildhall in Bath.
The roof of the Guildhall in Bath
The planning application says the Guildhall “stands as a symbol of civic pride and represents both the city of Bath and the wider council area”.
It adds: “Like many councils and civic bodies, Bath & North East Somerset Council has a longstanding tradition of flying flags from the Guildhall to mark national unity, local identity, and significant events or visits
“The council has flown the Rainbow flag (commonly known as the Pride flag) for many years to commemorate events such as LGBT+ History Month (February) and Pride Month (June), as a visible demonstration of inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ communities.”
The application says that in recent years, many civic bodies and organisations have adopted the Progress Pride flag.
Designed in 2018, the updated flag incorporates the original Rainbow flag and adds a chevron of black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes to represent historically more marginalised groups within the LGBTQ+ community, including people from black and minority ethnic communities and transgender people, and a purple circle on a yellow background representing intersex individuals.
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects against the discrimination of protected groups, including sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
By flying this flag in line with many other councils and organisations, the council says it will be paying due regard to its Public Sector Equality Duty to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other unlawful conduct prohibited by the Equality Act
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic
- Foster good relations between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic.
People are invited to comment on the application before the deadline of 31st July.
