What flying the American flag means to Mainers

 Doreen Gay hangs a flag outside of her home in South Portland on Thursday. Lately, she's struggled with what it represents to some. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer) Doreen Gay has been hanging the American flag on her front porch in South Portland for more than 45 years, but lately she’s wondered if she should. She put it up before Independence Day to honor the nation. But she worries that it’s become a political football, with some on the right using it to promote President Trump’s agenda, while others are displaying it upside down or not at all, as a protest of the party in power. “I think that the political right has taken the flag as its symbol of their cause, but it’s supposed to be a symbol of a united country and our democracy,” said Gay, 70, a retired financial services worker. “So I struggle. I want that back, to use the flag as it was intended. But I feel like it’s almost been hijacked.” As the country turns 250 years old Saturday, people around Maine and the nation are dealing with the new realities of hanging a U.S. flag outside their homes for all to see. In a recent [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/poll-american-flag-patriotism-black-b66ff2a116643523eab6c670cc94a95d?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ncl_amplify&utm_campaign=260701-democrats_hate_america_refuse_to_fly_the_american_flag_me&utm_content=ncl-UURUuPx7zp&utm_term=&_nlid=UURUuPx7zp&_nhids=nc60yf98afgyels) survey, 71% of Republicans said they fly a flag, on holidays at least, compared with 34% of Democrats. The Republican National Committee referenced that poll in an email to Maine newspapers this week, with the subject line: “Democrats don’t fly the American flag.” Many Mainers who have displayed flags at home for years echo Gay’s sentiment that they should be a symbol of the country and its history, nothing more. Several people interviewed for this story said they hang the flag out of a combination of respect and nostalgia, honoring family members who were in the military or who made hard immigrant journeys to get here, while recalling childhoods with flags waving all around their neighborhoods. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/43680929_20260702_FlagYoung_02.jpg) Kevin Young in Gorham on Thursday. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer) Kevin Young, a loan officer who lives in Gorham, has hung a flag everywhere he’s lived for the past 35 years. At his current home, the flag flies from a pole he bought at the Fryeburg Fair. Advertisement “I do it because I feel it’s the right thing to do, being an American,” said Young, 60. “I think it’s more important now to have one, with all the stuff that’s been going on. We need the flag to try to keep everybody together.” Dave Eddy, a retired chef and Coast Guard member from South Portland, has been hanging a U.S. flag from the porch of his bungalow since the late 1980s. Initially, he hung it to support what America stands for, also part of his reason for joining the Coast Guard. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/43680929_20260702_Flag003.jpg) Dave Eddy, of South Portland, doesn’t think hanging a U.S. flag should be political. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer) Over the years, he’s been disappointed in the tenor of the country’s politics at times and thought about taking the flag down, but he doesn’t want the flag to be a political symbol. So, he keeps it flying year-round. A few feet away, he has Pride flag, in support of his grandson. “I basically believe in the old idea that the flag is a symbol of freedom, and that’s for all people,” Eddy said. Gay, of South Portland, displays the American flag primarily on Memorial Day and Independence Day. She hangs other flags from her porch, too, including a Lithuanian one to honor family heritage. She also has one that combines the Maine 1901 flag design with a rainbow of colors supporting the LGBTQ+ community. “I think that one speaks more to my heart lately. I’ve really been concerned about the rights of individuals being taken away,” Gay said. Advertisement Related [Unfurling the facts in the 1901 Maine state flag debate](https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/13/unfurling-the-facts-in-the-1901-maine-state-flag-debate/) The country’s 250th birthday does not appear to be prompting a lot more people in southern Maine to buy U.S. flags. Derek Auclair, who runs Gorham Flag Center, said this week has been pretty busy, but he has not seen the “major increase” in sales that manufacturers predicted this year. Part of the reason may be that the people who want to celebrate the country’s birthday already have a flag, the same one they’ve flown for many years, Auclair said. TriState Flag of South Portland also has not seen big increases in the numbers of flags sold, owner Jayson Lobozzo said. TriState sells most of its flags to towns, contractors and landscapers. The company, however, does have 40 “Betsy Ross 250” flags that it’s looking to give to Mainers, for free, this Independence Day. The flags have a field of 13 stars in a circle with “250” in the middle and were ordered by customers but returned because they were different than expected. People who want one of the free flags, while supplies last, can go to [tristateflag.com.](https://tristateflag.com/products/america250-commemorative-betsy-ross-edition) Sky Baxter, of Brunswick, started flying a flag at home after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She heard about the [Freeport Flag Ladies](https://www.pressherald.com/2019/09/09/freeport-flag-ladies-making-their-last-stand/) waving flags weekly on that town’s Main Street and was inspired to get her own. It flies from a short pole in her front-yard flower garden, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Related [The man who keeps star-spangled banners waving all over Maine](https://www.pressherald.com/2024/07/01/the-man-who-keeps-star-spangled-banners-waving-all-over-maine/) “I am embarrassed by our government right now, about a lot of the things happening,” said Baxter, 61, who is in the process of becoming a medical social worker. “But I still want my flag up. It’s more than a symbol of a party or a president; it’s the symbol of the whole country.” John Bouchard, a retired landscaper from South Portland, has his flag on a pole in the side yard. He used to have one on a pole in the front yard, too, but the winter winds took it down. He says that even though he’s not happy about a lot of the things going on in the country, that does not diminish his pride in being American. “You can be proud and disappointed at the same time,” said Bouchard, 62. “You can’t forget where you come from.” Bouchard said he’s upset about “the way people are treated by other people in general” right now, but didn’t want to get into specifics or politics. Mostly, he said, he’d like to see more compassion. “There’s no fence around my yard. Everyone’s welcome,” he said. His yard is easy to find, too. Just look for the American flag on a pole. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [America's 250th](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/americas-250th/), [Fourth of July](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/fourth-of-july/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/ray-routhier) [Ray RouthierStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/ray-routhier) Ray Routhier has written about pop culture, movies, TV, music and lifestyle trends for the Portland Press Herald since 1993. He is continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of. [More by Ray Routhier](https://www.pressherald.com/author/ray-routhier)