Congressman Don Beyer says he put a rainbow flag outside his office on Capitol Hill a few months ago, shortly after he learned that a visitor to the Capitol had ripped down and stomped on a rainbow flag hanging outside Congressman Alan Lowenthal's (D-CA) office.

The flag, which represents LGBT pride, has "a really good, simple, positive message," the Virginia representative says. "We had at least one openly gay person working in the office and I thought it was really important for him to feel like it was a welcoming place."

"Many people mention [the flag] when they visit, all in a positive way," Beyer says.
But this week, Beyer learned about a lawsuit filed against him, Lowenthal. and two other representatives in federal court, calling for them to take down the flags, which plaintiff Chris Sevier calls unconstitutional.
Sevier claims the rainbow flag is a religious symbol of the "homosexual denomination within the overall church of 'western expressive individualism postmodern moral relativism,'" and that it "promotes obscenity and sexual exploitation."
In addition to seeking a judge to tell Beyer, Lowenthal, Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Susan Davis (D-CA) to take down the rainbow flags outside their office (hanging them inside would be fine, the suit says, and "the American flag can remain"), he also wants the judge to declare that homosexuality is a religion.