Trouble is on the wind in Harvey Milk Plaza this week: Noted LGBT activist Michael Petrelis brings word that the Merchants of Upper Market/Castro group won't be flying the Empire State's flag during a demonstration scheduled to honor that state's gay marriage legislation this weekend. After the merchants group unanimously approved the blogger/activist's request to fly an official New York State flag sent from openly gay state Senator Tom Duane, they apparently neglected to check the flagpole to make sure the East Coast flag was compatible with the Castro's hardware. Which it turns out it isn't. That oversight might seem trival, but Petrelis rightly puts the situation in perspective:

If New York's extremely dysfunctional state government can legalize gay marriage, it should be a piece of cake for gays in the Castro to simply fly an Empire State flag at the public plaza named for the man from Woodmere, New York - Harvey Milk.

He goes on:

Regrettably, I am abandoning plans for a noon action at Milk Plaza on Saturday because of myriad unnecessary barriers erected by [MUMC President Steve] Adams and MUMC. If they change their minds and attitude, and want to work together to honor New York starting gay marriages this weekend, I remain open to that slim possibility.

You'll remember this isn't the first flap between Petrelis and the MUMC over the privately-controlled flag: he previously took the neighborhood merchants group to task when they refused to lower the rainbow flag after Liz Taylor's death.

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[Petrelis]