A London council has been threatened with legal action after hanging trans-inclusive Pride flags around Regent Street from this weekend.
Group Christian Concern says Westminster Council is ‘indoctrinating’ visitors to the famous West End location and breaching planning control.
The Crown Estate, which owns most of the property on Regent Street, lodged plans in March to hoist hundreds of flags in 20 locations between mid-June and mid-July to support Pride events.
But after being permitted by Westminster Council in mid-May, Christian Concern says the council is opening itself up to potential legal action.
In recent years, the display has included over 300 LGBTQI+ Progress Pride flags, developed in 2018 by non-binary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar.
Based on the iconic rainbow flag from 1978, the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community and calls for a more inclusive society, celebrating trans, black and brown, gender non-binary and intersex community members.
But hardline Christians say the flags, which on June 22 will replace Union Jacks currently flying to mark VE Day, create division by excluding more traditional views.
Christian Concern has previously made the point to the council that the Cass Review prohibits the indoctrination and confusion of primary school children with trans ideologies.
But the group claims: ‘The flags do just that, exposing the hundreds of thousands of children who walk up and down Regent Street, including those who visit Hamleys, to a message and symbols which will be unlawful to teach and display in schools.’
Last year, Christian Concern launched a petition signed by 31,000 people calling for a similar display to be stopped.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: ‘Many people experience these flags as an attack on historic, traditional beliefs about sex and gender.
‘They send the message that people holding these views, which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, are not welcome.
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‘The majority of the public does not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag. At the heart of the flag is the trans flag – pink for girls, blue for boys and white for the ‘transition’ phase.
‘This ideology has been discredited by the Cass Review, the closure of the Tavistock, and most recently Supreme Court ruling. When will the Crown estate catch up with the rest of society?
‘If the council chooses to proceed with the display, we will have no option but to pursue legal action.’
The proposed flags will be hung from supporting wires, making use of existing fixing points which are intended for reuse.
In the planning report, Westminster planning officer Shaun Retzback noted that the flags would be hung at 20 locations along the street running from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly from June 22 until July 17.
He said: ‘Flags are, in principle, an acceptable, colourful addition to Regent Street’s buildings and there is a longstanding tradition of such displays.
‘The flags proposed, to be strung on lines across the street, are not harmful to visual amenity for the temporary period sought, neither are they harmful when considered cumulatively with other flags and banners displayed on buildings in the street at present and across the street from time to time.’
A Westminster City Council spokesperson told Metro: ‘The council supports festivals and celebrations from our different communities across the year. Pride is an annual and established fixture and has been supported by the Council for many years.
‘Pride flags are in keeping with a cosmopolitan City that welcomes millions of visitors every year. All public community celebrations have a fixed duration and are both proportionate and fitting. Given similar pronouncements in previous years we await further information about the Christian Legal Centre’s legal challenge with interest.’
Metro contacted the Crown Estate.
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