A 10-year-old Arkansas boy name Will Phillips has decided that he cannot in good conscience pledge allegiance to the flag as long as the country for which it stands refuses legal equality to its GLBT citizens. That stand has brought young Mr. Phillips anti-gay taunts in the lunch room, but admiration from around the country, reports a Nov. 5 Arkansas Times article. The West Fork School District fifth grader clashed with a substitute teacher for his refusal to stand for the pledge, prompting a call to Will's mother, Laura Phillips. When the principal acknowledged that Will has the right to refuse to say the pledge, Ms. Phillips asked that her son receive an apology--a request that the principal declined to honor.... That led the young man to his decision not to pledge his allegiance due to the injustice he perceived to prevail against gays and lesbians. He discussed the matter with his family and then took his stand--or rather, refused to stand with the rest of the kids when the time for the pledge came around each morning.
Sometimes, it really does take the youngest among us to show us how thoroughly and completed screwed up we are in the case of Will Phillips, a 10-year-old boy has displayed a degree of moral courage most adults couldn't begin to approach.
Whether or not you think that Phillips' attempt at civil disobedience is a good thing or not, he made a moral decision in taking a stand on an issue that struck him as important. Given that an adult doing something similar is a rare enough thing, Phillips' standing for what he thinks is right is even more remarkable. Beyond that, his parents deserve a round of applause for encouraging their son desire and willingness to express himself. Far too many parents would have discouraged, perhaps even forbidden, their child from taking a similar stand. This would explain why so many of us carry ourselves like mute sheep...or vent our considerable unfocused ignorance and hatred at Tea Parties.
The one aspect of this take that strikes me as truly sad is the abuse that Phillips has been taking from his peers. Most of them probably don't even know what being gay really means- other than "gay" is "different"...and "different" is a bad thing. They certainly seem to have absorbed the hatred and ignorance channeled by their parents...which only demonstrates that hatred in not innate. It's a learned behavior...and one that far too many parents are willing to teach their children.
Will Phillips' principled protest likely will accomplish exactly nothing in terms of achieving equal rights for ALL Americans, regardless of sexual orientation. What he is doing, however, is demonstrating just how narrow-minded and hateful adults (and their children) can be. Now there's something to be proud of, eh?
