An HOA didn't let them fly a Pride flag, so they lit their house up in rainbow colors

Homeowners associations (HOAs) can have pretty strict rules about what is and is not permitted in a neighborhood. While some of these rules are meant to keep us safe and build a community, most of them are actually about moral policing and gatekeeping. One homeowner experienced this when they were told they could not fly their "modest Pride flag" outside their home. So, following the rules, they decided to light their home up in magnificent rainbow colors to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The homeowner took to the Reddit forum Malicious Compliance to share what they had done, God.dailydot.com reports.

"Due to some neighbors flying Black Lives Matter flags, thin blue line flags, and other opinion flags, our HOA decided last month that we’re only allowed to fly the USA flag, and nothing else," they posted on the platform. "The day after the decision, we received an email that someone reported our Pride flag (that we had in our house since 2016) and that we needed to take it down. We complied and removed the flag." At that point in time, they realized it was probably for the best if they reviewed the new rules shared by the HOA.

The Reddit post continued, "Looking through our new rules, we noticed that removable lights are permitted without restriction so... We bought six colored floodlights, and we washed our house in pride colors. A little less subtle than our simple flag. A lot more fun for anyone complaining about the flag itself and what it represents." The Reddit user then shared a picture of what their house looked like after they put up the rainbow-colored floodlights. And, of course, it was nothing short of amazing. The front of the house was completely covered in bright, in-your-face colors. Fellow Reddit users took to the comments section to appreciate the ingenious idea.

"Woah," one person wrote. "The lighting is much better than a simple flag, in my opinion." Another added, "[I] love the compliance though. Never remove the lights, they're fabulous." Another, still, commented: "It looks far more beautiful than just a flag. Bravo on your fabulous compliance!" Meanwhile, other Reddit users shared their own horrible experiences with their HOAs. Some complained about peeping toms and others about ridiculous rules that could not possibly be enforced.

"I never understood why HOAs seem to be this common in the United States," one person noted. "The first thing I am really gonna do when I buy my first house is to vote for some new guy to be my glorified new landlord, so I can continue living by someone else's rule just like I would in an apartment (likely worse, most landlords care mostly about rent and an apartment does not leave much in terms of self-expression to be seen from the outside)." At least in this scenario, the little guy won. They did clarify nonetheless that they did not hate their HOA or believe that the new rule was passed to attack them personally. They affirmed, "I decided to do this to show my individuality while still following the rules."