There are even two different pride parades each year on the island! And with over three million inhabitants, Puerto Rico has plenty of gay and lesbian activities, bars, and attractions for visitors to easily discover. As an unincorporated territory of the United States, same-sex marriage has been legal since 2015. A Wisconsin couple was threatened with eviction by their landlord in March after flying a gay pride flag outside their apartment.Of all the Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is one of the most accepting and LGBTQ-friendly destinations. The Santiagos aren't the only individuals who have run into trouble for flying a flag outside their home. While the Santiagos currently aren't being issued any fines for the violation, they told WFTV they have hired a lawyer. We're not doing anything to our neighbors by flying our flag," Frances said. "We have our house, you see, up to standards. " will stay there and we'll deal with it we'll exhaust every avenue possible," Efrain said. However, Efrain and Frances said they have no intention of removing the flag from their home. If you travel through our community, you will see the only flags are those regulated by the state," McNerney said. In a separate email to WFTV, the HOA president Norma McNerney said the request for the Santiagos to remove the flag isn't because it is from Puerto Rico. What's the big issue with us having our flag there?" None of the neighbors were offended with us putting the flag there," Efrain told WFTV. "I'm proud of my roots, who I am, I come from. Any other flags must be taken down, an email sent to the couple from the HOA following the letter said. The letter from the HOA told the Santiagos that the only flags that can be flown in their neighborhood of Rolling Hills Estates are U.S.
In another, a mocking comment is made about bodies piled up in the morgue after Hurricane Maria, which left nearly 3,000 dead. In one exchange, chief financial officer Christian Sobrino makes homophobic references to Latin superstar Ricky Martin. Protests erupted last week after the leak of hundreds of pages of text chats on the encrypted messaging app Telegram in which Rossello and 11 other male administration members criticize officials, politicians and journalists. So, I don't see a problem with flying my flag here," Frances, a retired Army medic, said.Ī protester waves the Puerto Rican flag in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jon day 9th of continuous protests demanding the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló. "I fought for this, to be able to do this. Putting the flag up was a way to support Puerto Ricans as they protested, Frances told WFTV. The messages contained homophobic, misogynistic and profanity-ladened conversations among the group about other politicians, celebrities and members of the media. territory, eventually led former Governor Ricardo Rossello to resign, along with several other prominent government officials following the publication of hundreds of messages between Rossello, members of his Cabinet and several aides to the former governor. The protests, believed to be the largest in the history of the U.S. An Army veteran is questioning a ruling from her home owner's association after being notified that the flag flying in front of her home is against the rules.įrances Santiago and her husband, Efrain Santiago, had been flying the Puerto Rico flag at their home in Kissimmee, Florida for about three weeks when the letter from the HOA arrived, Frances told WFTV.įrances told the television station that the flag was placed outside their home when protests began in Puerto Rico in July.