Group requests 'Gay Pride Festivus Pole' on state Capitol grounds

A Festivus Pole, made from 16 Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, at the Florida Capitol.
A Festivus Pole, made from 16 Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, at the Florida Capitol.

An out-of-state advocacy organization said Tuesday that it is seeking permission to temporarily place a "Gay Pride Festivus Pole" on state Capitol grounds in Little Rock.

In the application, Chaz Stevens, executive director of The Humanity Fund, based in Boca Raton, Fla., outlined plans for a disco ball 8 inches in diameter atop a 6-foot-tall pole that would be "wrapped in the colors of the rainbow."

The application dated Monday was digitally signed by Stevens and sent to the secretary of state's office.

Information regarding the application's status was not immediately available Tuesday afternoon.

According to temporary display policy, an application can be denied if it is "deemed to be unsafe, of a permanent nature, disruptive to the ordinary course of business for the state Capitol grounds, destructive to the state Capitol grounds or goes beyond the limits of free speech given by the U.S. Constitution."

The state's temporary display policy states that displays can remain on state Capitol grounds for no more than five weeks, including assembly and disassembly.

Temporary displays can be placed north of 7th Street and south of the Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial on Capitol grounds, according to the secretary of state's office.

In accordance with policy, the pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender display would not require power or moving parts.

Stevens said the request is a way to "jubilantly celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriage a constitutional right." More Gay Pride Festivus Poles are planned at state Capitols nationwide, he said.

Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide earlier this year in a U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 ruling.

Information regarding the request was also sent to former Gov. Mike Huckabee, a 2016 Republican presidential contender, according to Stevens' email.

"We'd love for your hometown support, perhaps you'd be kind enough to put in a good word for us," Stevens said in the email, addressing Huckabee.

A majority of Arkansans oppose same-sex marriage, according to annual statewide polling released last month by the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

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