Responding to Central Bucks School District Decision Banning Display of Symbols of LGBTQ+ Pride as “Social Policy Issue”
Philadelphia, PA – January 17, 2023: The Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association, the professional organization in Philadelphia providing a community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) legal professionals in the greater Philadelphia region, strongly disapproves of the decision of Central Bucks School District to approve “Policy 321,” which bans the display or discussion of flags or decor relating to "any partisan, political, or social policy issue unless relevant to a lesson." Although the policy appears superficially neutral, it was enacted in order to ban the display of pride flags and the sharing of beliefs that are openly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community in schools. The language used in an earlier version of this policy explicitly addresses flags and items related to “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in the list of banned items, which shows the true exclusionary intent of Policy 321.[1]
Ample data is available that shows the strong, negative impact of anti-LGBTQ+ policies in schools on the lives, safety, and mental health of queer and trans youth.
· According to the 2022 National Survey on Mental Health, LGBTQ+ youth in Pennsylvania, 44% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide. For nonbinary and transgender youth, that number is 54%.
· More than half of all LGBTQ+ youth who consider dropping out of school report a hostile climate at school as the reason.[2]
It is clear that this policy endangers the lives of queer and gender-variant youth and harms their ability to access an education. And it should not be forgotten that this Policy comes to Pennsylvania in light of the increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ+ youth across the nation, from the classroom to the sporting arena. Schools and school districts should be working to provide an inclusive, accepting learning environment rather than taking steps that jeopardize the wellbeing of some of their most vulnerable students.
The Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association stands in solidarity with students, teachers, and parents in the Central Bucks School District who oppose this destructive policy. We offer our support to the students, teachers, and staff whose ability to express their support for LGBTQ+ youth and their pride in their own identities in the classroom has been silenced by this decision of the Central Bucks School Board.
About the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association
The Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to the advancement of the welfare and full equality of the LGBTQ+ community, promotion of the expertise and advancement of LGBTQ+ legal professionals in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, and the education of the larger community on LGBTQ+ legal issues. The Association’s mission also includes promoting the welfare of society by advocating civil and human rights of all persons, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or national origin.
[1] https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/cbuc/Board.nsf/files/CJUM8Z56A7AC/$file/12B-Policy%20321%20for%20First%20Read.pdf
[2] https://www.glsen.org/research/2021-national-school-climate-survey,
