Colorado temporarily suspended a program that allows people to buy a state flag that has been flown over the Capitol after the state government gave a flag to Gays Against Groomers. 

The program is back up and running after officials made modifications to its website and the form to procure the flag.

Gays Against Groomers describes itself as a nonprofit organization composed of gays and lesbians who “oppose the sexualization, indoctrination, and mutilation of children under the guise of radical ‘LGBTQIA+’ activism.”

Some critics, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, call it a “hate group.”

The Department of Personnel and Administration administers the program. The agency’s executive director, Tony Gherardini, apologized for the “misstep” in a letter Tuesday.

“Regrettably, this request was not appropriately vetted by the Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA), and the Governor’s Office was never made aware of this request,” he wrote. “Furthermore, the Governor never endorsed this request, cause, or organization, and flying a requested honorific flag over the capitol does not constitute any formal support from the Governor or his administration.”

To get a flag, a request can be submitted for a ceremonial Colorado State or United States flag flown at the State Capitol Building. Honorees will receive flown flags folded in the traditional 13-point style accompanied by a certificate of authenticity with an embossed State Seal, signed by Gov. Jared Polis.

The form does not indicate that anyone submitting a request would be vetted before the request is granted.

Gays Against Groomers revealed it had gotten a state flag via X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

“Gays Against Groomers would like to thank Colorado Governor @jaredpolis (@GovofCO) for his public recognition for our hard work in protecting children across the state. It means so much to us. We are just getting started!”

The Gays Against Groomers blasted the administration for suspending the program.

“They said that they didn’t fully vet us and realized later that we were a ‘designated hate group’ by the SPLC and ADL,” the group said. “News flash: Wanting to ensure children grow up without being sterilized or having their body parts cut off is not hateful! We’ll file this as another common Gays Against Groomers [win].”

Polis, who is gay, issued a statement through spokesperson Shelby Wieman.

“Hate has no place in Colorado, and Governor Polis denounces hate in all its forms. Governor Polis is striving to build a Colorado For All, where everyone, no matter who you are, who you love or how you identify can thrive. The governor does not endorse the positions of groups who request honorary flags. The governor was not aware of this request, just as he is not involved in the other flag requests that come through the Department of Personnel and Administration. The administration is taking active internal steps to ensure more vetting is conducted on these types of requests today and in the future.”

It’s not immediately clear how the state would vet organizations that request for a state flag or which criteria it would used to ensure the vetting is neutral.   

On Tuesday, Gays Against Groomers followed up with a statement in response to the governor’s comments.

“We hope that as the state updates their vetting policies, they will be utilizing stakeholder feedback and be inclusive of everybody’s perspectives rather than relying solely on biased information from an organization such as SPLC, who spreads misinformation to line their own pockets and foment hate and violence against people who do not align with their ideological agenda against the safety of children,” the group said. 

In the past year, Gays Against Groomers has been active at the state Capitol, weighing on transgender legislation. Its Colorado chapter co-leader, Rich Guggenheim, who works on plant health for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, is suing a handful of lawmakers over incidents at the legislature in January and March.

Created in 2022, Gays Against Groomers is known for campaigning against “gender-affirming care” — which includes social, psychological or medical interventions for transgender individuals, such as hormone therapy and surgical procedures — for minors. The group has also criticized Drag Queen Story Hour events.

Guggenheim claims his First Amendment rights were violated during two committee hearings on a bill allowing someone to seek a name change to conform with a person’s gender identity and when convicted of a felony. When Guggenheim was ordered to stop “dead-naming” and “mis-gendering” a transgender individual who had sought to have her name legally changed, he refused, and his testimony was cut off.

“Misgendering” refers to assigning the wrong gender to someone, and “deadnaming” means using an individual’s birth name rather than the name the person adopted as part of the gender transition.

The lawmakers, including Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, are seeking a motion to dismiss the lawsuit based on legislative immunity that goes back to a 1951 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The lawsuit also names the sponsors of House Bill 24-1071 and state Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver. Polis signed the bill into law April 19.

The lawsuit was filed in April, but no action has been taken on it since June. The plaintiffs’ attorneys from the Institute for Free Speech did not respond to a request for comment.

The Denver Gazette’s Nicole C. Brambila contributed to this report.

Editor’s note: The headline and lede were clarified to show the program is currently operating.