Inclusivity Is Not Political

Twitter user @Frank_ Massaro’s tweet went viral recently after criticizing the display of a Pride flag and Black Lives Matter banner in a classroom. 

LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter have been intertwined for decades and both are being widely spoken about. Due to this, discourse quickly began under Massaro’s tweet, mostly criticizing his disagreement on these displays being in classrooms. While a few agreed with him, most of the comments disagreed with his view. 

“Teaching kids to treat black and queer children with respect and basic human decency is not a political statement,” said Twitter user @thebasedbarkeep. 

As the hours went by, the tweet kept gaining more attention, eventually reaching 47,000 likes. Twitter user @QAria131 replied voicing their own disagreement with the displays, along with a picture of a Black Lives Matter flag with Pride flag colors shown in their son’s elementary school. Users were quick to shift conversation under this reply, angered by the ignorance from the parent. 

“Your son’s elementary is being inclusive,” said Twitter user @winterwidcw. “Get over it.” 

The tweets sparked such a large conversation that they managed to reach other social media platforms like Instagram. Famous for his creative makeup looks advocating for human rights, Instagram user @mattxiv created a post speaking on both tweets. It received many positive comments and reposts on other accounts. 

“The fact that inclusivity has become controversial in this country is disgusting,” said Instagram user @heyaylahey. “Say it louder.” 

Equality is something that is lacking despite what some say, and by taking small steps such as this, reaching that milestone may be possible.