News and Press

"We've seen fear-mongering after fear-mongering against drag queens, trans people, and against our community as a whole," says Maxx Fenning, president of Prism, a local nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to LGBTQ-inclusive education. "This idea that we're predators and are out for your kids is extremely harmful. When we have this sort of influx of verbal hate, it is almost inevitable that it leads to violence in real life."

Maxx Fleming with PRISM calls the rainbow flag a source of safety and comfort for LGBTQ students, and fears less of both.

"We're so grateful for this grant from the Gannett Foundation, which will allows us to further our work to ensure that young people feel seen, heard, and uplifted in their education," PRISM President Maxx Fenning said.

“We know that this is more than just displaying the flag properly,” he said. “Being able to have empathy and understanding of people who may be different, have different experiences than you is extremely important for emotional and social development.”