A rural Minnesota school district found itself in the cross-hairs of some folks pretty riled over the display of a rainbow flag in the community’s middle school.
Earlier this year, a small display was put together in the cafeteria in the community middle school in Marshall, Minnesota, a community of about 12,000 located in the southwestern portion of the state, about three hours from Minneapolis. The display included flags representing nations from around the world, and a rainbow pride flag.
Twice now in recent weeks, residents came to the school board meeting, expressing their outrage at the presence of the flag.
Resident after resident took to the mic and said they had a problem with the flag appearing in a public school. Many quoted scripture, claiming being gay or trans went “against God’s preordained purposes and order," and the rainbow flag might “confuse” or demoralize students who feel the same way.
Some brought up conversion therapy – the debunked practice of trying to turn a queer person straight or a trans person cis -- in a positive light. Some were just generally upset.
It was at the second meeting that the spectre of a lawsuit arose.
Minneapolis-based attorney Bill Mohrman, one of the speakers at the public forum, said he represented a group of people concerned that the Marshall School District did not have a policy in place to prevent displays at the schools from favoring one viewpoint over another.
“They need to have a policy in place,” Mohrman said to reporters after the forum. Mohrman said it appeared the LGBT flag had been put up at the MMS principal’s sole discretion instead. “Our hope is … for the school board to vote to have an attorney develop some viewpoint neutral policy,” he said.
If not, Mohrman said, there may be a lawsuit against the school.
Marshall is not your stereotypical backwater rural community. It is the home to Southwest State Minnesota University, along with Schwan’s Company, maker of Schwan’s Ice Cream and Red Baron Pizza. Its population has, like many rural areas where a food business is located, has undergone major demographic changes in recent years, moving from typical Scandinavian to a more diverse look including a large number of Somali refugees and immigrants, though it still is over 80% white. The county that includes Marshall also did support candidate Donald Trump by 60% in 2016.
The letters-to-the-editor in the local paper, the Marshall Independent, saw a fair share of point/counter-point, including this one by a brave young man, willing to put his name forward, likely knowing he’d get push-back:
As a gay male in this school district, I have felt that the LGBTQ+ community is less represented than it should be. Data shows having this flag up will have an immensely positive effect on LGBTQ+ youth in our school system. I know that if I were to have that flag hung while I was in middle school it would have made me feel much more represented and cared for while being what is viewed as an “abnormality” in today’s world
Will the lawsuit actually arrive at the doorstep of the school board? Doubt it. But that won’t stop locals I am sure from continuing the threats.
And if you want some entertaining viewing, here is a link to the board meeting from this past Tuesday, which also featured a speaker who had it on good authority that most gay people have an average life span of only 42 years. Okay then...