Did this Pierce County town take down a military flag to put up a Pride flag?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DSHS staff replaced the POW/MIA flag with a Pride flag at the Steilacoom ferry terminal.
- DSHS said it followed the Governor’s Office flag protocol scheduling the Pride flag in.
- Steilacoom town administration had no input or control over flags flown at the DSHS.
The town of Steilacoom was bombarded with emails last week after residents noticed there was a rainbow Pride flag flying where a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag once flew at the Steilacoom ferry terminal to Anderson Island.
Town administrator Paul Loveless told The News Tribune on Monday that the Pride flag was put up by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services last week to commemorate Pride month after Gov. Bob Ferguson hosted a flag-raising event outside the state Capitol in Olympia.
A portion of the Pierce County ferry dock in Steilacoom is leased to DSHS for restricted access to the Special Commitment Center on neighboring McNeil Island, Loveless said. Around last June 3, DSHS staff replaced the black and white POW/MIA flag with a Pride flag, which now hangs below the U.S. flag and the Washington state flag, he said.
“We started getting emails Wednesday night, and they continued well into Thursday,” Loveless said, noting that the town received over 50 angry emails from constituents, some of which were “threatening” and homophobic in nature.
Most emailers were under the impression that the town of Steilacoom made the decision to flag the Pride flag and saw the move as “bowing to political pressure,” “extremely disrespectful,” “a tragedy” and as representative of “divisive agendas that tear down the nuclear family and promote gender confusion and the transitioning of children,” according to emails Loveless read aloud to The News Tribune.
“DSHS is following the flag protocol issued by the Governor’s Office for June and has implemented the guidance accordingly. This protocol has been consistent with previous years, and we are observing it again this year,” DSHS spokesperson Cynthia Shipley told The News Tribune on Monday evening.
The flag schedule for June and the beginning of July is as follows, Shipley said. Flags are replaced at the end of the business day:
- June 1: POW/MIA flag comes down after Memorial Day
- June 3-June 12: Pride flag is flown below U.S. flag and state flag
- June 12-June 15: Pride flag is replaced with POW/MIA flag for observance of Flag Day
- June 15-June 22: POW/MIA flag is replaced with Juneteenth flag
- June 22-June 30: Juneteenth flag is replaced with Pride flag
- July 1-July 5: Pride flag is replaced with 250th Commemorative flag
- July 6: Return to flying POW/MIA flag
In a weekly update sent to residents Friday, Loveless said the town flies the U.S., Washington State and POW flags “24/7/365.”
“Town Administration had no input into the decision nor ability to control what they fly at their facility,” he wrote. “Please direct any further questions or comments to your State elected officials.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
