Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Antelope Valley Fair Management Takes Down Rainbow Flags To Avoid Endorsing Gay Pride

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

The Antelope Valley Fair wants its fairgoers to "Peel the Love"...but not like that!

The community's onion-themed fair opened yesterday, but right away some fairgoers noticed something was awry.

The management decided to put up some colorful flags around the fair and had opted for rainbow flags.

"It really was an honest mistake," the fair's general manager Dan Jacobs told NBC LA.

It turns out the management didn't know that rainbow flags were associated with the gay pride movement. Jacobs took the issue up with the fair's executive committee, and they decided to take the flags down before they got any more complaints.

"Do I take a stand and say 'I don't believe in this, or whatever?' We said, 'No.' Why don't we just take them all down right now because we've only got a couple calls. No one will know, because we're not trying to make a statement," Jacobs said.

Of course, someone noticed that, too. Lancaster's Outreach center noted it and told NBC LA that taking down the rainbow flags sends a message, too, a poor one.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today