Bishops Diocesan College, a leading Anglican private boys’ school in Cape Town, has become embroiled in a renewed dispute over flying the Pride rainbow flag, sparking a wave of online queerphobia.
The latest furore follows a 23 June letter from the Old Diocesan Union (ODU) Committee, the association representing former Bishops students, to the school’s governing body, the Diocesan College Council. The committee called on the council to end the school’s policy of flying the Pride flag for two days during June, which is internationally recognised as Pride Month.
The ODU Committee insisted that the council should adopt a formal policy governing the display of all symbolic flags at the school. It claimed that its objection to the Pride flag was not motivated by homophobia but was instead a matter of “governance”.
Community Rallies Behind Pride Flag
The letter has prompted a strong backlash from almost 400 “parents, Old Diocesans, staff, and friends of Bishops”, who have united under the banner of Supporting a Progressive Bishops. In a statement, the group condemned the ODU Committee’s position.
They argued that flying the Pride rainbow flag “is a small and gentle gesture…[indicating] that the LGBT+ members of the Bishops community, and especially the boys in the school’s own care, are as welcome, as valued and as safe here as anyone else.”
They added: “We support the school’s freedom to make that gesture, and we hope it will continue.”
The group cited South Africa’s Constitution, which protects people from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, as well as the Anglican Church in Cape Town’s history of inclusion. It also stressed the importance of ensuring that every learner knows that “every individual knows that he matters.”
Former Learner Speaks Out
Former Bishops learner Anton Taylor also criticised efforts to remove the Pride flag and publicly distanced himself from the ODU.
In an Instagram video, he explained: “I will have nothing to do with its current administration. I think this is wrong – I have to say something.”
Taylor noted that the Pride flag “only flies for TWO DAYS a year and the ODU Committee still found this unacceptable.” He also pointed out that the school flies several other awareness flags throughout the year to mark occasions such as cancer awareness campaigns and World AIDS Day.
He accused the ODU Committee of disguising “their hatred around an argument that is very basic and flawed” by claiming that allowing one flag would require the school to fly every other flag. Taylor added that the Pride flag is the only one the committee has specifically targeted.
“They are deliberately targeting gay people,” Taylor said. “You are born gay. There will always be gay ‘okes’ at every single school. The only thing the school controls is whether those guys will feel accepted or whether they feel hated. A flag for two days doesn’t encourage anything, it just tells a part of our community that they are accepted.”
Social Media Debate Fuels Queerphobic Comments
The controversy has spilled onto social media, with more than 800 people commenting on a single post published by the popular The Feed CPT Facebook page, which covers Cape Town news and local issues.
While many users expressed support for the Pride flag as a symbol of inclusion, others used the opportunity to post ignorant and openly queerphobic comments that repeated harmful misinformation.
“It’s weird how Bishops would fly the Child Molesters flag when they’ve had children who were molested at that school,” wrote one commenter.
Another claimed: “You cannot be pro LGBT and be a Christian… you have to make a choice out of the 2….”
Others defended the school’s decision.
“The flag is a symbol of equality and inclusion. It’s not anti-Christian nor is it trying to force something on someone. It’s a sign of safe space,” one supporter wrote.
A former Bishops pupil commented: “I recall how homophobic it was. I salute the school for trying to break down the toxic masculinity by flying the flag to show those boys who are not heterosexual that they are acknowledged and accepted, instead of being mocked and ostracised. I oppose the bigoted stance of the OD Union.”
School Yet to Respond
The College Council has not yet publicly responded to the ODU Committee’s letter or its demand to stop flying the Pride flag.
This is not the first time the issue has generated controversy at Bishops.
A similar debate erupted in 2022 when a group of “concerned” parents argued that “the majority of learners do not want themselves or their school as a whole to be viewed as part of, or associated with, the Pride movement.”
Last week, the Department of Basic Education confirmed that South Africa’s long-awaited national LGBTIQ+ school guidelines are nearing completion. The guidelines aim to ensure that schools provide safe, inclusive and affirming environments for LGBTIQ+ learners. However, concerns have emerged that they will not be legally binding or enforceable.
