Conservatives and the Fear of Rainbows

This has to stop.

Recently, the Waukesha, Wisconsin school board voted 9-0 to fire a teacher named Melissa Tempel. Waukesha is a conservative community and votes strongly Republican. An elementary school teacher, Tempel asked for permission for her students to sing “Rainbowland,” a charming song written by Miley Cyrus, Oren Yoel, and Dolly Parton. The school board declared the song to be “controversial.” However, Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection,” which I guess seems more traditional, was approved. Tempel stated publicly that the children were excited about singing “Rainbowland” at a school performance and were disappointed when permission was refused.

The song strikes me as positive and joyful. Dolly Parton herself said that, “How about we make this song about wanting to live in a free & safe world, you know, we all want to live in a Rainbowland.” Judging from the school board’s vote, maybe some people prefer to be grumps. I guess. 

Here are some of the song’s lyrics:

“Living in a rainbowland
Where you and I go hand in hand”

Or, how about this?

“We are rainbows, me and you
Every color, every hue
Let’s shine through
Together we can start living in a rainbowland”

That all seems harmless enough. Still, gay clubs often display a rainbow flag, and the rainbow has long symbolized diversity and connection. I guess diversity scares people. Maybe letting people live together in peace offends the school board to their core. Maybe a safe, loving, make-believe place scares them. Or maybe they’re just insecure and don’t like to be called out in public. Who knows?

Rainbows have long symbolized linkages and relationships. Rainbows do not merely show the entire spectrum of colors, but they also link the sky to the earth. Furthermore, as a symbol of unity, the rainbow does not belong to any one group. In ancient Greece, the rainbow created a link from the gods to humanity. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, in the Bible’s first book, God says that the rainbow represents “a token of a covenant between me and the earth” (Gen. 6:13), while, in the Bible’s last book, an angel with a rainbow announces the fulfillment of justice (Rev. 10). I would think that everyone loves rainbows.

The teacher wasn’t fired, however, just because she wanted her students to sing a rainbow song. She was fired after she complained on social media that her students weren’t allowed to sing this rainbow song. In other words, she was fired for exercising her First Amendment right to complain about a governmental decision. The First Amendment exists precisely to protect that kind of speech. A successful lawsuit will no doubt ensue. I hope the school board has good insurance. 

Still, there is a larger point. How can we solve our problems if we won’t even listen to one another? How can we resolve our differences if people use the power of government to crush dissent? How can a political party that markets itself as the guardian of liberty, freedom, and constitutional rights expect to retain any credibility if it uses its power to punish harmless disagreements? How can we, as a nation, solve our problems if we won’t even listen to one another? The answer, of course, is that we can’t.

Yesterday, I blogged about a speech in which Abraham Lincoln appealed to “the better angels of our nature.” Speaking only for myself, I would like to hear from the better angels more often.

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P.S.: I hope no one ever tells the Waukesha school board about “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows.” Or that song in the Wizard of Oz. Or… Or… Or…

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P.P.S. Like most communication professors, I’m a big advocate of free expression and the First Amendment. After all, speech is what we teach. Here are some previous posts in which I complained about the suppression of free speech on colleges and school campuses:

Free Speech on Campus? It Happened Again!

Free Speech on College Campuses - Time for Some Humor?

Student Lulabel Seitz Exercised Her First Amendment Rights - and Was Cut Off!

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Image: ©Elaine Clanton Harpine