'Gay Is OK' Artwork Taken Down, Allegedly Likened to Nazi Flag
WXIA reports. But Friday, administrators asked that the “Gay Is OK” artwork be removed, saying a parent had complained about it.
When challenged, one administrator said exhibiting the picture was comparable to hanging a Nazi flag, parents told the station.Some parents said there has been a pattern of discrimination at the school. “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,” Jemelleh Coes, a parent and professor at the University of Georgia, which has its main campus in Athens, told WXIA. “So we have seen a pattern of inequity at our school and we have been asking for support at this point for years.”“I have two children who attend OAES,” added Gee Campbell, who is transmasculine and nonbinary. “We’ve been part of this school community for four years.
My experiences with the teachers in regards to my transitioning have always been positive and respectful. My daughter is in this classroom, and my immediate thought was What message does this give my daughter about her family?”One teacher, who did not wish to be named, released this statement to the station: “On behalf of a majority of the staff at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, we are disheartened that these words and actions have happened in our school building during this time.
This does not represent why we chose this profession, and it does not represent the feelings, beliefs, values, and attributes our amazing school family has within these four walls.
