Why Birmingham Deserves Better Than Bigotry

Birmingham deserves leaders who stand for all of our kids, not just the ones who fit into someone’s narrow view of the world. Eric Hall has shown up for his community, for justice, and for those whose voices are too often silenced. That’s exactly the kind of courage we should want on a school board.

But instead of focusing on issues that actually matter, like funding classrooms, supporting teachers, or keeping our schools safe, some people have chosen the lowest road possible: attacking Eric Hall for being LGBTQIA+, and for daring to stand in solidarity with oppressed people abroad.

Let’s not forget: LGBTQIA+ leaders have always been part of the struggle for freedom. Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered “I Have a Dream.” James Baldwin shook America awake with words that cut to the heart of racism and homophobia. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera sparked the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement at Stonewall. Audre Lorde reminded us, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”

And the facts back it up: schools that support LGBTQIA+ students don’t just save lives; they make classrooms safer for everyone. According to The Trevor Project, LGBTQIA+ youth in inclusive schools are 40% less likely to attempt suicide. And Gallup polling shows 71% of Americans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people. That’s not a “gay agenda.” That’s called progress.

So, let’s get this straight: Eric Hall doesn’t have a “gay agenda.” What he has is a human right to live openly, proudly, and free from the filth of your small-minded hate. The only agenda here is yours, the same tired, bitter script of homophobia, hypocrisy, and fear.

You say kids’ “hormones are already too out of whack” to see a rainbow flag? Please. Kids are smarter than you give them credit for. What messes kids up isn’t seeing LGBTQIA+ people; it’s seeing adults froth at the mouth, spewing ignorance, and teaching them that hate is normal. The next generation isn’t broken; it’s your outdated values that are cracked beyond repair.

And let’s talk about your fake outrage over Eric Hall standing with Palestinians. When Black folks demand justice, you cry “too radical.” When LGBTQIA+ people demand equality, you scream “agenda.” And when people protest bombs falling on the powerless, you clutch your pearls and whisper, “far too liberal.” Translation? You’re terrified of anyone who dares to put human rights above your comfort.

Eric Hall is radical the same way justice is radical, the same way truth is radical, the same way freedom has always been “too much” for those who profit from oppression. If you think that makes him unfit for a school board, then you’ve told on yourself; you don’t want education, you want indoctrination.

Let’s call your nonsense what it is: projection. You wag your fingers at “the gays” while hiding skeletons in your own closet. You scream about kids’ morality while your own hands aren’t clean. The things you did at 16 that you can’t do at 60? That’s not Eric Hall’s fault. That’s you, bitter, watching the world move forward without you.

So here’s your drag: Eric Hall isn’t the problem. You are. Your fear, your hate, your lies, your hypocrisy. You’ve built yourself a pit of ignorance and filled it with your own bile. And history has only one plan for people like you: burying you in the very dirt you tried to throw on others.