Safe Place

 I recently read the story of a teacher who came under scrutiny because she had a rainbow flag hanging outside her classroom door.

 

A school board member in her district said, “There are no flags like the Confederate or Nazi flags allowed so a rainbow flag shouldn’t be allowed either.”

 

I felt sick when I read that statement.

 

The Confederate flag has come to be a symbol of hate and bigotry. The Nazi flag has always been a symbol of the same.

 

The rainbow flag is the symbol of inclusion. And more importantly in schools, it’s a symbol of a safe place—of a teacher whose classroom is safe for a student who may be questioning or struggling—not just with sexuality but with life.

 

Did you know that LGBTQ+ youth are at greater risk for depression, suicide, and substance abuse than non-LGBTQ+ youth?

 

And did you know that creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth (along with anti-bullying and anti-harassment programs) has been shown to reduce this risk?

 

So isn’t hanging a rainbow flag outside her classroom a reasonable thing for a teacher to do when the teacher actually cares for her students?

 

And shouldn’t a school-board member care for the district’s students enough to know this?

 

God. You don’t push yourself on people. You give us the ability to choose. So help us, as leaders, to stop trying to push our morality on others and instead give others the ability to be themselves. The bottom line is that you are Love. And in Love, there is safety and a desire for life—not depression, suicide, and substance abuse. You have given us the responsibility to love. So help us to do that. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s difficult. Even when we don’t understand. You will help us understand if we are willing to have eyes to see. Help us to be willing. And help us to see the beautiful colors of all you have created. Amen.