Keep Flags and Classrooms Neutral; Protecting Childhood, Not Promoting Agendas

Keep Flags and Classrooms Neutral; Protecting Childhood, Not Promoting Agendas By Councillor Lisa Robinson Every June, institutions across Canada are pressured to fly the Pride flag in recognition of Pride Month. What began as a civil rights movement has evolved into something far more political and ideological-one that many school boards and parents are now rightfully questioning. Increasingly, school boards are refusing to raise the Pride flag, not out of hatred or fear, but out of a sincere desire to protect childhood and maintain the neutrality of our public institutions. Let’s be honest: the Pride flag today isn’t just about acceptance or inclusion. It has become a symbol of an agenda that centers on adult themes-sexuality and gender identity-across an ever-expanding spectrum. When government buildings and schools fly that flag, they’re not just promoting kindness, they’re promoting an ideology. And when it comes to children, that crosses a line. Children are impressionable. Schools should be places of learning, not arenas for social experimentation. Parents have every right to demand that education remain focused on reading, math, science, and history, not personal pronouns and sexual identities. This isn’t about homophobia or transphobia. It’s about age-appropriateness, parental rights, and keeping politics out of the classroom. Let me be clear: I have never opposed just the Pride flag-I’ve opposed any political or identity-based flag flying on government buildings. That’s not hate. That’s a call for neutrality. Our government institutions, especially our schools, should fly only the national flag, the provincial flag, and the flag honoring veterans who died defending our freedoms. That’s what unity looks like. That’s what respect for all Canadians looks like-not elevating one group above another by displaying their symbols on public property. I know firsthand what it costs to stand up for neutrality. I lost pay and faced public shaming in 2023 when I said I didn’t believe in flying any flag for any group. My colleague’s lied and twisted my words, accusing me of being racist or hateful, because I stood for equal treatment. That’s the irony of today’s climate: demand neutrality, and you’re labeled intolerant. There’s a growing grassroots response to this pressure. Every year, thousands participate in the Pride Walkout Day, organized in part by Campaign Life Coalition. It’s a peaceful act of resistance-a stand for childhood, for parental rights, and for the belief that tolerance doesn’t require blind allegiance to every symbol or slogan. Refusing to fly ideological flags is not an act of hate-it’s an act of principle. It protects the integrity of our institutions and preserves the innocence of our children. We can teach respect and kindness without hanging a new flag every month. Government buildings are not billboards. Schools are not soapboxes. And our children are not pawns. Let’s return to common sense. Let’s keep government neutral, classrooms safe, and childhood sacred.