House Dems Respond To Lawsuit Over Hallway Display Of Rainbow Pride Flags

A state worker unfurls a rainbow flag in front of the Washington state Capitol to prepare it to be raised and then lowered to half-staff to mark last weekend's mass shooting at a central Florida nightclub, Wednesday,... A state worker unfurls a rainbow flag in front of the Washington state Capitol to prepare it to be raised and then lowered to half-staff to mark last weekend's mass shooting at a central Florida nightclub, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Olympia, Wash. Gov. Jay Inslee and members from the LGBT community later raised the flag in honor of Gay Pride month, before it was lowered. A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside Pulse, a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday, leaving at least 49 people dead in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) MORE LESS
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Democratic members of the House responded on Wednesday to an anti-marriage equality lawyer who filed a lawsuit against them for displaying rainbow flags in the hallways outside their offices on Capitol Hill.

Chris Sevier, an attorney who unsuccessfully argued that he should be able to marry his “porn-filled” laptop under marriage equality, filed the lawsuit against Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Susan Davis (D-CA) and Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) in March.

Sevier argued in the complaint that “‘homosexuality’ and other forms of self-asserted sex-based identity narratives are a ‘religion'” and that the flags symbolized the “homosexual denomination.”

“The time, place, and manner of the installation of the Gay Pride Rainbow Colored Flags is unconstitutional,” Sevier alleged.

He sought $1 in damages and the forced removal of the flags from outside the members’ offices.

“I will fight this hateful attempt to silence equality and justice. We have come too far to allow the voices of bigotry and hate to win,” Lowenthal responded on Facebook on Wednesday.

“Nothing is going to stop me from fighting for equality, justice, and peace,” Blumenthal responded in a post.

“Our LGBT pride flag isn’t going anywhere. Of all the pictures and displays in my office, it draws the most consistent appreciation from constituents who visit us in DC,” Beyer said in a statement to TPM. “It is a symbol of the values we hold dear: acceptance and celebration of diversity, the fight for equality, and love. We will continue to display it proudly.”

Davis said in a statement Wednesday that the flag is “a source of pride for me and my constituents.”

“Be assured that hateful lawsuits are not going to stop me from celebrating our nation’s diversity,” she said. “It’s disheartening that in this day and age this is still an issue.”

This post has been updated.

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