We’ve been contemplating that question since Monongalia County Schools required staff across the county to remove the rainbow flag — and any other Pride symbols — from classrooms. And the question was brought to the forefront by Wednesday’s walkout at Morgantown High School.
The edict came in the guise of removing all political paraphernalia from schools, ostensibly because school staff should not be making overtly political overtures. Which, on the surface, is a reasonable request. A “Let’s Go, Brandon” flag or sticker featuring “#DumpTrump” in the classroom are certainly out of line. A confederate flag is definitely a political statement. Even a Ukrainian flag arguably holds political undertones.
But a Pride flag isn’t a political statement. (Nor a religious one — which would violate separation of church and state — nor a hateful one.) It’s a humanitarian one.
The problem, it seems, is the incorrect conflation of the LGBTQ+ community with a specific political party. However, sexual orientation and gender identity are separate from political affiliation. They may influence one’s politics, the same way one’s race/ethnicity, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), socio-economic status, geographic location and lived experience influence one’s politics. But being LGBTQ — or being an ally — is not the sole purview of a single political party.
There are plenty of registered Democrats who support LGBTQ+ rights and/or are themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community. There are plenty of Democrats who do not.
There are plenty of (vocal) registered Republicans who do not support LGBTQ+ rights. But there are plenty of Republicans who do and/or are themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community. In West Virginia, former Delegate Joshua Higginbotham is an openly gay Republican legislator who will be running for State Senate this year. Nationally, Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender woman, ran on the Republican ticket in the 2021 California recall election.
So when a teacher hangs a Pride flag, they are not signaling their politics; they are signaling their acceptance. They are saying, without words and without singling out any individual, “I see you, and you are safe to be yourself here.”
And that, as many have attested since the school board announced its rule, can make all the difference in a child’s life. Knowing that there is one safe place in their limited world, that there is one person in their life who cares — even if it’s just a classroom and just a teacher — might be enough to keep them from turning to self-harm, or substance use, or suicide.
While everyone should feel safe and comfortable in a classroom, LGBTQ+ individuals face a very specific fear every time they enter school: Can I be myself without getting in trouble, either here or at home?
The Pride flag hanging on the classroom wall says, “Yes. Here, you will be accepted as you are.”
And that has nothing to do with politics.
