We speak with first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel, who was fired last week for a viral tweet in which she criticized the Waukesha, Wisconsin, board of education's decision to ban her students from singing "Rainbowland" during a school concert earlier this year. The hit song about inclusivity by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton includes the lyrics "We are rainbows, me and you / Every color, every hue / Let's shine on through." The school district said Tempel's firing was not about the song but about the way she protested the decision. Tempel says the Waukesha school district's so-called controversial content policy, which bans discussions about race, LGBTQ identity and other speech considered political, is "disturbing" and "dangerous."
Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/20/wisconsin_censors_rainbowland_teacher_melissa_tempel
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Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/20/wisconsin_censors_rainbowland_teacher_melissa_tempel
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Support independent media: https://democracynow.org/donate
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
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