Boston University: University Orders Faculty to Take Down Pride Flags

Over the course of the 2025-2026 semester, Boston University ordered faculty members to take down Pride flags displayed in their office windows, citing a university policy banning outward-facing displays. BU president Melissa L. Gillim publicly justified  the ban by saying that faculty don’t have the right to speak on behalf of the university. FIRE wrote BU on March 31, arguing that observers are unlikely to interpret flags in faculty office windows as official university speech, and raising concerns that BU is targeting specific viewpoints by disproportionately targeting Pride flags while allowing other, non-political flags to remain up.