Wasatch Back residents band together after removal of pride flags

Heber City community members have created a Facebook group in response to new restrictions that resulted in the removal of pride flags from the town’s Main Street.

The Wasatch Back LGBTQIA+ Coalition was started by Heber Valley residents Allison Phillips Belnap and Nicole Robinson, both of whom have long been involved in purchasing and hanging the pride flags.

The page was started on Aug. 20, ​two days after the Heber City Council approved a restriction on what types of banners can be hung on city street posts. Now, the only flags that can be flown are those deemed “non-political” by Heber City, Wasatch County, and the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“I was hurt,” said Robinson, one of the founders of the Wasatch Back LGBTQIA+ Coalition. “I had this idea of humans being good and that the magic of humanity will come through. And maybe it will. But I don’t think it did this time.”​

The founders of the group have not yet defined their goals. For now, they are focused on gathering people who were likewise hurt by the city’s decision.

“Our goal is to come together,” Belnap said, “to increase the effectiveness of individual efforts to support the LGBTQ+ community across the Wasatch Back and to promote and celebrate a rich and diverse community culture.”

The page had about 130 followers as of Friday.

Robinson hopes to form a mission statement for the coalition which she foresees will give the group's members ​more direction.