School boards across the country are banning Pride flags, citing flag restrictions as a means to avoid favoring any one group over another.
LGBTQ advocates say the bans are an extension of curriculum bans restricting mentions of LGBTQ topics.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is teaming up with the Gilbert Baker Foundation to create legal resources for communities fighting back against Pride flag bans
The Gilbert Baker Foundation has tracked dozens of instances of municipal governments banning certain flags on government property and school boards passing restrictions banning Pride flags in schools.
Two California school boards passed flag bans this week, banning all flags except the U.S. flag and the state flag, with limited exceptions.
The ACLU says municipal policies banning only the Pride flag are considered "viewpoint discrimination" under the First Amendment.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled First Amendment protections extend to "teachers and students," neither of whom "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."
Until a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Pride flag bans reaches the Supreme Court, municipalities and school boards can keep passing blanket flag bans.
LGBTQ advocates say Pride flags are important for young LGBTQ people, who need all the affirmation they can get.