Tennessee / Nashville, TN (AP): Republicans interrupted a contentious debate on Monday to adopt a bill that would essentially outlaw the flying of pride flags in public school classrooms. The Tennessee House is governed by the Republicans.
The proposal is sent to the Senate for a final vote, which could take place as soon as this week, following the 70-24 vote. House Speaker Cameron Sexton was yelling at Democratic Representative Justin Jones of Nashville that he was out of line and that he was not honoring people’s requests to speak when the motion to end the debate was made. Republicans immediately stopped Jones’s remarks and chastised him by voting him out of order.
Earlier, when Democrats and other opponents attacked the law for unfairly restricting a significant emblem of the LGBTQ+ community in schools, at least two opponents were ejected from the gallery for talking over the proceedings.
Rep. Jason Powell, a Democrat from Nashville, stated, “I am proud to see the LGBTQ flag in the classrooms, proudly put up by teachers who understand the suffering that many of their students go through.” Powell is a resident of his hometown of Nashville. “Rather than making fun of our students, we ought to be welcoming and celebrating them.”
According to the law, a school or staff member must “exhibit or place anywhere students may see the object” when they “display” a flag.
With some limitations for specific instances, the proposal would permit the display of specific flags. The American flag, Tennessee, items recognized as historical landmarks by state law, Native American tribes, the armed forces of local governments, prisoners of war, and missing in action, foreign nations and their local governments, colleges and universities, or the actual schools themselves would be among those recognized.
Under the measure, those groups permitted to use school buildings may fly their flags while on school property, and other flags may be temporarily exhibited as part of a “bona fide” course curriculum.
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The Act establishes an enforcement mechanism that is based on lawsuits filed by guardians or parents of children enrolled in or qualified to attend public schools within the contested district. Lawsuits may be filed to contest the flying of flags by a school, employee, or representative that do not meet the suggested standards for classroom decor.
The bill’s Republican backer, Williamson County representative Gino Bulso, who represents a district south of Nashville, claimed parents complained to him about “political flags” in the classroom.
Bulso stated that the bill would not alter the existing legislation on the permissible times for displaying such a sign when questioned about whether it would let the Confederate flag to be shown in classrooms. He stated that the bill’s exclusions might apply to Confederate flags used in curriculum that has been approved and to some historical artifacts that are now prohibited from being removed without significant state permission.
“We’re ensuring that parents have the authority to inculcate the values they choose in their children,” Bulso stated.
The proposal is a new development in Tennessee’s political fight for LGBTQ+ rights, where conservative leaders have already taken steps to stifle gender-affirming healthcare, prohibit classroom discussions about gender and sexuality, and restrict events where certain drag performers may perform.
According to the Senate’s version of the measure, only students, staff members, and parents of those students or employees of that particular school may file a lawsuit over a flag.
Town, school, and district authorities that have imposed or are considering implementing flag bans or other forms of pride displays received a letter earlier this month from the American Civil Liberties Union. They cautioned that public schools are only allowed to forbid private speech on campus if it “substantially interferes with or disrupts the educational environment, or interferes with the rights of other students,” as per First Amendment court precedent.
Bulso argued that school personnel do not have the right to free speech protection when they fly the pride flag.
