Yesterday, it was reported that administrators at a Waukesha, WI, elementary school had banned Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus's "Rainbowland" — from the latter's 2017 album Younger Now — from being performed by first-graders in a school concert because they considered the song too "controversial" for the classroom.
It's another stomach-turning move in a rapidly escalating wave of ant-LGBTQ+ sentiments, as the song's lyrics feature pretty boilerplate sentiments about acceptance and anti-prejudice. The issue, clearly, is the use of the word "Rainbow" in the song's title and its association with gayness.
And while the ban is still under effect, Cyrus has responded by having her Happy Hippie Foundation donate to Pride and Less Prejudice, an organization that "provides free LGBTQ age-appropriate books to classrooms from preschool to third grade." In a series of tweets announcing the donation, the Happy Hippie Foundation said:
"We are rainbows, me and you
Every color, every hue
Let's shine on through… TOGETHER WE CAN START LIVING IN A RAINBOWLAND."
When our founder @mileycyrus and her fairy godmother @dollyparton wrote these words together, they meant it.
To the inspiring first grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU. We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you'll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting
In honor & celebration of your BRIGHT future Happy Hippie is making a donation to @lessprejudice to help make classrooms more inclusive!
At the time of the ban, superintendent James Seber told Fox6 that the school board was concerned "whether ["Rainbowland"] was appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students" and the worried about the "social or personal impacts" on the children, citing the school board's policy against discussing "controversial issues" in class.
"My students were just devastated. They really liked this song and we had already begun singing it," said Heyer Elementary School first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel, via the Associated Press. "These confusing messages about rainbows are ultimately creating a culture that seems unsafe towards queer people."
Administrators had reportedly also initially cut "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppets, but later walked back that decision.
See the Happy Hippie Foundation's tweets below.
It's another stomach-turning move in a rapidly escalating wave of ant-LGBTQ+ sentiments, as the song's lyrics feature pretty boilerplate sentiments about acceptance and anti-prejudice. The issue, clearly, is the use of the word "Rainbow" in the song's title and its association with gayness.
And while the ban is still under effect, Cyrus has responded by having her Happy Hippie Foundation donate to Pride and Less Prejudice, an organization that "provides free LGBTQ age-appropriate books to classrooms from preschool to third grade." In a series of tweets announcing the donation, the Happy Hippie Foundation said:
"We are rainbows, me and you
Every color, every hue
Let's shine on through… TOGETHER WE CAN START LIVING IN A RAINBOWLAND."
When our founder @mileycyrus and her fairy godmother @dollyparton wrote these words together, they meant it.
To the inspiring first grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU. We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you'll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting
In honor & celebration of your BRIGHT future Happy Hippie is making a donation to @lessprejudice to help make classrooms more inclusive!
At the time of the ban, superintendent James Seber told Fox6 that the school board was concerned "whether ["Rainbowland"] was appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students" and the worried about the "social or personal impacts" on the children, citing the school board's policy against discussing "controversial issues" in class.
"My students were just devastated. They really liked this song and we had already begun singing it," said Heyer Elementary School first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel, via the Associated Press. "These confusing messages about rainbows are ultimately creating a culture that seems unsafe towards queer people."
Administrators had reportedly also initially cut "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppets, but later walked back that decision.
See the Happy Hippie Foundation's tweets below.
