In recent weeks, former Tullahoma alderman Daniel Berry has made it his mission to remove Pride flags from Tullahoma schools, posting repeatedly online and launching a petition to ban all flags except the American and Tennessee flags. 

He argues this would make classrooms “neutral” and prevent students from feeling “singled out.” But in truth, his proposal would do the opposite — it would make LGBTQ+ students feel unseen, unsafe, and unwelcome in their own schools.

This isn’t theoretical. In 2019, Channing Smith, a student at Coffee County Central High School, died by suicide after classmates outed him online. He was 16 years old. His death shook our community and revealed how isolation and bullying can turn deadly for LGBTQ+ youth. 

Yet even after that tragedy, Coffee County’s school board voted in September 2025 to ban Pride flags from classrooms — erasing a symbol that could have offered hope and belonging. We cannot let Tullahoma make that same mistake.

The Pride flag is not political. It does not promote an ideology or agenda — it promotes safety. It tells every student, “You are welcome here.” That message saves lives. 

Studies show that LGBTQ+ youth face devastating risks. In 2024, 49% of LGBTQ+ youth reported being bullied, 39% seriously considered suicide, and 12% attempted it. In Tennessee, those numbers are worse — nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide last year, and one in four attempted. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among Tennessee teens aged 10–17, and LGBTQ+ youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. 

Multiple studies have also shown that LGBTQ+ youth with access to LGBTQ-affirming spaces had up to 35% lower odds of a past-year suicide attempt.

These are not abstract numbers — they represent children in our classrooms, in our neighborhoods, in Tullahoma. Children that we know.

Berry misunderstands the Pride flag's meaning. In his petition, he says that Pride flags should be removed because “our children deserve to walk into classrooms knowing they will not be singled out or made to feel less welcome.” But Berry is describing exactly what the Pride flag stands for. The Pride flag allows LGBTQ+ youth to know they will not be singled out or made to feel less welcome, and if Berry truly empathized with these youth, he would understand that. The Pride flag is a symbol of unity, inclusion, and respect — values that should be promoted in our schools.

To silence this flag is not neutrality; it is exclusion.

This petition calls on the Tullahoma School Board to:

1. Reject any policy that bans Pride flags or other symbols of inclusion in Tullahoma schools.
2. Affirm teachers’ right to create safe, welcoming classrooms for all students.
3. Commit to building a culture of belonging that includes and protects LGBTQ+ youth from bullying, discrimination, and harm.

Tullahoma should be a place where every child — gay, straight, trans, queer, or questioning — walks into school knowing they are safe, seen, and valued. That is what true unity looks like.

Sign this petition to stand for inclusion, compassion, and the safety of Tullahoma’s youth.

Say no to censorship. Say yes to belonging.