A transgender student in Temecula is distributing hundreds of LGBTQ pride flags to protest new school district policies he says target LGBTQ students.
Moxxie Childs, who goes by “Flag Boy” online, is documenting his efforts on TikTok, with now over 700,000 views. He has passed out over 600 flags, donated through his Amazon wishlist.
Childs is among a number of Temecula students protesting the policy recently approved by the Temecula Valley Unified School District board — one of which allows only U.S. and California state flags to be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms.
Childs and many Temecula students feel the new policy, adopted at a board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 12, is a coded way of banning pride flags. He and other students plan to protest by walking out of classes Friday, Sept. 22.
Childs, 16, said that “nearly every single person” who spoke at the board meeting about the district’s flag policy was “speaking specifically about pride flags.”
“So even though the policy itself was vague, it felt very targeted and intentional,” the Great Oak junior said.
The policy – adopted on a 3-2 vote – mirrors a similar one in Chino Valley Unified, passed in June, that limits which flags can be displayed on its campuses.
It states that “no flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum.” It also defines flags as “a piece of material of distinct color and design used as a symbol, standard or emblem,” and allows “any other flag” display must be approved by the district Superintendent.
Temecula Valley Unified School District officials did not immediately respond Wednesday, Sept. 20, to requests asking for clarification on whether Childs, or any student, passing out non-U.S. or California state flags on school grounds would be in violation of the policy.
Trustee Allison Barclay, who voted no, said in an email Tuesday that she didn’t have information on how the policy will be “interpreted or enforced.”
“I believe that this is one of the reasons that we should have discussed this further, with input from staff,” Barclay wrote. “Unfortunately there is absolutely no wording in this administrative regulation regarding the placement of the American flag, only ensuring that no other flags, aside from the California State flag, are displayed. There is also no wording regarding stickers, shirts, etc. so to my knowledge, it would appear there can be no restriction of these items.”
Childs said he has received both “a lot of support” and a “fair amount of hostility” on his efforts, and was “overwhelmed” by the response.
“I already got harassed a fair amount for being trans, like people tried to yank out my earrings, yelling stuff at me, stuff like that,” he said. “From the staff, it has been surprisingly positive. They can’t put the flags up in their own rooms, because teachers who have them are now under investigation.”
Childs said he has also been harassed by other students when passing out the flags on campus Friday, Sept. 15. He said he did not report it to the school for fear of “retaliation.” District officials did not comment on Childs’ contention as of Wednesday.
Despite the mixed responses in person and comments from strangers online, Childs has continued to pass out pride flags and heart-shaped rainbow stickers every day at school.
What started out as an almost $70 investment out of his own pocket quickly grew to a bigger crowdfunding effort — with over $2,000 raised on his GoFundMe page, as of Wednesday.
Childs said he hopes to donate money to organizations supporting LGBTQ youth, such as The Trevor Project and PFLAG Temecula. He is also still accepting Amazon wishlist donations so he’s able to pass out more flags until the policies are lifted.
Childs’ father, Michael Childs, called the threats “obviously not good,” but said he trusts Childs to “stay safe while continuing his activism.”
He said he is supportive of the efforts, saying, “If you see something that isn’t right, it’s not only your duty, but you know, it’s good to stand up for it.”
LGBTQ issues have been front and center in the Temecula school district since the school board’s conservative majority, backed by a local Christian political action committee, won a majority of seats on the five-person board.
The school board also blocked a resolution affirming LGBTQ students’ rights, which would have declared the district “has a responsibility to ensure that all students who reside within its boundaries, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, can safely access a free public K-12 education.”
The board majority voted last month to require district staff to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender; a policy many LGBTQ advocates called “forced outings,” while supporters believe protects children. California Attorney General Rob Bonta rebuked the board’s decision, saying that it “targets California’s vulnerable LGBTQ student population,” and “will not tolerate districts compromising the safety and privacy of transgender and gender nonconforming students.”
Despite the recent policies, Childs said the school and most staff at Great Oak are “overall fairly accepting of LGBTQ students.”
“There’s just a few bad apples and unfortunately, some of those bad apples tend to be right on the school board,” Childs said.
His GoFundMe fundraiser also mentions the “attempt to ban textbooks with LGBT history.”
In June, the board majority rejected an elementary social studies curriculum with supplemental materials that referenced LGBTQ civil rights leader Harvey Milk, whom Komrosky and Gonzalez called a “pedophile.” The board eventually adopted the curriculum after Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to send textbooks to Temecula and fine the school district.
Childs said he and other advocates will be part of a student walkout on Friday with other high schools in the district to protest the new policies. The students previously organized a walkout protesting the board’s ban on critical race theory adopted in December.
Friday’s walkouts are set to involve students from the district’s Great Oak, Chaparral and Temecula Valley high schools, as well as Murrieta Mesa High School in the neighboring Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Students participating will be walking across the street from school campuses to nearby parks.
An email from Great Oak administration was sent to parents and students on Wednesday, informing them of the student-led protest.
“TVUSD and GOHS do not support or endorse student walkouts,” the letter said. “The safest place our students can be between 8:30 and 3:30 every day is in a classroom. If a student leaves their classroom to participate in a walkout, they will be marked truant.”
An Instagram post from Temecula LGBTQ Youth, the student-run account organizing Friday’s school walkouts, said they are “rallying for LGBTQ rights and student safety.”
“The district is funding illegal, hateful actions instead of classrooms,” the post said, emphasizing that student protests will be peaceful.
Staff reporter Jeff Horseman contributed to this report.
