Ask The Answer Person your questions about the Pride flags

--"Did the City of Decorah buy those flags, or did the Pride organizers have to pay for them?"  The Answer Person says: "Not only did Decorah Pride Day pay for the flags, it paid for the poles as well."

--"Did the City of Decorah hang the flags for free?"  The Answer Person says: "The City of Decorah's new flag policy specifies that community groups must pay for the labor of City Street Department workers who put up the flags.  That means there's a charge of $100 for putting up flags along one city block and a fee of $300 for putting up flags on Water Street from River Street to Mill Street.  So, yes, Decorah Pride paid all labor costs"

--"Why did the flags have black and brown stripes on the top?"  The Answer Person says: "Flags are given to the Street Department to hang downtown.  Those were the flags provided by the Pride committee.  The flag design surfaced first in Philadelphia last year.  According to a news report from Philadelphia, 'The black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community.'"