Q: "If Mountain View takes a stand on inclusive and progressive values, won't that mean it has to ALSO support divisive, hateful speech?"

A: No.

It's a show of support that says "Even if some in society would work to marginalize you, we still got your back"

+1. Thanks MV

Equality works both ways, so, like everyone else, gays should accept the city, state and country flag as their flag.

We would expect Mountain View to be supportive of gays, but we don't need a flag on a public building to prove it.

All this really shows is that someone on the council is gay and wants to pressure the others to let him fly his rainbow flag. Thank you, John Inks, for trying to keep things in proper perspective.

I'm pro-LGBT, my niece is gay and I have several really close gay friends. And I love the progress society has made recently in this regard.

But we don't need to fly a flag about it, let's focus now on other issues. I'd like to see some investigative reporting on the % of LGBT vs the % of homeless, or the % of LGBT vs the % of teachers salaries being an issue.

Enough already, let's move on and focus on economic issues that affect EVEryONE as opposed to some social issues that affect a VERY small minority

As the parent of a gay young adult daughter, I appreciate that she and her girlfriend and LGBTQ friends will have this visible sign that Mountain View welcomes them. Thank you.

Hey, Sarah--

Hopefully you have a rainbow flag on your house, too. I am sure your daughter and her friends would appreciate this visible sign of welcome coming from her own family rather than the city hall.

The gift of having a child who happens to be gay is that we don't just accept her; we love her. She and her friends have a place in our hearts and in our home. However, LGBT persons are sometimes not even tolerated by their communities. In 2015, the U.S. saw a record number of LGBT homicides. (Huffington Post) Termination of an employee based on sexual orientation remains legal in 31 American States. (American Psychological Association) Most concerning for our county, (given its high rate of teen suicide) is the fact that LGB youth are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide as their straight peers. (CDC) Flying of the flag will let all youth know that Mountain View accepts and welcomes who they are.