NO GO: Space Needle will NOT be Flying Pride Flag this Year!

After the Space Needle made waves by flying a gay pride flag for the first time last year, it has announced the rainbow flag will not make a reappearance for this month’s gay-pride festivities.

“(We) are not flying the flag this year,” Space Needle spokeswoman Mary Bacarella said in a statement Friday.

“We don’t make a habit of flying flags on top of the Space Needle and we make an effort not to fly any flags on a recurring basis,” she said.

Bacarella said the Space Needle is giving the flag to the group, Seattle Out & Proud, which will be marching with it this year.

“Though we are not flying the flag this year, the photos of it flying last year continue to be a source of pride for everyone in our community,” she said. ” We are also working with Seattle Out and Proud on a major fundraiser to benefit the LGBT community.”

The decision has upset many gay-rights advocates, who celebrated the needle’s decision to hoist a giant pride flag during last year’s gay-pride parade and parties. There’s now a change.org petition to lobby the company to change its mind.

“It brought hope,” LGBT advocate Joe Mirabella wrote on his blog, of seeing the rainbow fluttering atop Seattle’s most prominent symbol.
I strongly believe, the Space Needle just needs to hear how important it is for us to see the Pride flag on the Space Needle,” Mirabella wrote.