Reno Mayor Apologizes After Flying Rainbow Flag Over City Hall

The mayor of Reno, Nev., is red-faced following an incident in which a rainbow flag replaced the American flag on the flagpole atop City Hall.

According to Reno television station KTVN, the LGBT Pride flag was supposed to be raised Sunday morning, just under the star-spangled banner, in celebration of a Pride event in downtown Reno. Instead, the rainbow flag was flown all alone — causing alarm among locals.

“I can most certainly see why people would be offended or upset. I did not order that the American flag be taken down. I have asked that the flag be put back immediately!” Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement. “It was certainly not the city's intention to be disrespectful and never should have happened. I will take full responsibility since I represent this city.”

The mayor added, "I too am offended and there is no excuse for this. Those who have served deserve the highest respect for their service. My sincerest apologies!!!"

In addition to the mayor's personal statement, the city issued one apologizing for the incident and claiming that officials had originally intended to fly both flags, one atop the other, for the LGBT Pride event. Like the mayor, other city leaders went out of their way to appease veterans and members of the armed forces:

“The city of Reno honors and respects the men and women who serve our country and we apologize to those we may have offended,” the statement read.

“While we made an error in not flying the American flag along with the pride flag, when we discovered we were not flying both, we immediately returned to flying the American flag. Neither the Mayor nor City Council was aware we were not flying the American flag. The City was proud to participate in pride weekend and will continue to celebrate our diverse community.”