LGBTQ+ students feel erased as school boards ban pride flags in rural districts

[marmar]

(Detroit Free Press) The posters declared, "Everyone is Welcome!"

Laminated, with rainbow billowing across the top right corner and three cartoon people in a friendly embrace in the bottom left, the poster advertised the launch of Fowlerville High School's inclusivity club. The club was a space meant to "unite LGBTQ+, multicultural, and allied youth" to form a stronger sense of community.

But unity felt faraway at Fowlerville High to some LGBTQ+ students, where schoolmates tore the inclusivity club's posters down, said Gavin Tschirret, 17, who graduated from Fowlerville High in the spring.

At Fowlervlle, Tschirret and others said they felt as if some district forces were trying to cram them back into the closet, especially as the so-called culture wars seeped into their daily lives at school. This summer, Fowlerville's school board banned flags and displays at schools not deemed "content neutral," effectively nixing pride flags and displays. ...............(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2023/07/31/michigan-school-districts-in-rural-suburban-areas-ban-pride-flags/70424788007/

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Frustrating for sure but hard to argue if 'content-neutral' is fairly enforced

Schools have been banning 'controversial stuff' like this for a long time and courts generally uphold it.

Most powerful way to fight back is ... don't let yourself feel erased just because some people in authority are uptight about your existence. Refuse to grant them that power.

[Chi67]

2. Kids

These are kids, not adults. This isn't some imaginary boogeyman coming after LGBT kids. It's real, and it is perpetuated by other kids in the school and adults. Stop telling LGBT people it's their responsibility for what is being done to them. Start calling out the bigoted bullies and adults who are doing everything they can to hurt LGBT kids. Blame the perpetrators, not the victims.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. That's really not at all what I just did/said ...

I've vocally supported LGB rights since I was in grammar school. Because I was having sex with another boy at the time. In the 1970's. He is far from the only male in my lifetime.

I've been to SF Pride parade numerous times, danced with men in gay bars many times, etc.

I have one bumper sticker on my car, it's an Equal sign. You know the one.

My girlfriend now is also a community member.

But more importantly, I never even said ... what you just accused me of, making your lecture there extra-frustrating

[Chi67]

4. Ugh

I think you missed my point (BTW, I am also a gay man).

My point is this- the effects of discrimination and bigotry don't just go away because we wish they would, or because we refuse to "give it power". If that were that easy, no LGBT kid would ever commit suicide. LGBT kids are vulnerable, especially if they are socially isolated. They are not islands and can't just "refuse to give it power". They need help and support-and they need it in school. Gay people are not a political ideology, therefore banning Pride flags is ridiculous.

I hope that helps clarify what I meant. I did not mean to attack you.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. To be clear I'm hetero-flexible ... but I've know that since I was quite young

Ergo, I've always been on the side of LGB rights, very strongly. More recently also the T part

Anyways, thanks for clarifying. I just don't know that I think disallowing pride flags in schools necessitates that anyone 'feel forgotten'. Nobody, not even a kid, HAS to view that in this way, to feel lesser, etc. It's only a symbol, and school is only one place in their lives.

Of course I think it's a shitty thing to do and can be argued to be 'not political' as you say, but I think it's a tough case to make that a school must not be allowed to restrict them, esp. not if they're also banning 'straight pride' t-shirts and red MAGA hats. I think the courts have shown they'll allow these sorts of rules as long as they're applied equally.

What I mean is if I'm picking a battle, it's probably not this one. It's probably orders of magnitude more important that the LGBTQ child is not mistreated or socially ostracized because of who they are, most importantly by their own family.