Athens, GA (January 27, 2022) – Georgia Equality, ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Southeast, and SOJOURN were troubled to learn of reports from parents of students at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School in Athens, GA this week indicating that a piece of student artwork containing the phrase “Gay is OK” was removed from a classroom display after a school administrator likened it to displaying a Nazi flag.
Let us say plainly, we condemn any connection between a Pride flag and a swastika – one symbolizes love and connection; the other symbolizes hate and genocide. They should never be treated with any kind of equal standing and it is egregious and unacceptable for any educator to make such a statement.
We have heard from LGBTQ folks in Athens directly, and through the media on this, and their message is clear– there are LGBTQ+ kids and families in this school and all schools. Seeing a statement of “Gay is Good” as controversial is caving into one person’s bias to shame and stigmatizes entire groups of valued members of this learning community.
We commend the Acting Superintendent’s condemnation of comparing the art to Nazi symbolism, but want to acknowledge that he does not address why this student artwork was taken down in the first place nor does he call for its return. Both of these actions are critical steps toward reconciliation here. Our organizations join those locally in Athens to echo their calls for continued transparency as the Board continues its investigation into this matter, and for those who are deemed to have been responsible for this, we call for real consequences.
“It is imperative that educators take care to avoid directly comparing the Holocaust to contemporary issues, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances,” said Allison Padilla-Goodman, ADL Southern Division Vice President. “To remove a flag that celebrates inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and compare it to Nazi symbolism not only inflicts severe pain on those who should feel welcome, but also cheapens the memory of millions who were killed by the Nazis.”
“Full and meaningful inclusion of LGBTQ students in their schools is critical, and yet under attack in Georgia. From artwork in Athens to attempts to ban LGBTQ inclusive materials from school libraries in the General Assembly, these anti-LGBTQ efforts must be stopped” said Jeff Graham, executive director at Georgia Equality. “LGBTQ students, the children of same-sex parents and kids with beloved LGBTQ family members have just as much right to see themselves and their families reflected in the classroom, the library, and on the field of play as other students do.”
“We believe strongly that Judaism supports and celebrates gender and sexual diversity, so to see those values compared to Nazi ideology is jarring,” said Rebecca Stapel-Wax, Executive Director of SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity. “Statements and symbols of support for gender and sexually diverse individuals are not oppressive or hateful; they are necessary, especially in learning environments, to ensure that children feel comfortable showing up as exactly who they are.”
ABOUT
Founded in 1995, Georgia Equality is the state’s largest advocacy organization working to advance fairness, safety, and opportunity for Georgia’s LGBTQ communities and our allies.
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization that was founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry. Today, ADL is the first call when acts of antisemitism occur and continues to fight all forms of hate. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity, empowers communities to advance and celebrate gender and sexual diversity across the South, inspired by values of Jewish identity, education, and community.