17-year-old student beaten for bringing Pride flag to school for flag-themed day

Yep that’s right, literally the day after we reported how Pride flags were now deemed ‘too political’ in great swathes of the USA, now it seems they are hazardous to one’s health as well. 

 

In another shocking assault, a 17-year-old was challenged and told to get rid of the rainbow flag he brought in for the school’s flag-themed day. Asking why he should do that, another student commenced a violent attack, punching him in the head and taking the flag. 

 

This incident, which happened at Southwestern High School in Piasa, Illinois, was reported to the police and the attacker has been charged with aggravated battery and is now being held at a juvenile detention centre. 

 

Unsurprisingly, some of the social media comments reprinted when the original story came out in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier engaged in some classic victim blaming, for example “You wear a gay Pride flag to school and you don’t expect people to do anything? You go to Southern [sic] High, where we support the Confederate flag and you wonder why you get beat up?” Another said, “Don’t send him in a country ass school wearin’ some gay [expletive] if you don’t want his ass beat.”

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The victim’s brother messaged another Southwestern student on Instagram

 

Aren’t people just the BEST! We will NOT be made to live in fear. A Pride flag isn’t a political statement and nor is someone’s sexuality. Things just seem to be going from bad to worse in the USA right now so PLEASE stay safe. 

 

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