Teacher told to ditch Pride flag in New York classroom. Now there’s a massive protest

The fight over whether LGBTQ+ symbols have a place in schools has ignited in a Long Island school district.

The Connetquot Central School District is accused of forcing a teacher to remove a certain Pride flag she hung in her classroom, but allowing her to keep the traditional rainbow Pride flag on display, according to News12 The Bronx.

The district told her to remove the Progress Pride flag, a redesign of the traditional flag that incorporates colors that represent transgender people, people of color, and community members lost to HIV/AIDS and those currently living with AIDS. The redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community and represents the identities that championed the modern day Pride movement.

The district addressed the controversy in a statement at the beginning of the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

“Earlier this year, students reported feeling uncomfortable about a flag that was being displayed on the wall in a particular classroom directly adjacent to the American flag. This flag, which was at least twice the size of the American flag on display, was the Progress Pride Flag,” the statement says. “As our school district strives to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all, this matter was immediately looked into.”

According to the statement, the district brought the students’ concerns to the teacher’s attention, and discussed “several ways to maintain the feeling that the classroom is a welcoming space for all, while being sensitive to the concerns raised by the students.”

The district asked the teacher to remove the Progress Pride flag during class, but allowed the teacher to put it back up for the school’s Genders and Sexualities Alliances club meetings after school, the statement says.

“It must be stressed that this option only focused on the Progress Pride Flag. The traditional Pride flag, which was also on display in the classroom but not included in the students’ concerns, was suggested to remain on display during the school day,” the statement says.

The teacher refused that offer, as well as the district’s offer to install a sign stating “This is a safe space to be who you are” in the classroom, the statement says.

That’s when — “having exhausted all of these alternatives and being left without further recourse” — the district banned all flags other than the American flag, the New York state flag and curriculum-based flags, the statement says.

“Please be assured, it was never the district’s intention to create a perception that our schools are not safe and welcoming spaces for all,” the statement says. “Each of our children deserve a school where they are safe, comfortable and respected, regardless of what race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation they espouse to.”

A New York nonprofit called the LGBT Network is pursuing legal action against the school board, and argued the flag is not political and the district’s policy discriminates against the LGBTQ+ community, according to News12.

Hundreds of people showed up to the Connetquot School Board meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11 to protest the decision, Pix11 reported.

A group of two dozen or so also rallied in support of the school district’s actions, the outlet reported.

“Let’s not bring politics into the school district,” parent Jennifer Locascio said.

Many former and current students spoke out against the school board’s actions, pointing out that for students who don’t live in a supportive home environment, school is one of the few safe places for them.

“If you take down the Pride flag, you’re sending the message that homophobia is going to fly here, and I would have to hide myself,” eighth-grade student Eliza Erwin said.

Many also pointed out that forcing the teacher to ditch the Progress flag but not the traditional Pride flag struck them as racist and transphobic.

“I’d like to thank the school board for saying the quiet part out loud, that the LGBT flag is fine, but as soon as you add trans people, Black people, people who suffer from AIDs, it’s a political issue,” a person who introduced themselves as James said. “I’d like to talk about that a little bit. ... These are people’s lives. These are people that died. That’s the reason this flag needs to be displayed.”

Superintendent Lynda G. Adams wrote a letter to parents last week, News12 reported. It says the district is “aware of the mixed perspectives surrounding the display of the Progress Pride flag” in a classroom.

“Schools must remain neutral and safe learning spaces for all students and staff and while we respect individual personal beliefs, the classroom is not the appropriate setting to express these views, especially if they create a disruption to the educational environment,” the letter states. “Any materials or conversations that violate this mission are prohibited within our schools.”