My husband and friends and I raised the Save Women’s Sports flag on the Citizen Flag Pole on Nashua City Hall Plaza on Saturday, October 10, at 10 am, with permission from the City of Nashua. It was supposed to stay up until Friday, October 16.
Related: Flag Raised Over Nashua City Hall To Protect Fairness for Female Sports
Through social media posts and from witnesses at Nashua City Hall Plaza, I discovered that the flag had been removed at 8 am on Sunday, October 11. We were not officially informed of the flag’s removal by the City or offered its return until Monday at 10 AM.
It took another 2 1/2 hours for the City to explain. We were told the flag was removed because the City had received complaints and that people thought that the flag’s message represented the City’s stance on women’s sports. I was told that the flag had to be removed because the City is neutral on that issue.
This morning, my attorney filed an appeal to the removal of our flag, pointing out that the Citizen Flag Pole is a public forum that is open to Nashua citizens to display flags with a variety of views.
Every June, the Pride flag is displayed. A representative of the NH Liberty Alliance has flown the Gadsden flag. My husband and I flew the Lutheran flag on the Citizen Flag Pole to commemorate the Protestant Reformation’s 500th anniversary. Censoring our flag because the city doesn’t want us to share our views about women’s sports while allowing other viewpoints is unconstitutional.
Brenna Connolly, head of the Greater Nashua Young Democrats, appears to have been a leading force in having the flag removed, claiming the flag is “transphobic.” Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess was apparently happy to comply with her demands. Brenna posted about her efforts to have it removed on Facebook and Twitter. Brenna has a history of trying to shut down free speech.
We raised the flag to bring awareness to a fundraiser for the Save Women’s Sports organization. You can learn more about the fundraiser honoring Selina Soule, a young woman who lost a high school track championship competing against two men, at savewomenssports.com/selinas-run.
