Residents: HOA overstepped its bounds by demanding them to take down Rainbow Flag

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Residents in the Cave Creek neighborhood of Dove Valley Ranch are fighting back, after their Homeowner's Association (HOA) reportedly told some of the residents to remove the rainbow flag that were displayed in their garage window.

The rainbow flag, first flown at the San Francisco Pride Parade in 1978, is considered to be a symbol of the LGBT community, as well as the LGBT movement.

"We had no problems with it for five weeks," said Anne McKee, who was told to take down the rainbow flag. "Suddenly, we got a letter from the HOA, telling us to take down the unsightly multicolored flag."

McKee and her husband put up the flag in January, and recently got a letter from the Dove Valley Ranch Community Association, which represents their neighborhood, telling them to take down the flag.

"We're not allowed to hang anything but the American flag outside and we knew that, so we put them in our garage windows just to show support for everyone, diversity," said McKee. "I would have expected them to reach out, and we would try to come to some kind of mutual understanding about this before we get the letter."

The letter reportedly came with a $25 fine.

Once McKee's neighbor, Bonnie Daly, got word of what happened, she decided to show solidarity by hanging a rainbow flag in her garage to show her support. She also got a letter, along with the $25 fine, from the HOA.

"Saying we're causing the neighborhood not to be beautiful, that's what they wrote in the letter," said Daly. "This is not not beautiful."

The residents said they plan to appeal the HOA's request, as they do not believe the HOA has the right to tell them to take down the flag.

"There's nothing in the design or the decorating manual part of the CC&Rs that say I have to ask permission for what I do on the inside of my house," said Daly. "These garage windows, they are on the inside of my house. I consider them flag drapes."

The HOA will reportedly hear the appeal on April 20. FOX 10 Phoenix has reached out to the HOA, but did not receive a response.