A single student’s protest has prompted an international wave of support in the fight against a controversial ban on flags in Temecula schools.
Moxxie Childs, 16, is defying the Temecula Valley Unified School Board by passing out mini Pride flags at Great Oak High School where he is a junior.
Childs is also transgender and opposes the school board’s recent ban on the display of any flags on campuses other than the American and California flags.
“Holding flags is different from displaying them because displaying implies they stay in one place and all the flags are being carried around by different people. So, they cannot hand out discipline for just carrying around these flags," Childs said.
He bought his first 200 rainbow flags with his own money.
Then a social media post went viral, and he started getting flags and money from supporters around the world.
“At this point, I think someone from every continent except probably Antarctica has donated to this cause," Childs said. "And I really appreciate that because we all band together to support each other and stand for each other."
Childs said he now has more than 3,000 donated rainbow flags he hoped to start sharing with other Temecula Valley schools.
He has also launched a GoFundMe page, which protests the flag policy and other actions by the Temecula Valley Unified school board, including a transgender policy.
In late August, the trustees voted to require notification to parents if their child makes a change to their gender identity on campus.
About 100 students marched from Great Oak High School to a nearby park last Friday.
The students walked out of their classes for about an hour, many of them carrying or wearing rainbow and transgender flags.
Koda Dickinson,16, is one of the students who helped organize the walkout. Dickinson said, "Our school board is very religious and allows their anti-LGBTQ religious views to cloud their judgment on what is best for the students of TVUSD. They corrupt the vision of many conservative parents, convincing them that the LGBTQ community does not belong in schools."
KPBS reached out to district officials for comment on the student protests but did not get a response.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta spoke out against the district’s transgender policy following the its passage in late August.
