Woke Boise mayor tears up after city is forced to take down Pride flag on 'Transgender Day of Visibility'

Drag queens and transgender-identifying persons had a sad day at the Capitol in Boise after Idaho state officials forced them to take down a Pride flag on the Transgender Day of Visibility.

Mayor Lauren McLean choked up as she read a proclamation Tuesday regarding the trans day in front of about 60 people at a special City Council meeting.

'Let me be clear: Boise's values have not changed, and they are not defined by any single action taken at the Statehouse.'

The removal of the LGBTQ flag from city hall marked the end of a bitter feud between state and local officials.

"Many people in this state and around this country are seeking to divide us. They're seeking to divide us by targeting the most vulnerable among us," the liberal mayor said. "I want the people in this room to know that I see you. We see you. You are wanted, important, and unique members of our community."

Among the attendees were Preston Pace, the co-founder of the transgender advocacy group Trans Joy Boise; Trans Affirm founder Arya Shae; and the members of the city council.

They were also angry that Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little chose that day to sign into law a bill that would protect women and girls by prohibiting people from using bathrooms of the opposite gender in government-owned buildings and places of public accommodation.

McLean previously refused to follow the state edict against the flag but relented after officials passed a law saying violations would incur a $2,000 fine per day.

"Because the law includes a substantial penalty — one that would ultimately fall on the taxpayers of Boise to shoulder — I decided to take down the city's official Pride flag," reads a statement from McLean. "But let me be clear: Boise's values have not changed, and they are not defined by any single action taken at the Statehouse."

At a rally in front of the Capitol, a gender-queer folk singer played music and a drag queen performed in honor of the Transgender Day of Visibility.

Idaho state Rep. Ted Hill, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said it was a direct response to McLean refusing to take down the flag.

A Blaze News request for comment from the Idaho Attorney General's Office was not immediately returned.

RELATED: Leftist mayor ignores deep-red state law, flies racial LGBTQ flag

McLean said the city officials are reviewing their options to fight the law and erect their Pride flag once again, but the Idaho Statesman reported that a legal analyst said the law was likely valid.

In the evening, officials lit up the city hall in the colors of the transgender flag.

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