By James Finn
See that lovely rainbow poster?
A child made it, a real child whose identity is being withheld to protect their privacy. Can you imagine them smiling as they bent over their markers or watercolors? They made that art, unprompted, for inclusion in a classroom exhibit at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School in Athens, Georgia. I don’t know why the child felt the need to say “Gay Is OK.” I don’t how old they are, if they’re a boy or a girl, if they identify as LGBTQ, if an older sibling or parent does, or if this is just something they care about.
I bet they knew deep in their hearts the message was needed. If they didn’t, they sure do now, and so does the rest of the school. Because of the horrible thing that happened next.
The child’s teacher loved the poster and hung it up with all the other student art. Then … This is really hard to write about. It’s not just sad, it’s … well, you decide.
Reportedly, one or more parents called the school to complain. An administrator asked the teacher to take the art off the wall. They refused. They got called into the principal’s office where two administrators ordered them to. A vice principal told the teacher that displaying a “Gay is Good” poster is the same as hanging a Nazi flag in the classroom. She literally said rainbow flags are like swastikas.
The child’s art disappeared, and the whole school knew why
Who removed the art is unclear, though I’m told the teacher refused to. The principal ordered it, and somebody obeyed him. I don’t know who broke the story to the press, but some accounts say the teacher did. If so, I wish I could buy them a beer. Reports say much of the Oglethorpe faculty was outraged over the homophobic censorship. So were many parents. Some of them told reporters bigotry has long been a problem with administrators at Oglethorpe Elementary.
Jemelleh Coes, a parent and professor at the University of Georgia, told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA-TV 11, “There are ongoing complaints about this current administration has been discriminatory against women, being discriminatory against LGBTQ people, being discriminatory against English language learners or emerging bilinguals, emerging multilingual and Spanish speakers. So we have seen a pattern of inequity at our school and we have been asking for support at this point for years.”
Kids got the homophobic message loud and clear
The story made a big media splash. All the the local news affiliates picked it up; so did Athens newspapers. It even drew national coverage. Kids learned being gay is controversial. Shameful. As bad as being a Nazi. The professionals running their school taught them that.
I’m writing today because of what happened next
This story was big a week ago, and I didn’t write about it then because I had nothing to add. Coverage was extensive and events spoke for themselves. Then the other shoe dropped.
The Clarke County School District released a vague statement on January 25, saying they support “diversity and inclusion” and “stand with our LGBTQIA+ community,” writing that they intend to “continue having sensitive and appropriate conversations with our school communities.” They didn’t put the art back on the wall, though, they didn’t issue an apology, and they didn’t fire the assistant principal who likened “Gay is Good” to Nazi messaging.
That’s not the other shoe. This is →
The district issued another statement Tuesday, which has not been reported outside the local community. They wrote more nice words about diversity and being sensitive. They even say, “We absolutely and unequivocally support our LGBTQIA+ community.”
But that’s a lie, and that’s why I’m writing today.
The full text of the statement IS the other shoe. The District is going to do … absolutely nothing. Seriously. Nothing at all. Vice Principal Sandra Scott made the Nazi remark. Principal Bipul Singh agreed with her that children should not see the “Gay is Good” message. Both of them ordered the art removed, and they’ve stuck to their guns.
The district will not discipline them. That’s a huge part of the other shoe.
The other part is the hypocrisy of Acting Superintendent Brannon Gaskins, whose words about absolute and unequivocal support are — effectively and practically — lies. Unequivocal support would BEGIN with putting the art back up on the wall. Would begin with holding a student assembly to tell kids how deeply sorry administrators are for sending a horrible message about LGBTQ people.
Unequivocal support would mean — at the very least — firing the woman who made the odious Nazi remark, which all the children in her school know about now. Unequivocal support would have to mean Principal Singh would face serious discipline, up to and including being fired.
Parents are demanding all that and more, but all the school district has to say is that they will “continue” being “sensitive” and “continue” to prohibit discrimination based on LGBTQ identity, even though they are actively discriminating right now by keeping the art off the wall.
How to you trust school administrators with terrible track records?
Remember Tyler Johnson in the photo above? I interviewed him just under a month ago when his high school principal and district superintendent refused to let him write in a school publication that he’s gay and has overcome bullying.
Tyler took to TikTok and his viral story about anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Tully, New York reached much of the nation: Being gay IS okay. Overcoming bullying IS something to proud of. Silencing LGBTQ students is wrong and contrary to the human ideals most of us try to live by. Positive representation rocks.
There’s more to the story, though. Much of Tyler’s community rallied around him, but accountability and trust remain elusive. District administration apologized and reversed their censorship decision. The school board hired a lawyer to investigate the censorship, but that’s not the end of the story.
At least one Tully radio broadcaster openly mocked Tyler, and his friends are deeply worried about a lack of school-district transparency. They tell me they want accountability and positive change, but they don’t believe Superintendent Robert J. Hughes and Principal Mike O’Brien are capable of delivering.
They say both men have long track records of discriminating against LGBTQ students and members of other minorities. They say neither man, in light of what happened, is trustworthy.
How do you trust school administrators who lie?
Critically, Principal O’Brien lied to Tyler and his mother Pamela Johnson separately and more than once, telling them a district policy barred mentioning “sexuality, orientation, religion, or illegal drugs” in the publication Tyler was supposed to be featured in. The Board of Education later admitted no such policy exists and that if it did, it would violate New York State education law.
It’s possible O’Brien thought he was telling the truth, but if so, then Hughes lied to him about a non-existent, illegal policy. Neither man has addressed the truthfulness issue, and (oddly) local media haven’t asked which one of them lied or if both of them did.
Tyler’s Tully supporters ask how they can be expected to believe anything either man says. How can they be expected to work with professionals who have demonstrated they will lie? How can the men be trusted to implement positive change for LGBTQ students at Tully High School?
How can Superintendent Brannon Gaskins in Athens be trusted?
“We absolutely and unequivocally support our LGBTQIA+ community,” is a lie. When Gaskins writes that, while refusing to discipline an employee who calls a “Gay is Good” poster a swastika, he demonstrates he holds truthfulness itself in high contempt. Like Superintendent Hughes in New York, he demonstrates that he cannot be trusted.
What’s going on in Georgia right now is enough to make any decent person weep. But let’s not end there. I reached out yesterday to Tyler to ask him what he would say to students and community leaders in Athens.
Let’s end with some of Tyler’s powerful, positive words:
“I want the Georgia student whose artwork was taken down to know they are not alone and that being gay is in fact not an issue like people are making it out to be. I also want them to know that even though it may not feel like it in this exact moment, it will get better and eventually, things will change.
If I could have a talk with this class, I would ask them to understand the importance of this issue and to show support to their classmate.
To the community members pushing for accountability, don’t give up. Whatever you do, do not give up. No matter how little you feel you are accomplishing, do not give up. I promise that your work is necessary. Holding these people in positions of power accountable is the first step to change and to making sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else again.
So please, for the sake of this student, past students, and future students, do not give up.”
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James Finn is a former Air Force intelligence analyst, long-time LGBTQ activist, an alumnus of Queer Nation and Act Up NY, a frequent columnist for the LA Blade, a contributor to other LGBTQ news outlets, and an “agented” but unpublished novelist. Send questions, comments, and story ideas to [email protected]
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The preceding article was previously published by Prism & Pen– Amplifying LGBTQ voices through the art of storytelling and is republished by permission.
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