+
upworthy
Inclusivity

Teacher told she can't display Pride decorations in her classroom finds the perfect solution

Teacher told she can't display Pride decorations in her classroom finds the perfect solution
via msleja / TikTok

In 2019, the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada instituted a policy that forbids teachers from participating in "partisan political activities" during school hours. The policy states that "any signage that is displayed on District property that is, or becomes, political in nature must be removed or covered."

The new policy is based on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 Janus decision that limits public employees' First Amendment protections for speech while performing their official duties.

This new policy caused a bit of confusion with Jennifer Leja, a 7th and 8th-grade teacher in the district. She wondered if, as a bisexual woman, the new policy forbids her from discussing her sexuality.


Same-sex marriage is legal now in the U.S., so is expressing support for the LGBT community still a political issue?

The issue was even more important for Leja because of her students. As the only openly LGBT teacher in the school, students often come to her to discuss issues they're having with their sexuality.

via msleja / TikTok

"I usually have a flock of 7th and 8th graders who are trying to learn who they are and how they identify, and they come towards me," she told Buzzfeed.

Leja reached out to Trustee Andrew Caudill to see if the new policy included LGBT issues. Specifically, could she display rainbow decorations or mention that she has a girlfriend in the classroom?

"The courts have held LGBTQ+ issues to be political speech and thus, the rainbow flag [is considered] to be political speech, so it cannot be expressed through clothing and other means, such as displaying a flag in your class," Caudill told her in an email released to Buzzfeed News.

He also said that she is able to talk about her relationship.

"I want to be abundantly clear, the policy does not require staff to hide their own sexuality," Caudill told Buzzfeed News.

"Teachers can let students know their sexuality, or mention their significant others, if they wish, regardless of sexuality," he continued. "The policy does not impact who a teacher is, it only impacts the advocacy for a specific political position."

via msleja / TikTok

Leja pushed back against the ruling because, as a member of the LGBT community, the flag represents her identity.

"The issue that I have with it is, I don't think my existence and my identity is a political issue," she said. "I think that being able to have a rainbow flag is as much a part of my identity as anything else."

"It's important for me because I feel like there are students who spend their lives in the closet and especially in middle school; that is when students are starting to figure out where they are," she said. "They go through that time period where they don't know who they are or what they like."

She has also received numerous rainbow-colored and Pride-themed gifts from her students that she displays in her classroom.

"It started off in my first year of teaching with just a rainbow flag; pretty much all of the rainbows added since then have been students giving me rainbow gifts," she said.

So, Leja has found her own way around the new district policy. Instead of displaying rainbow-themed decorations in her class room as support for the LGBT community, she'll continue to do so because she just "really likes rainbows."

"No politics in Ms. Leja's classroom, she just really likes rainbows," she said in a tongue-in-cheek TikTok video. "Rainbows aren't political, not it all, rainbows are just colorful and fun."

Let's be honest, rainbows can't be political. If they are, then so are depictions of the sun, rain, and any other natural phenomena.

To go a step further, if natural phenomena aren't inherently political, then why are expressions of support for the LGBT community? As science clearly shows, being gay is one of the most natural things that can be.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less

An English doctor named Edward Jenner took incredible risks to try to rid his world of smallpox. Because of his efforts and the efforts of scientists like him, the only thing between deadly diseases like the ones below and extinction are people who refuse to vaccinate their kids. Don't be that parent.

Unfortunately, because of the misinformation from the anti-vaccination movement, some of these diseases have trended up in a really bad way over the past several years.

Keep ReadingShow less

A woman looking at her phone while sitting on the toilet.


One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanely Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.

However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

Keep ReadingShow less
via PamTina_/Twitter

Pam's little brother is so sweet.

Pam has a little brother, who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.

Of course, half-siblings are still very much siblings, but Pam's brother doesn't quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.

Keep ReadingShow less

Jennifer Garner's Ziploc care package.

Homelessness has been on the increase in America since 2016 and the numbers exploded in 2020. On a single night in January 2020, there were more than 580,000 individuals who were without a home.

There are many reasons for the increase in homelessness and one of the leading causes is a lack of affordable housing across the country. Housing prices have been on a steady increase and, according to PBS, we are about 7 million units short of affordable housing in the country.

So what can the average person do about this human tragedy taking place in America’s streets? Some people who would like to help don’t feel comfortable giving money to homeless people, although experts in the field say that most of the time it is OK.

Keep ReadingShow less