Archive: Around Town

The Lansing Town Board unanimously passed a flag and banner display resolution Wednesday, still in time to honor June as Pride Month.  A flag presented to Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne by Joanne and Deborah Cipolla-Dennis was raised below the American Flag in front of Lansing Town Hall Thursday morning.

"Seeing the Rainbow Flag, a sign of acceptance, love, protection says we care about your experience here.  We notice that you are citizens and that you do need a different kind of leadership and recognition than your heterosexual counterparts," Joanne Cipolla-Dennis told the Town Board before they voted on the resolution.

The resolution restricts flags to be flown to an approved list, and says they must be flown in accordance with United States Code, Title 4.  It limits the number of flags to be flown below the American Flag on the town flagpole to two, flags must be on an approved list, and bans commercial flags from being flown by the Town. The current resolution only applies to the flagpole in front of the Town hall.  A permit must be granted to applicants by the Town Clerk.

"I think there are some flags that are beyond dispute that they meet this standard," said Town Attorney Guy Krogh. "The traditional Pride flag, POW-MIA, Presidential and Vice Presidential US Flags, Marines, Armed Forces, National Parks Flags... there are some that are so widely known and recognized that they would be easy to get a permit for.  There are others you ought to take a look at to make sure you're dealing with something that's actually properly recognized.  That's why the standards are there."

Joanne and Deborah Cipolla-Dennis, both founding members of local LGBTQ advocacy group Finger Lakes PULSE, spoke of the importance of local municipalities supporting their demographic.  Deborah Cipolla-Dennis said she hopes that next year the Town would issue a proclamation recognizing Pride Month as other municipalities have.  On June 5th Tompkins County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson proclaimed June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month.


"I appreciate all the work that you've done to make this happen in a very short period of time before the end of Pride month," Joanne Cipolla-Dennis said. "I know that you have many, many gay, lesbian, and transgender people who live in this town.  It is a great symbol to those who live here, but also to people who come to visit.  A few months ago your community and our whole community lost Jason Seymour.  Tomorrow when you raise this flag I would like you to do it in memory of Jason Seymour.  I really wish that he was here to see this.  It would have made a difference in his life."

Seymour and his husband Jason Hungerford, Lansing residents, were among the plaintiffs in a 2004 lawsuit that led to gay and lesbian marriage rights in Ithaca, after the city refused to issue them marriage licenses.  After a two year court battle the lawsuit was defeated, but the marriage equality bill was passed in 2011 making same-sex marriage legal.

At a working meeting two weeks ago the Town Board discussed the difficulties in allowing some flags but denying others, possibly inviting first amendment lawsuits.  The solution presented in the final resolution was to limit flags permitted on the Town Hall flagpole to an approved list of flags recognized by the US by an act of Congress, Presidential Proclamation, Executive Order, or flags nationally recognized.

Former Lansing representative to the Tompkins County Legislature Pat Pryor spoke in support of the resolution as well, saying that she hoes to see flags from other organizations, as well, fly over the Town Hall in the future.

"One of the things I would like to see, and I think this is a step in that direction, is more of a celebration of the diversity that does exist to some degree in this town," she said. "A lot of people would say this is not a diverse community. I would argue that."

LaVigne said the resolution would give guidance to the Town Clerk, who has the authority to approve flags, and said the protocol needs to be consistent.

Lansing resident Karen Edelstein completed the application Thursday morning, enabling the flag to be raised according to the requirements of approved resolution.

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