AMHERST — An administrative request by the university demanding that a Pride flag flying from a flagpole at the UMass Transit Services area of the University of Massachusetts campus be removed is leading to the circulation of a petition calling out campus leaders.

Although the order sparked pushback from some on campus objecting to removing the flag, the decision was consistent with a university policy, dating back to at least 1990 that states, “In the interest of campus harmony, the campus will not authorize the use of special issues flags, except those decreed by the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress, the Governor of Massachusetts or the State Legislature.”

UMass spokesman Samuel Masinter confirmed that in following this policy, the university recently asked a campus department to remove an unauthorized flag from a university flagpole.

“While the flag, celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ community, spoke to the university’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, it could not, by policy, be flown from a university flagpole,” Masinter said.

That policy also assigns the responsibility and authority to order the lowering of flags to the Office of Administration and Finance. That office receives official permission from the president of the United States or the governor of the commonwealth for the lowering of the flags. Only the prisoner of war flag, which flies on Haigis Mall, is exempt, because that had been decreed by the president and governor before enactment of the flag policy.

Complaint forms filed in response to the removal order contain statements that include characterizing the action as being forced “via a thinly veiled flag policy being used to enforce homophobia.”

On the BlueSky social media platform, user Collin Knorr, who provides a link to a complaint form, references the pro-Palestinian protests last spring that led to more than 130 arrests. “What a disgrace. UMass admin consistently fails its students and promotes a hostile environment,” Knorr writes. “Terrorizing pro-Palestinian students with police violence wasn’t enough for them.”

Those complaint forms go to the university’s Office of Equity and Inclusion website, where each submission is responded to individually and accompanied by an invitation to meet with the office. So far, none of these invitations has been accepted.

Masinter said that the policy is explicitly content neutral, meaning that decisions cannot be based on whether a flag and its particular expression is aligned with the university’s values. He pointed to the 2022 Supreme Court decision in which the city of Boston lost a case when it rejected a request for the flying of a Christian Nationalist flag after having allowed other flags to fly.

“Cases like Shurtleff v. Boston remind us the need for neutrality in policy and application to avoid these exact situations,” Masinter said.

He added that the university isn’t removing humanity or validity from students, faculty and staff. “This is a flagpole policy and doesn’t prevent expression in offices or dorm rooms,” Masinter said.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is working to respond to the concerns over the removal order, which is not related to any federal orders. “We are making sure everyone feels supported,” Masinter said.