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Row breaks out over gay flag ban.

Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
Tuesday 18 January, 2005 13:41 | More from this date | Today's headlines

Ken Livingston has slammed a council decision to force the removal of gay pride flags in London's Soho, warning that a "key element" of the area could be lost if they are not returned.

In a letter to Westminster Council, the mayor says that the decision to force the removal of the rainbow flags was "deeply offensive". The removal began over the Christmas period, after Westminster council said those bars, clubs and shops wishing to fly the Freedom flag would need planning permission. According to press reports, the council also claimed that the flags were being used as advertising by some venues. However, Livingston said that the flags were necessary to show pride and identity in Soho, which is home to a large concentration of the capital's gay venues.
"It is remarkable that Westminster City Council has decided to attack a key element of the cultural identity of Soho, the heart of London's gay community, a major entertainment zone and a key area for gay business," he wrote. "I am astounded that a flag designed almost 30 years ago as a symbol of lesbian and gay community pride, as an optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol, is to be removed as it is deemed to be advertising. "

So far, the flag has been removed from a number of gay bars in Soho. Other flags have also been taken down. A spokesperson for Westminster council told the BBC that the issue was a structural one. "Placing a flag pole on the exterior of a building is a structural change that the establishment would need planning permission to make," she said. However Livingston said he wanted to see the flags "restored to their rightful place as soon as possible".