I am reaching out to convey my concerns regarding the “hate tactic” that occurred at Gardiner Area High School last June during Pride month, which prompted concerning decisions being made consequently (“‘Heated’ student argument over Pride, Trump flags prompts Gardiner school to only allow display of American flag,” June 6).
As an alumnus of GAHS (2002), and a Maine state college-educated, queer-identified woman, the circumstances surrounding this issue are both concerning and embarrassing. Placing a Trump flag over (not adjacent to) a Pride flag is an intentional “hate tactic,” which in actuality is not political, but a civil liberties issue. I purposefully differentiate the two because being a political supporter is a choice and being gay is not. If someone had placed a Trump flag over a poster of Martin Luther King Jr., this would have been handled in a very different way, and unfortunately, these issues are more alike than the administration is recognizing. It was a slippery slope in Florida to go from “don’t say gay” policies, to book banning, to rewriting black American history for the benefit of a political agenda. Does Gardiner and the state of Maine really want to set a similar precedent?
The mishandling of this situation is a local representation of tolerating hate and ignoring an injustice on an already marginalized group. In a time when the demographics of Maine are aging, can we really afford to give the youth one more reason to leave the Gardiner community and potentially the state? I am a part of this statistic, leaving Gardiner upon graduation to move to the southern part of the state to find acceptance, tolerance, and diversity, without any reason to return and contribute to the Gardiner area.
As a response to these circumstances, I am urging the Gardiner community to take action and build up better support for their LGBTQIA++ community and help to reestablish their voices.
Christina Hart
Windham
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