Homosexual Agenda

Citizens', Christian Policeman's Protests Lead to Removal of 'Diversity' Bumper Stickers

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By Fred Jackson, Allie Martin, and Jody Brown

January 3, 2001

(AgapePress) - What began with letters of protest from concerned citizens, and culminated with a protest by a veteran police officer, has resulted in a Michigan city reversing its decision to display its new logo on city vehicles. The logo features a six-color rainbow -- an exact reproduction of the official "gay pride" flag.

Last month, officials in Traverse City, Michigan, approved a plan to place stickers showing the new city logo on all city vehicles. That decision prompted complaints from concerned citizens, including Dave Leach, a 30-year veteran of the Traverse City Police Department. Yesterday, he publicly protested the order that all city vehicles display the logo. In an interview with a local Christian radio station, Leach said that driving a police car with a homosexual symbol on it violated his religious convictions. Leach says he realized his open objection may put his job or city pension at risk, but he decided to speak out not only for himself but for other city employees as well who share his views.

At a city commission meeting last night -- and upon the recommendation of the city attorney -- it was announced that the bumper-sticker logos will be removed. According to The Record-Eagle in Traverse City, almost 100 people attended the meeting -- some for and some against the bumper stickers. City Attorney W. Peter Doren stated while placement of the stickers did not "themselves violate any rights," affixing them to city property effectively made that property a "public forum" representing only one group of people. According to Doren, that would make it difficult to refuse other stickers in the future. The newspaper reports some people cheered and some wept when the final announcement was made.

City officials claim they were not aware that the six-color rainbow has been a recognized symbol of the homosexual community. In fact, Mayor Larry Hardy said he felt he was "kind of conned" when the commission approved the logo. "I was stupid not to know what the symbol [rainbow] stood for," Hardy is quoted as saying.

The Record-Eagle reports the logo was designed by Margaret Dodd, one of the city commissioners, and approved by the Traverse City Human Rights Commission. Dodd claimed last week that use of the rainbow design was intended to endorse "diversity" and was never "...just a gay thing."

But one citizen who spoke out against the stickers did not agree.

"I grew up to believe it took a man and a woman to create life," Jasper Weese, a former city commissioner said. "There was a motive behind [the sticker design], and I can't believe there wasn't."

Gary Glenn is President of the American Family Association of Michigan. He is pleased the city commission decided to reverse their "outrageous adoption of a symbol that represents a radical movement that seeks to discriminate against people of faith and groups like the Boy Scouts." He commended Traverse City residents for responding "in outrage" sufficient enough to cause the commission to re-evaluate their decision just two weeks after it was announced.

Courageous Police Officer
Glenn says Officer Leach is one of those rare individuals who has enough courage to stand up to his superiors and face the risk of persecution in order to make a public witness of his Christian faith. Glenn's organization has called for Traverse City officials to disavow their adoption of the logo featuring the officially recognized flag of "a homosexual political agenda [that] most city employees and residents do not support." Glenn points out that homosexual behavior is a felony violation of Michigan's criminal code, and called it "particularly offensive" that Leach and other law enforcement personnel were being forced to display the flag of the "gay pride" movement.

Leach and his wife have three grown children, one of whom is a police officer herself and is married to a police officer. He is a member of a local non-denominational church, where he has served as a board member and as a home fellowship teacher. Leach is only five months from retirement.