A 17-year-old student continues to recover following a brutal beating by a classmate. The reason for the attack: The bully saw his victim carrying the pride flag.
The incident happened at Southwestern High School in the southern community of Piasa, Illinois. School administrators had promoted a “red, white, and blue,” day encouraging students to bring their favorite flags to school. The Jacksonville Journal-Courier reports that when a classmate noticed the student’s pride flag, he asked him to throw it away. When the student refused, his classmate attacked him, punching him in the head.
At the time of this writing, the extent of the victim’s injuries remains unclear.
Police later detained the assailant and charged him with excessive battery. He remains at a juvenile detention center and could face hate crime charges in the future.
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Fellow students at Southwestern High, meanwhile, have sided with the bully.
“You wear a gay Pride flag to school and you don’t expect people to do anything? You go to Southern (sic) High, where we support the Confederate flag and you wonder why you get beat up?” one student posted to social media.
“It’s disrespectful to wear a pride flag on patriotic day, it’s not queer day,” another posted.
The victim’s brother also released screenshots of a terse conversation he had with a fellow student. When he asked what happened that got a student arrested, the “friend” showed little sympathy.
“Some gay kid brought a gay pride flag in and some kid beat the [expletive] out of him,” the classmate said, punctuating his statement with laughing emojis.
When the victim’s brother objected, the classmate showed no sympathy.
“Well don’t send him in a country ass school wearin’ some gay (expletive) if you don’t want his ass beat.”
2021 has seen a number of attacks on LGBTQ students and the pride flag in high schools across the United States. In Florida, a group of students carrying makeshift Confederate flags attacked a group of students promoting the school’s queer-straight alliance. In May, a 14-year-old student endured an attack from classmates for carrying the pride flag to school. In April, video of students defacing the pride flag at a Colorado high school went viral.
muscl954
Where is Carrie when we need her?
Heywood Jablowme
This is particularly disgusting in a Northern state, the ‘Land of Lincoln’ as their license plates say. I looked up the county and it’s right next to Sangamon County where Lincoln lived. Obviously they don’t teach much history there if they think Confederate flags are normal and to be expected in any “country” high school. A lot of those kids probably had ancestors in the Union Army. There’s not even a mention of what the school authorities are doing, if anything, but if it’s like my high school they’re thinking up creative ways to blame the victim. At least the police charged the bully and locked him up!
Kangol2
Very true, though Piasa, at least according to the map, is not far from Missouri, which was a slave state, so perhaps these clueless young Confederate-loving hatemongers are so historically illiterate they’re confusing their anti-slavery state with the one not too far away across the Mississippi River. Several neighboring counties (Madison, Greene, etc.) are part of the St. Louis, Missouri metro area too. At any rate, they badly need some factual history and civics lessons, including that Illinois sent a sizable contingent of soldiers, including Black ones, to DEFEAT the Confederacy,
PQ
We have a definite tension between the blue and red counties in IL, and there are even state representatives who occasionally introduce legislation for us to become 2 different states. There are groups that protest Chicago’s “dominance” over the red southern counties, as 40% of our state population lives in Cook County. And Chicago area democrats hold the vast majority of seats in state government. But the reality of the situation is that they get back $2.81 for every tax dollar they put in and the northern counties lose anywhere from 10 to 47 cents on every dollar. They might have to follow our laws on things like abortion and immigration, but we have to pay for whatever it is they do down there. Tractor pulls, maybe? Pig racing? I dunno.
cubcmh
Illinois is a Midwestern state, not Northern. And Piasa is 4.5 hrs from Chicago, but relative close to St. Louis (arguably a Southern city.)
It’s redneck country.
Gandalf The Grey
Even the southern states only started flying the confederate flag after the beginning of the civil rights movement. It’s no longer a symbol of the confederacy (and insurrection) it’s been a symbol of hate for some time. And my teachers never did anything to help me when I was getting beat up right in front of them! And I lived in a so called liberal suburb in a liberal state!
My2CentsWorth
It seems odd to see people with the Confederate flag being U. S. nationalists. I think that I saw a photo in which one of the raiders of the capitol building with Confederate and a Nazis flags, on a sawn on patch.
Kangol2
I’m also glad the cops arrested the violent hatemonger. As I said in my previous comment, it sounds like all of these kids could use a thorough, factual US history and civics lesson. They seem not to know about either Illinois’s relation to the Confederacy or respecting the free speech of their classmates.
My2CentsWorth
If a factual history was taught to them many would reject it. They are mentally condition to accepting what they do and are not likely to be interested in facts that don’t support their existing view of reality.
rbernard
I think the school should make an example out of the bully to deter this from ever happening again.
We are living in 2021 and not 1956.
There is no excuse for the antigay bullying and violence on a gay student.
The school has a responsibility to break the prevailing attitude of the students towards gay people.
The violence the bully unleashed on the victim is unacceptable under any circumstances and all students should be taught that – it should be ingrained in their heads. .
As a follow-up action item for the principal, some well done diversity training for the entire student body could be helpful to unwind this tense situation.
Invader7
Fitting punishment : said teen gets to shove his Pride flag pole up his tormentors asses !!!
Mr. Stadnick
” we support the Confederate flag” That war was over 150 plus years ago and still this country is filled with hate filled Confederate morons. The entire town should be ashamed of the people they are and the children they have raised.
barryaksarben
Idiots havent learned a thing if they still support the traitors of the south. I am from IOWA another hate state. Ignorant white straight assholes just keep churning out generation after generation of bigots
Tombear
The parent teaches the child to hate. Babies don’t hate anyone.
