The Queer Legislators Caucus of the Minnesota Legislature has spoken out against a decision by Worthington’s school board to take down flags representing LGBTQ+ and Puerto Rican identity.
The school board has been debating the issue since the fall after a parent complained to the superintendent over an LGBTQ+ pride flag with the words, “Everyone is Welcome Here.” A science teacher at Worthington High School put up that flag in his classroom along with a Puerto Rican flag.
The teacher has announced plans to leave at the end of the school year. And Worthington isn’t the only district in the state to have entered culture-war debates over LGBTQ+ pride symbols or books. Farmington and St. Louis Park are other recent examples.
Sahan Journal Education Reporter Becky Dernbach has been following this issue, including in Worthington, where the controversy was first reported by the Worthington Globe. Dernbach joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.
From Sahan Journal Worthington school board votes to remove LGBTQ+, Puerto Rican flags from majority Latino school
Leaders at The Worthington Globe believe a vandalism incident was connected to the reporting on the issue. They sent MPR News this statement:
“Sometime during the evening of Nov. 28 or overnight, someone vandalized a vehicle belonging to a Globe employee. The vandalism included homophobic messages spray painted on the driver’s side doors, hood, trunk and windows. The driver’s side mirror was also kicked in and left dangling by wires. Among the messages were ‘Go Home!.’
The Globe and its parent company, Forum Communications Co., believe the vandalism was directly related to reporting done by The Globe on an issue within Independent School District 518. The issue, which arose in October, involved district administration requesting the removal of an ‘Everyone is welcome here’ banner displayed in a high school science teacher’s classroom, as well as the Puerto Rican flag. The Globe reported on the district’s actions and interviewed the impacted teacher, as well as the president of the local teacher’s union and a student who was among a group who protested the removal of the items.
That and subsequent stories on the issue led the district to host a public listening session on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and follow-up public comment at its Tuesday meeting that week. Those stories appeared in the Nov. 25 e-edition of The Globe.
Three days later, someone vandalised one of our staff member’s vehicles. We believe the staff person was followed home after either the listening session or the board meeting, and returned when the vehicle was parked in the driveway, rather than the garage, overnight.
The act of vandalism has shaken up our entire team at The Globe. We are tasked, as journalists, with reporting the news in our community. Initially we felt threatened, vulnerable and afraid of what might happen next. We were — and still are — angry, angry because we were doing our job, angry that someone would choose vandalism to send us a message and angry that there are people in our community who think they can threaten the news media in this way.”
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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