Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThe Stagecoach Festival in the southern California desert is officially asking attendees to secede from any love they might have for the Confederate flag or any other “divisive symbols.”The Desert Sun newspaper noticed an addition to Goldenvoice’s Stagecoach website this year, on the General Resort Rules page that provides guidelines for those in the overnight camping areas.
It reads: “No divisive symbols, including, without limitation, Confederate flags and racially disparaging or other inappropriate imagery/public displays.”Confederate imagery among fans has been a point of contention at the festival in the past, with some seeing the flag as a harmless symbol of Southern pride — even this many thousand miles away from the South — while others see it as a dog whistle for racism or an emblem of insurrection against the government.
In the first few years of the festival, which began in 2008, it was common to see Confederate merchandise in the “marketplace” area, including even Confederate bikinis.
That noticeably came to a halt some time in the mid-2010s, although no ban on Confederate merch was ever publicly declared.But in the camping areas, it has remained common to see Confederate flags.
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