When several students were invited to paint a mural on the wall to represent pride- they were ecstatic, until they weren’t. 

Several students from Tygarts Valley High School  were invited to create a draft for a drawing, which one so kindly did with the agreement between the students, and presented it to the counselor, as well as the principal. They both agreed it was a great idea and stated they would be proud to have it. With permission to begin paining the mural, they were given paints as well as the materials to begin painting. 

It wasn’t long before several members of the community began protesting about the mural- comparing the pride flag to the confederate flag. 

”If they get their flag, we want ours,” they would say. 

Quickly with one phone call, everything changed. 

Students were baffled by having to paint over the flag with black paint- removing the colors of the pride flag entirely. 

We’re now forced to hide colors from the flags within the painting, which removes the statement almost entirely. 

“Everyone is Equal,” the painting states. 

They tried to silence our voices by telling us that we need to stop saying we were forced to take the flag down- but they can’t silence our voices. We deserve to be recognized in a school where there’s little to no representation of pride. 

They said the draft wasn’t anything like the painting- but it mimics exactly what the students were painting. 

Students want the right to be represented without harassment and without the threat of removing the painting entirely. 

We want the right to have the pride flag painted- without discrimination and without being forced to remove our mural. 

We deserve to be represented!