A Texas judge said she was forced to remove a rainbow pride flag displayed in her courtroom after a local defense lawyer filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Flavio Hernandez, who confirmed that he filed complaints against Gonzalez with both the Bexar County Court and the state commission in August, said he was"grieved" when"confronted by a rainbow flag prominently displayed" in her courtroom and could not"in good conscience" submit himself or his clients"to the implied authority of this unofficial flag symbolizing the Judge's personal bias.
The rainbow flag has been a universal symbol of LGBTQ pride, equality and inclusion since June 1978, when it madeThe commission ruled in Hernandez's favor last month, according to Gonzalez, but she sent the agency a letter of appeal Friday. She told NBC News that Hernandez's complaint and the commission's decision in his favor are"homophobia in its most transparent, clear definition.
In an unrelated decision issued last month, which is available on its website, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct ruled that Gonzalez should be"publicly admonished and ordered to obtain additional education" for posts she made on her judicial Facebook page congratulating attorneys for verdicts made in her court.
I'm all for her keeping the pride flag or any other personal items in chambers. In the court room only stuff that belongs in the court room should be there. Nothing personal belongs there because justice isn't personal. I would feel the same way if it was a Mickey Mouse flag.
Courtroom isn't a place for your sexual preference. Enough is enough already.