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Across Ireland and much of the Western world, publicly funded institutions increasingly display the colours, symbols and flags of particular social causes.
Universities provide some of the most visible examples, with many displaying the Pride flag throughout the year on buildings, websites and official communications. Similar practices can be found in local councils, government agencies, public broadcasters, schools and other bodies funded by taxpayers.
The intention seems to be good. Institutions wish to signal that certain groups are welcome, that discrimination is unacceptable, and that everyone should feel able to participate fully in public life. Few would object to those goals. Yet questioning whether a publicly funded institution should display such symbols is often treated as evidence of hostility towards the groups being represented.
This confuses two very different questions. One concerns the equal dignity and rights of individuals. The other concerns whether public institutions should endorse particular identities, causes or movements through official symbols.
Although this article focuses primarily on universities, the principle applies far more broadly.
The question is not whether a particular cause is worthy. The question is whether publicly funded institutions should act as advocates for any cause at all or remain neutral.
WHY THIS FLAG AND NOT OTHERS?
Once that distinction is made, a more interesting question emerges. Why this flag and not others? If a university chooses to display a Pride flag because LGBT individuals have historically faced discrimination, should it also display symbols supporting religious minorities, disability rights, autism awareness, men’s mental health, veterans, ethnic communities or victims of particular international conflicts? Most of these groups could present compelling arguments for greater visibility and recognition. Many have experienced prejudice, exclusion or hardship. Yet no institution can represent every worthy cause.
The moment an institution chooses one cause for official recognition, it must explain why that cause deserves recognition while others do not.
The response is often that Pride is not political but merely a statement of inclusion. Yet whether something is political is itself a matter of interpretation. Many people regard the Pride flag as a symbol of equal rights and human dignity. Others see it as representing a broader movement that includes contested positions on gender identity, language, education and public policy. Similarly, some view the Ukrainian flag as a humanitarian symbol, while others regard it as a political statement.
Religious symbols are seen by some as expressions of faith and by others as political declarations. There is no neutral referee capable of determining which symbols are political and which are not. The real question is not whether a symbol is political, but who gets to decide which symbols deserve official endorsement.
In practice, these decisions are usually made by a relatively small number of administrators, committees or senior managers. A public institution serving thousands—or in some cases millions—of people may decide that a particular cause deserves institutional support without ever consulting the wider community. There is rarely a vote. There is often little public discussion.
A handful of people simply decide which values the institution will publicly celebrate. Even if a majority were consulted, however, a further question arises: why should the majority have the authority to impose symbolic endorsements on the minority?
The assumption that any flag can represent a unified community is itself questionable. Consider the LGBT community. It is frequently described as though it were a single political constituency with common beliefs and interests. In reality, it contains enormous diversity and disagreement.
Many lesbians, gay men, bisexual people and transgender individuals disagree on issues ranging from gender self-identification to sports participation and medical interventions for minors. Some feminists support contemporary gender identity theory, while others reject it. There is not even universal agreement about what the community should be called, which helps explain the evolution of terms such as LGB, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, and LGBTIQ+. Some advocate broader inclusion while others argue that the acronym has become too broad and combines groups with very different interests and concerns. If there is no consensus on who the community includes, it is difficult to argue that a single flag speaks for everyone it claims to represent.
IMPORTANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY
More fundamentally, reducing people to a small number of identity categories overlooks the complexity of human beings.
A person may simultaneously be Irish, Catholic, female, disabled, gay, environmentally conscious, politically conservative, a scientist and a parent. Another may be Muslim, Nigerian, heterosexual, progressive and deeply committed to free speech. Why should sexual orientation, gender identity or race receive official institutional recognition while religion, nationality, family status, political belief, disability or countless other characteristics do not? Human beings are far more complex than the limited categories represented by any institutional flag.
The case for neutrality is particularly strong in universities because their purpose is not to promote a particular ideology but to facilitate the exchange of ideas. Universities exist to encourage inquiry, debate and critical thinking, not to resolve contested questions on behalf of their members.
This is why many universities historically embraced the principle of institutional neutrality. Under such a model, individuals and groups remain entirely free to advocate for causes, celebrate identities, organise campaigns and express their beliefs. Student societies can celebrate Pride Month, religious festivals, environmental causes or international solidarity movements. Academic staff can argue passionately for their views.
The institution itself, however, should refrain from taking official positions on matters about which reasonable people may legitimately disagree.
Critics of neutrality often argue that failing to endorse particular causes amounts to indifference towards vulnerable groups. Yet neutrality does not require indifference. A university can vigorously oppose discrimination, enforce equal opportunity policies, protect minority students and promote respectful treatment for all members of its community without displaying the symbols of particular movements.
Respect for individuals does not require endorsement of every cause associated with those individuals.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS BELONG TO EVERYONE
There is also an important distinction between individual expression and institutional endorsement. Students and staff should be entirely free to display Pride flags, national flags, religious symbols, environmental campaign badges or any other lawful expression of their beliefs and identities. A university should be a place where individuals are free to express themselves and engage with others who may hold different views.
There is, however, a significant difference between a student displaying a Pride flag on a desk, a lecturer wearing a rainbow pin, or a staff member celebrating a religious festival, and the university itself incorporating the colours and symbols of a particular movement into its official branding, communications and visual identity.
In the first case, individuals are exercising their freedom of expression. In the second, the institution is speaking on behalf of everyone.
The distinction between public and private institutions provides perhaps the clearest principle of all. In private life, people should be free to display whatever symbols they choose. Homeowners can fly Pride flags, national flags, religious symbols or political banners outside their houses. Companies can promote causes that reflect their values. Restaurants, shops and businesses can decorate their premises according to their own beliefs. Others remain equally free to support those choices or to take their custom elsewhere.
Public institutions are different because they belong to everyone. They are funded by taxpayers who hold different religious beliefs, political opinions, cultural identities and moral convictions. Universities, councils, public hospitals, government agencies, regulators and publicly funded broadcasters should therefore be cautious about adopting the colours, symbols or causes of particular groups as part of their institutional identity. Their role is not to champion some identities while overlooking others, but to provide a neutral framework within which all individuals can participate on equal terms.
Individuals should enjoy the broadest possible freedom to express their identities, beliefs and values. Public institutions, by contrast, should belong equally to everyone. The former should be free to display whatever flags they choose; the latter should remain neutral.
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