Row brews over plans to fly gay flag above York's Mansion House (From York Press)

Row brews over plans to fly gay flag above York's Mansion House

1:48pm Thursday 12th July 2012 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

A ROW is brewing over plans to fly the ‘gay’ flag above York’s Mansion House.

Labour councillor Neil Barnes is proposing at a council meeting tonight that the Rainbow flag should be flown on the day of York’s Gay Pride march and party on Saturday July 21. It also calls for York’s MPs to back Government plans to allow for gay marriages.

But a Tory councillor, Chris Steward, has tabled an amendment to block the proposals. However, he insisted that this was not an anti-gay move and said the Conservatives supported the Gay Pride event.

He said he would equally oppose the flying of other flags at the Mansion House, including the White Rose flag on Yorkshire Day.

Coun Barnes said he was ‘disappointed’ by the amendment, which he believed was ‘opposition for opposition’s sake.’

Dan Sidley, Chair of York Pride, which has campaigned to have the rainbow flag flying at the Mansion House to coincide with the York Pride event, said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ by the amendment.

“York Pride believes that this amendment would serve to reinforce the concern that local gay people feel about being second-class citizens,”he said.