As the State Senate considers legislation to ban discussions and displays related to sexual orientation or gender identity in schools, a middle school in Huntsville is prominently showcasing the LGBTQ pride flag in at least one of its classrooms.
1819 News received images of the flag hanging in a classroom along with a large Ukrainian flag and a small American flag.
An image also shows what appears to be a smaller gay pride flag posted on the wall above the teacher's desk.
1819 News emailed and called the school's principal for comment, but did not receive a response.
State Rep. Mack Butler (R-Rainbow City) sponsored House Bill 244 "to prohibit classroom instruction … related to gender identity or sexual orientation," "to prohibit education employees from displaying certain flags and insignia in public preK-12 schools; and to prohibit education employees from referring to a student by pronouns inconsistent with the student's biological sex."
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He said this latest display in the Huntsville middle school showed the need for his bill, which still needs to be approved by the Senate.
"LGBTQ activists seeking to spread their agenda want to influence children when they are at their most impressionable, and the largest concentrations of children that age are found in public schools," Butler told 1819 News.
"Our classrooms must focus on reading, writing and arithmetic rather than promoting cross-dressing, gender fluidity, and alternative lifestyles," he continued. "The vast majority of Alabama's teachers and educators have the common sense and decency to keep their personal political and social views out of the classroom, but for the small percentage that do not, the Legislature can pass laws forcing them to either behave or be gone.
"Our schools were built to educate children, not indoctrinate them," Butler added.
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