For my LGBTQ+ students, diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools are a lifeline. So, I recently reconnected over email with a former student named Mason, to ask some questions about our time together in the gender and sexuality alliance, which I sponsored. “(The) GSA provided me with a sense of community with people who have undergone similar experiences as me,” he told me.
Affinity groups, like gender and sexuality alliances, build community, forming the bedrock of a positive school climate and contributing to academic achievement. When students feel they belong, they are able to take the academic risks necessary to engage in meaningful learning.
I started teaching in 2019 and I was brimming with enthusiasm to decorate my first classroom. Eagerly, I arranged the desks into welcoming groups, meticulously organized supplies and hung my pride flag with a sense of purpose. My teacher preparation program emphasized the importance of building a classroom community that was inclusive and reflective of our diverse student body. Motivated by these values, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I endeavored to create a space that celebrated diversity.
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The student response to my efforts was overwhelmingly positive. However, as the initial weeks of the school year progressed, the pride flag sparked protest from a vocal minority of community members.
This incident drew scrutiny from the district administration, ultimately triggering an investigation that persisted into the third quarter of the school year. Despite this disheartening reaction, I was not dissuaded from cultivating an inclusive learning environment, and in its conclusion, I was left with a letter approving the pride flag in my classroom. In 2021, I was displaced from my position at this school.
I stood my ground, because for students like Mason, representation matters. He wrote to me that he “would have been furious if the school had demanded you take down the [pride] flag, especially since it was the only [one] displayed within the school.” This experience led me to a realization that despite the substantial resources invested in DEI initiatives in Colorado, the prevailing drive to maintain “order” often eclipses DEI efforts in the long run.
My story is not isolated. Similar debates are ongoing in states like Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri and Tennessee, as part of a broader movement to expel DEI from schools. Tactics include anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, book bans and opposition to “woke” curriculum.
In Colorado, this growing resistance is underscored by the most recent lawsuit against Denver Public Schools over a “straight pride” flag. While the courts may dismiss the case, local control in Colorado dictates that community members, district administrators and school boards have the final say.
Against this backdrop, community support for DEI initiatives is needed now more than ever, and begins with a public reckoning about the complex nature of oppression, and the liberating force a strong school DEI culture can have in helping students become their most authentic selves.
Dr. Iris Marion Young, noted scholar in the field of political science, argued that justice not only depends on the equitable distribution of social benefits, but also hinges on the forces that enable or obstruct people’s access to these benefits. Institutional obstruction manifests through various forms of oppression and domination — exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence.
The pride flag is a symbol of liberation, recognition, inclusion and support for LGBTQ+ communities who face historical and ongoing forms of oppression. The flag signals an institutional commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students, particularly those from marginalized communities.
By contrast, the concept of a straight pride flag misconstrues the purpose of these symbols since straight individuals are not oppressed for their sexuality.
Mason, now in high school, said displaying a straight pride flag would be upsetting. “It’s comparing a group that faces close to zero hate for who they are to another group who faces day-to-day violence.”
Based on Young’s conception of justice and oppression, a straight pride flag next to a pride flag would undermine the very institutional conditions necessary for LGBTQ+ students to feel safe and supported in schools. Instead of promoting inclusivity, it would suggest a false equivalence between the historical and systematic oppression faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and the experiences of straight individuals, who benefit from dominant cultural norms.
Support for LGBTQ+ flags in schools is a symbolic step toward rectifying injustices and fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment, but more is needed.
Districts need to enshrine DEI language explicitly within policy while also funding initiatives that create safe space for our most vulnerable students. DEI professional development should encompass educators in classrooms, in central administration and on school boards alike.
Genuine allyship transcends well-worded mission statements, demanding concrete protections for teachers and students from those who seek to subvert efforts to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments.
Amanda Escheman is a seventh and eighth grade humanities teacher and the Gay-Straight Alliance sponsor with Cherry Creek School District at Challenge School in Aurora. She is a 2023-24 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellow.
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