A Racine, Wisconsin couple who were told to remove their Pride flag from their home are going viral with their very clever loophole.
Memo Fachino, 35, and Lance Mier, 36 — who have been married five years and together for eight — have had the same rainbow flag hanging outside their home since 2016.
But after the Homeowners’ Association voted on a new rule to ban all flags in the neighborhood, one neighbor called to make a complain about their rainbow flag — prompting Fachino and Mier to set up rainbow-colored floodlights across the entire front of their house.
Pride house! Memo Fachino, 35, and Lance Mier, 36, who have been married for five years, have had the same Pride flag outside their home since 2016
New rule: Due to warring political flags in the neighborhood, the Homeowners’ Association instituted a new rule banning all flags but the American flag
The pair posted about their creative idea on Reddit, where their post has earned tens of thousands of upvotes.
‘Due to some neighbors flying BLM flags, Thin blue line flags, and other opinion flags, our HOA decided last month that we’re only allowed to fly the USA flag, and nothing else,’ they wrote.
‘They day after the decision, we receive an email that someone reported our Pride flag (that we had in our house since 2016), and that we needed to take it down,’ the continued.
They complied and removed the flag — but didn’t drop the matter completely.
‘Looking through our new rules, we noticed that removable lights are permitted without restriction so… we bought 6 colored flood lights, and we washed our house in pride colors,’ they went on.
‘A little less subtle than our simple flag. A lot more fun for anyone complaining about the flag itself and what it represents,’ they concluded.
Loophole: After the rule went into effect, a neighbor complained about their flag and they were told to remove it, so they set up lights creating a rainbow across the front of their house
Peace: They aren’t ‘trying to stick it to anyone’ but ‘believe it’s important to express ourselves, and to have visible representation’
Fachino, who sits on the board of the HOA, said that he totally understood the purpose of the new rule, which was to deal with warring political flags in the neighborhood.
‘The board passed this rule trying to be proactive, and to prevent friction between neighbors who may be flying opposite political or opinion flags,’ he told the BBC. ‘It’s a simple rule that applies to all of us equally.’
‘We don’t feel like it was created to prevent us from flying our flag or trying to have it removed ahead of Pride month,’ he added.
When the couple came up with their floodlights plan, it was merely to find another way to celebrate Pride — not because they feel targeted by the rule.
‘We’re not trying to stick it to anyone,’ Fachino added to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ‘We don’t feel targeted or attacked in our community. It was just a fun way for us to show our individuality and support in a way that didn’t break any HOA rules.’
They were, however, told to remove the flag only after a neighbor complained about the rule violation.
Yes! Fachino says other neighbors have been supportive of the lights
Popular: They posed about their house on Reddit and have gone viral
‘There are some other flags still flying around the neighborhood that have not come down mainly because nobody reported them,’ he said.
‘For whatever reason, one neighbor just happened to report mine. I don’t know the reason for it and didn’t go around reporting everyone else. We also didn’t try to make a huge statement (against the association).’
Still, Fachino says other neighbors have been supportive of the lights.
‘The neighbors I’ve heard back from have been supportive,’ he said. ‘I didn’t share it on the neighborhood app or try to make a big point that everyone should know about it. I just thought it was a funny loophole, and it just kind of took off from there.’
The couple isn’t sure how long they will leave the lights up, but expect them to at least last throughout June.
‘We believe it’s important to express ourselves, and to have visible representation,’ Fachino told the Huffington Post.
‘We are proud to be able to do this,’ he said. ‘We recognize this privilege. We feel strongly that diversity and self-expression enhances the neighborhood and makes it a more inclusive place to live.’