The school board calls the art of homosexual students ‘offensive’ to Christians

A conservative Virginia school board member singled out a queer student this weekend by calling an emergency meeting to determine whether or not their artwork should be included in the school’s spring show.

Abby Driscoll’s piece on religious trauma, “But Not Enough to Save You,” was created for Fort Defiance High School’s spring show, which had an explicit theme of “trauma.” It depicts praying hands holding a rosary surrounded by rainbow pages from the Bible, next to the powerful statement, “GOD LOVES YOU BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU.”

“This piece is representative of the idea that growing up queer meant you couldn’t be saved by God,” the description reads. “I grew up with a religious background and that influenced this project. The idea of ​​the glowing red cross is to represent evil in the eyes of God and the bleeding rainbow represents devotion versus identity.”

Augusta County School Board member Tim Simmons said on Facebook that the heartfelt piece was “considered offensive to some, including myself” and that the board would discuss it in a special closed session Saturday evening. He said the board is “working with our legal counsel and I am currently reviewing the Supreme Court rulings relevant to this situation.”

Driscoll’s family told a local news station News Leader Sunday that they had not been informed about the meeting in advance, and that she, like everyone else, was aware of the decision to allow her art to remain via social media.

Although not all details of the closed-door meeting have been revealed, Driscoll’s director reportedly stood up for her, and Simmons’ attempt ultimately failed. The conservative then took to Facebook to say that the board had “agreed to work on a policy that will address these types of issues in the future.”

“For now, the artwork in question will be removed by the time students arrive back at school on Monday as the art exhibition ends on Sunday,” he wrote.

Simmons was mercilessly mocked by his constituents under both of his posts, with several people condemning his infringements on Driscoll’s rights to free speech and expression.

“Imagine believing that you have the right to go through life without seeing anything that might offend you. Imagine trampling on the rights of others just to make sure that there is no way you could be offended,” one person wrote.

“Wow…who are the snowflakes again?” added another.

One commenter, who said they serve on the local school board, wrote: “From one school board member to another, this is embarrassing for you, and sad for the students in your district. To suggest that the offense others have committed in this work of art trumps the very real pain that *your student* – who you are supposed to represent and care for – is trying to convey is ridiculous.