Christianity Is Not Merely Another Identity
The Supreme Court recently held that the city of Boston violated a Christian organization’s rights under the free speech clause of the First Amendment. Boston had rejected the organization’s application to fly a “Christian flag” on a flagpole in front of city hall. The Court held that the refusal amounted to unlawful “viewpoint discrimination” because the city allowed other private groups to raise their own flags. Put briefly, the facts of the case, Shurtleff v. City of Boston, are as follows. Boston runs a program in which community groups may apply to fly a flag of their choice on one of the three flag poles in front of city hall. The purpose of the program is to “commemorate flags from many … communities,” to “create an environment in the City where everyone feels included, and is treated with respect,” and to “foster diversity and build and strengthen connections among Boston’s many communities.”
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