Separate the hate from the reasonable, and this petition might not seem so ass backwards.

They're adding a few reasonable sounding points to their argument to make the whole thing sound like a rational proposal.

only national, provincial, and municipal flags should be flown at municipal facilities or flagpoles

I know this is pretty off-topic, but I found this part funny when one of my municipal Councillors proposed a similar bylaw (which thankfully failed). In Canada, municipal governments are creatures of the province, and the provinces have entered into confederation. By their logic, we shouldn't be flying Canadian flags as the country has no direct relation to the municipality.

You are falling exactly into their snare.

It's a "mostly reasonable" petition that will get "mostly reasonable" people to support it. In fact, it is a direct, deliberate, methodical attack on the LGBTQ2+ community, and aimed at making them feel unsafe.

If we were going to call this reasonable and ban all religious iconography from the government, then we shouldn't be allowed to sing God Save the King or O Canada on government property. ("God keep our land/Glorious and Free" since 1980).

This is absolutely hate-based, make no mistake.

commercial entities

Here in India, our police barracades have the names of banks on them. Its advertising revenue, but to me it looks like "the police are brought to you by..."

But, really, economic capture means its the same thing

Very well said. I'm saving this one because I'll never do better with my own brain.

But social movements? They stay. I WANT my local, provincial, and federal governments to show support for marginalized groups. That includes our LGBTQ, indigenous, disabled, visible minorities, etc.

This is how you end up with thin blue line flags and other dog whistle neo Nazi flags hanging at the court house.

Because, many will argue, the white male is now a minority thats being oppressed...