Despite strong opposition at a three hour-long Committee of the Whole meeting, the Arlington Heights Village Board voted not to change a policy stopping the Arlington Heights Village Hall from flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

The controversy stems from Ordinance No. 2021-25, which permits only four flags to be flown on village-owned property: the American flag, the Illinois flag, the Arlington Heights flag and the flag of the National League of POW/MIA. This prohibits the Village Hall from flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag in June, despite the fact that Arlington Heights officially celebrates Pride Month and pride flags are flown around the state, including at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, the Des Plaines City Hall and the Illinois Capitol Building itself.

This ordinance was contested at an Aug. 25 meeting, where supporters of change included high-profile figures like Wheeling Township Trustee Austin Major, former Illinois senator Ann Gillespie, Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison and more.

One of the first people to take the stand for public comment about the policy was Janet McCarthy, founder of local LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit Glen’s Friends. According to its website, Glen’s Friends, named after McCarthy’s late brother, seeks to “nurture a world where all can love and be loved.” They host a boutique giving away free gender-affirming clothes and partner with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library to hold a monthly group for caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth. 

“Through our work and impact with Glen’s Friends, we have had the pleasure of hearing directly from members of the LGBT community right here in Arlington Heights regarding what the pride flag means to them,” McCarthy said. 

Glen’s Friends had earlier sent an email on their email list urging supporters to attend the meeting decked out in pride gear. Some milled about in the audience, one with a skirt, one with a flower necklace and one with a rainbow flag draped over their shoulders. 

“We thank you, Mayor Tinaglia and members of the Village Board, for your ongoing June proclamation in recognition of LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” she continued. “Now let’s complete the declaration and fly the pride flag each and every June.”

The FBI 2024 Crime Statistics Report revealed that anti-LGBTQ hate crimes have remained high even among decreasing violent crime rates overall. A June 2025 GLAAD study corroborated the trend, reporting incidents against transgender people specifically rose this year by 14 percent. Major, one of three openly LGBTQ elected officials serving Arlington Heights, was one of several who called on the Board to take a stand for LGBTQ+ rights in an increasingly dangerous time. 

He described the “terrifying” “fear, hatred and sometimes violence” the LGBTQ+ community faces and said “I’ll be honest. I, like many other folks in the LGBTQ community, [am] scared right now.” 

“The LGBTQ+ community is under attack, and when you’re under attack, I believe one of the best places to find comfort and solace is home with family and friends,” Major said. “And I’m very proud to call Arlington Heights my home.”

Still others argued flying the pride flag every June would give Arlington Heights a much-needed reputation boost. Former Illinois senator Ann Gillespie, who retired just last year, described other state senators being surprised that she would support affordable housing and Medicaid as an Arlington Heights resident.

“What I learned [in the senate] is that there is a perception out there, across the state, that Arlington Heights is a parochial-with-a-small-p community that does not welcome outsiders, that is a relic of something that people maybe thought was in our past,” she said. “It’s not who we are, but that’s a perception that’s out there, and one of the ways that you can fix that is by making sure that our deeds match our words.”

Some reminded the Board that Arlington Heights’ reputation could be especially important, considering the impending Bears stadium complex move.

“People are watching what Arlington Heights does with the Bears coming here soon,” said community member Daniel Crusius, maintaining that prospective businesses would be more attracted to the area if it was openly LGBTQ-friendly. “The entire Chicagoland area and beyond is watching what Arlington Heights does. They want to be in this. By flying the pride flag in Arlington Heights, we will show that we are good neighbors and will set a positive example of welcoming one another.”

However, notable opposition soon arrived in the form of former mayor Tom Hayes, who introduced the four-flag policy and was mayor as recently as May, when he stepped down, the town’s longest-serving elected official. In 2021, the same year he introduced the policy, Hayes issued a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month.

“I don’t want to rehash the arguments that I made when I proposed the flag ordinance three years ago … It wasn’t anything discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community or any other special interest group,” Hayes said. “Those flagpoles [at the Village Hall] are different. Those stand for the thoughts and beliefs of 77,000 people in the village of Arlington Heights, not just the LGBTQ+ community or any other special interest group. So those flagpoles should represent the beliefs and values of everyone in Arlington Heights, not just special interest groups. And that’s why I proposed that ordinance that [said] we only fly those specific flags, and we really only need one flag.” 

Here, he pointed at the American flag in the corner of the room. “And that’s Old Glory.”

Ultimately, the Village Board narrowly passed a 5-4 motion keeping the flag ordinance as is. 

“We [Glen’s Friends] were VERY hopeful, with ALL of the AH LGBTQ+ support that we receive and the overwhelming number of flags flying throughout the village that the ordinance would reflect this and be revised to raise the Pride Flag in June 2025 (for the very first time)…and each and every June thereafter,” wrote McCarthy in an email to KnightMedia. “Flying the Pride Flag is the will of the people and unfortunately the script was flipped and the argument to not raise the flag became an unwarranted legal issue.” 

She maintained that Glen’s Friends would “continue to flip the script back to LOVE” and continue “our pursuit to compel AH to do the right thing, be an example for the NW suburbs and fly the Pride Flag.” 

Said McCarthy: “We are so very proud of our state and our hope is that these efforts will lead to positive change in our villages.”