Buzzfeed News: “But in March of this year, Foreman’s classroom — and life — changed dramatically. One morning, Booker High’s principal, Rachel Shelley, showed up and scanned the room. A rainbow hat from Foreman’s collection had to be taken down. A student had given Foreman a Mickey Mouse pen with a rainbow head — that too had to be removed. The principal asked for student-created posters that read “All Students Deserve Equal Education” and “All Minds Matter” to be taken down from the bulletin board in the hall. The pride flags, cape, and “Safe Space” stickers from the Trevor Project, a nonprofit group focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth, all had to go.
“Anything that could even remotely be construed as gay-related came down. It wasn’t me putting this stuff up. It was the kids. It was their classroom too,” Foreman said. “Rainbows now symbolize politics.” (In an email, Sarasota County Schools spokesperson Craig Maniglia said, “Mrs. Foreman as well as other teachers were asked to take down posters and flags that were deemed political. Teachers were never asked to remove personal items. Mrs. Foreman may have voluntarily removed items from her classroom.”)”