Wisconsin couple warned they must take down gay pride flag or face eviction

A couple in Wisconsin say they have been threatened by their property owner with eviction if they do not remove a gay pride flag from their apartment’s patio.

NBC News reports that Kevin Kollman and his partner, Merle Malterer, received an eviction notice in the mail last week that gave them five days to leave their unit if they did not remove their gay pride-themed American flag. The flag has the traditional 50 stars in the top left corner but replaces the red and white stripes with multicolored ones instead.

Kollman and Malterer have rented an apartment unit at at Country Oaks Apartments in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, for nearly six years and plan to keep their flag and want to renew their lease but are frustrated by what they feel is “selective prosecution.”

{mosads}”My flag is not doing anything,” Kollman told NBC News. “It’s just a symbol of who we are, where we came from and our love for the United States.”

Kollman and Malterer shared the letter with NBC News, which stated they had breached their rental contract by hanging the flag.

The couple complied earlier this year when asked by the apartment complex to remove a Green Bay Packers flag from the property’s patio.

Local NBC affiliate WBBH reports that property owner Bieck Management does not want to evict the couple and is working with Kollman and Malterer to resolve the issue.

The couple told NBC News that several other apartment units hang American and police-themed flags from their rental units and were seemingly not asked to remove them.

“My big thing is this: I’m not going to be bullied at 52 years of age, neither is my partner,” Kollman said. “We’re not going to be told we’re not in compliance with our legal right under the First Amendment.”

The couple had not been evicted from their unit as of Sunday afternoon, five days after receiving the notice.