A controversial bill that seeks to ban the display of pride flags and ideological flags in Tennessee public schools ― but does not explicitly prohibit the Nazi or Confederate flags in schools ― advanced through another Tennessee House committee on Wednesday, despite objections from LGBTQ advocates.
As amended, the bill would prohibit the display of any flags that “represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to, a partisan, racial, sexual orientation, gender, or other ideological viewpoint.”
“This bill really addresses one issue, which is whether parents should be the ones who decide what values their children are exposed to when they go to school,” Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood and the sponsor, told colleagues on Wednesday.
Bulso, who is Catholic, has objected to the display of the pride flag and the “set of values” it represents, saying it represents elevation of “same-sex marriage to the same status of traditional marriage.”
Spectators lined the committee room with signs featuring the pride progress flag and rainbow motifs – one of which read “bans off our flags.”