Merced LGBT center asked to take down rainbow flag

Staff at Merced’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center say they’ve taken down a rainbow flag from a flagpole in front of the building after being asked to remove it by the building’s owner.

The center, which has been open since Aug. 31 at 1744 G St., caters to the LGBT community and uses the rainbow flag as a way to let those groups know that the building is a safe place to meet. The flag is recognized internationally as a symbol of gay pride.

Melissa Eisner, a member of the center’s board of directors, said the center recently received a letter from the building’s owner, identified as Northridge resident Dorothy Osman.

In making the request to remove the flag in the letter, the owner said the center should only fly the American or California flags as a way to be fair to other tenants. The letter furthermore stated the center was not allowed to “advertise” by using the flagpole.

“It’s kind of strange because we don’t have a business,” Eisner said.

The lease for the LGBT center doesn’t state it can use the flagpole for the rainbow flag, Eisner admits, but she thought there was an understanding with the management. “When we rented the space, we made it clear to the person who was showing us the space that we wanted to use the flagpole,” she said.

Marissa Chavez, an organizer for the center and president of Merced Full Spectrum, said being visible in Merced is important for the LGBT community and its members need a visible sign the center’s a safe place. “The flag represents a community,” she said. “It’s a huge sign of visibility.”

She said the first three months of the center’s existence have gone well, and the center has largely received positive attention.

The property is owned by Osman and managed locally by Salvadori Property Management of Merced. The building has both office and living spaces, which are rented out, and it sits on the corner of G and 18th streets.

Conchita Flores, who works for the property management company, said the flagpole isn’t part of the building rented by the LGBT Community Center.

Flores said building management was approached by other tenants who were interested in flying their own flags on the pole. The owner and management company both maintain that if the center is allowed to fly the rainbow flag, all of those in the complex would have to be allowed to use the pole to fly their own flags.

Rather than allowing tenants to fly flags of their choosing, the only flags allowed will be the American or California flag, according to Flores.

“I have to make sure that I appease four tenants, not just one,” she said. “So, I have to give the other tenants the right to put their flag up too, or no one has their flag up.”

Flores said company hasn’t received any negative complaints about the center or its flag, but it must be fair to all of the tenants. “This isn’t a discrimination or inequality thing,” she said. “We’re very happy that they’re there.”

The office was once used by a radio station, which used the pole for the state and national flags, Flores said. The owner installed the pole for that purpose.

The LGBT center is allowed to hang its flag in the window, she said, or stick it into the grass in front of the office.

The owner denied any discriminatory stance against members of the LGBT community. “We have nothing against the particular group,” Osman said. “Otherwise, obviously, we wouldn’t have allowed (the group to rent the building), you know. We rented it to them.”

Eisner said the center’s staff hoped to compromise and fly both the rainbow flag and the American or state flags in some combination, but that has been a no-go. “Since there doesn’t seem to be any actual harm in the (rainbow) flag, it does seem that there’s some sort of issue of what the flag is about,” Eisner said.

Nella Van Dyke, a sociology professor at UC Merced, said the rainbow flag is instantly recognizable for members of the LGBT community. The professor specializes in studying social movements, including the LGBT community.

For a segment of the population that has historically seen discrimination, bringing the flag down could send a message that the city is intolerant or unwelcoming. “I think it does mean a lot to have a place in town where it’s clear, ‘We welcome you here,’” she said. “LGBT people face discrimination and sometimes harassment, and not always a friendly reception.”

The center’s staff stressed that although the flag has come down, the doors remain open and it will continue to offer meetings and other services to the community.

This story was originally published December 2, 2014 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Merced LGBT center asked to take down rainbow flag."