Prax07
Sounds like a hick school, with hick students, and hick adults. Country trash the lot of them.
Hank31
Was he carrying the actual Pride flag, or the racist, transjacked fake version of the Pride flag?
Kim2
The actual Pride Flag.Are you happy now?
wikidBSTN
Oh lookie at Hank31’s super not-so-clever attempt to sew division among queer ranks. Twat.
Hank31
@Kim2 Yes
@wikidBSTN 1) It’s “sow” not “sew.” 2) Gay people aren’t “queer.” 3) The last word you used in your comment is misogynistic. Do better.
Bosch
You’re not going to bridge the gap between gays and homophobes by pandering to their hatred, Hank.
Bosch
You seriously gonna act pissed and toxic, and then cry like a baby over the word “twat”? You have some growing up to do.
Cam
The same old right wing troll ALWAYS coming in to excuse bigots and try to find some reason why it’s ok to have attacked the LGBTQ person.
Your troll game is sad and weak.
DefiantOne
I’m so glad bitter, angry hatemongers like you caused the White House, Senate, House, Arizona and Georgia to flip blue, and now Dementia Donald’s white supremacist base is killing itself off with antivax stupidity lol
daevygee
Umm.. the last part “Colorado high school went viral.”
That was in Utah bro…..
wikidBSTN
What are they teaching at this school?
dhmonarch89
since when is Illinois a Southern state???
PerhapsYesNoMaybe
Sounds like the people who sympathize with the bully wouldn’t mind being sterilized in response, since they say it’s okay to harm people you dislike, right? Or are they just a bunch of pathetic hypocrites? And the people who like the Confederate flag won’t mind being tried for treason against the USA, right?
GreekKeys
So, the gay flag is patriotism, now? For the country of Gay? And which flag was it? The original, where the rainbow meant “everyone”? Or the new, ugly, chevron invaded one, where the omnipresent professional victims carved out their own space and colors to seprerate themselves from everyone else with their etrnal message of “we’re special”?
DefiantOne
You’re going to die bitter, angry and alone. I love the taste of gayKK tears. #VoteBlue #MAGAIsAMentalDisease
Halfnhalf
I never read that the flags were specifically American or to show patriotism. Your whole statement is based on assumption. Assuming things is fun. I assume you prefer the Confederate flag over the American flag. It’s probably not true, but I can assume it . I then can take my assumption and call you a traitor. Which is unpatriotic and as a veteran and a patriot would bother me. Being phobic is a mental disorder you know. You’re obviously a troll.
miller2900
….. I must have received a different article. The article that I read stated that administrators encouraged students to bring “their favorite flags”! There didn’t appear to be a distinct directive to bring a specific type flag…patriotic or otherwise.
revjimbrooking
People need to be held accountable for their actions both young and old. There is too much hate going on in this country and it will continue until people are made to pay for their actions. If this “bully” was old enough to intimidate/physically harm a young man he is old enough to pay the price!
Terrycloth
Typical of bullies in a group..large loud followers. Get them.alone one by one they back down ..I bet if half the crowd at the Capitol decided screw this and started to all go home most of the crowd would have as well.
At best this bully should be used as an example it’s not acceptable behavior. This backwards school needs a history intervention…hope the kid is doing ok..
JRamonMc
Yet school boards and officials can’t understand why mass shootings happen in schools. Bullying being the number one cause. Come on people, it’s not rocket science!
daddytop
““You wear a gay Pride flag to school and you don’t expect people to do anything? You go to Southern (sic) High, where we support the Confederate flag and you wonder why you get beat up?” one student posted to social media.
Um, supporting the Confederate flag makes you a traitor. God, these kids are dumb.
squinney7007
The parents of these kids must be lovely. Alos, I would bet money that the bully secretly loves the D.
squinney7007
“also”
Edinocala
The bully should be locked away in a juvenile facility until he turns 18. Obviously their educational system is failing, maybe their justice system is better, but I doubt it.
KyleMichelSullivan
We need to learn how to protect ourselves because these little shits are growing up to be adult shits. And I mean ability to fight and shoot. Sometimes the only thing that will stop a bully is getting the shit kicked out of him…or as .45…
scotty
Those kids and their entire family trees are beyond worthless pieces of shit. Proving kids worthless by every prior generation.
Consider This
One thing seems quite clear – there is still PLENTY of hatred for LGBTQ folks to go around. This trend appears to be on an unmistakable upswing. It is a part of our history but also looks to be a very concerning part of our future.
This type of raw hatred is FAR from an isolated incident…
strap2900
You gotta blame their gun toting, Confederate flag carrying, redneck parents. Hate is taught.
RyanMBecker
From the article: “Police later detained the assailant and charged him with excessive battery.”
What is “excessive battery”? That implies that a little battery is fine. Really? Why isn’t this just charged as an assault?
RyanMBecker
What morons. “Red, white and blue” day merely implies that such colors are encouraged. They are not required, and many students don’t participate. And it certainly does NOT mean that other colors or flags aren’t allowed. Indeed, some variants of the gay flag do include white.
Using these morons’ reasoning, I guess all other symbols of affiliation and pride should be banned on that day, from a crucifix to a yarmulke to yes, the Confederate flag. And the Russian flag can be flown in all its glory. Idiots.
cuteguy
This sounds like this is coming from Fox News country, where they promote hate against the oppressed and minorities. They should close that school down and bus them to a more suburban school where these hillbilly rednecks will got the snot beat out of them
Sanjo
If this was a bad gay movie (like the free ones on Tubi), the bully would be a closeted guy who feared anyone finding out his truth. The victim would eventually forgive him before they eventually fall in love. Three required nude scenes before the end.