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Parent and Principal Objects to 'Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag' Being Used in Second Grade Classroom

Comic book free speech activist group and chritable organisation, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, have become involved over a legal fight over the presence of this picture book Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders in Henry Clay Elementary School in Hanover County, Virginia. The book, labelled by Amazon as children's book of the year, tells the story of the Rainbow Pride Flag from its earliest beginnings with activist and politician Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Bake, to the present day. The book was used in a lesson about civil rights lesson, in accordance with the district's own anti-bullying curriculum.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that a parent of a child in that second grade class (aged 7 to 8) objected to this to the teacher and when they would not back down, and contacted local television news, who ran a story. She cited religious reasons for her concern, that it was too heavy and inappropriate a topic and stated that some of the artwork in the book confused her daughter, saying "it caused her to question her faith, it caused her to know what homosexuality is."

The book's use in class, according to one parent, came after one child called another child 'gay' in a derogatory fashion, and the teacher chose to use it as an educational opportunity. The objecting parent told the news that it wasn't the subject of the book per se that caused offense but certain images such as Milk standing in front of a crowd of protestors, some of whom hold signs like "Gays must go" and "God says no" when her daughter had been taught that God loves everyone, and questioned her mother about this. Good question. Sadly that wasn't the one being answered by anyone.

Parent and Principal Objects to 'Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag' Being Used in Second Grade Classroom

Principal Terri Keck immediately responded to the TV report with a letter to all parents of every second grader in the class alerting them to the incident and explained the teacher had not gotten pre-approval for the book, saying "In this case, the book, which tells the story of the rainbow flag becoming a symbol of equality for the LGBT community, was not vetted through the appropriate process at our school. It is also not a part of our curriculum."

Other parents have objected to the objection, saying that the  book in question could not be considered sensitive or controversial, which would trigger such vetting. and used a Hanover County School Board meeting to express their concerns. Pride doesn't contain any violence or sexual imagery and could only be seen as controversial if you the existence of the LGBTQIA community was viewed as controversial. Another parent said "This book is not about sex or sexuality, nor does it have violent content. It is a book about identity history and human rights" whle another countered the original objection saying "We may not censure our children's educations based on someone's religious beliefs," she said.

The CBLDF as cosponsors of Kids' Right to Read Project, wrote to the school district, saying,

Books that honor LGBTQ histories and narratives are disproportionately censored in schools, chilling LGBTQ voices in the community. Such censorship stigmatizes an already marginalized community and is especially harmful to LGBTQ youth who face serious threats to their mental and physical health. Classrooms should be welcoming spaces where students can ask questions and express their own thoughts, trusting that their teachers will be ready to guide them towards deeper understanding and tolerance towards those who are different from them

Also noting that,

Board Policy 6-5.6 allows teachers to "enrich and support curriculum objectives" with supplemental texts, which "do not require the prior approval of the principal or the principal's designee." In this case, a teacher used "Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag" to teach her students profound lessons about human rights activism LGBTQ equality. In addition to telling an important civil rights history and promoting civic engagement, this important book teaches values enshrined in the Hanover County Code of Conduct, like "recognizing the importance of the dignity and worth of each individual" and "contributing to a climate of mutual respect for all."


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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