Indiana AG Denounces Classroom Rainbow Banners as “Woke”
Todd Rokita posted photos of the Indianapolis high school classroom to a state website tracking alleged student "indoctrination."
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, recently criticized an Indianapolis high school classroom displaying rainbow-colored banners and signs supporting LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
On July 21, Rokita shared two photos of flags and decorations displayed inside a classroom at Perry Meridian High School. One photo shows a string of international flags hanging above a bulletin board with three larger banners, two of them rainbow-colored. One reads “Love Wins,” while another states “Science is real. Black lives matter. No human is illegal, Love is love. Women’s rights are human rights. Kindness is everything.” The third depicts a raised fist in rainbow colors.
Another banner elsewhere in the classroom reads “Black Lives Matter.”
“Parents have a right to know exactly what’s being taught — and displayed — in their child’s classroom,” Rokita wrote on social media. “This Perry Meridian High School classroom prominently features multiple examples of woke ideology on its walls.”
Rokita added that to “promote full transparency in how our schools educate our children,” he had posted the photos to the “Eyes on Education” portal. Indiana Republicans launched the website in 2024 to document alleged “indoctrination” in public schools and instances of educators allegedly “driving a wedge between parents and teachers,” according to The Guardian.
As reported by talk radio station WIBC 93.1 FM, conservative radio host Tony Katz criticized the banners displayed in the photos.
Conservative radio host Tony Katz also criticized the banners, according to Indianapolis talk radio station WIBC 93.1 FM.
“The only flag that should be in a classroom is the American flag,” Indianapolis conservative radio host Tony Katz said. “It’s a history classroom, and you’ve got the flags of the countries. I can live with that as long as they’re actually countries and not anything ideological. No gay pride flags, no trans flags in a classroom. Absolutely not ideological flags, Nope, no place for that, absolutely none.”
Katz rejected the argument that the banners constituted protected free speech, saying the classroom is not a place for “personal soapboxing.”
“If you’re ideological and not educational, you’re not good enough for our kids. You have to go,” he said.
Several commenters on Rokita’s Facebook post disagreed with his assertion that so-called “woke” ideas have no place in classrooms.
“Imagine seeing a poster that says ‘Love wins’ and getting mad about that,” one Facebook user commented.
“Teaching acceptance and compassion seems appropriate…in fact, it helps to support bullying prevention efforts,” a second user wrote.
“If this is a real classroom, I am so happy and proud that kids are in a safe, inclusive environment like this,” a third user commented.
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