Lauren Boebert says conservatives are more oppressed than trans people after teacher scolds student

A video of a boy in a Colorado Springs, Colorado charter school being told he can’t wear the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag – also known as the Gadsden flag – as a patch on his backpack has gone viral on the right, and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) bizarrely stated that if the boy were transgender his teachers would support him even though there are no states trying to ban the Gadsden flag.

“This is a direct attack on his freedom of speech,” Boebert, who opposes drag performances in her district, said. “Ironically, if this same boy walked up to his teachers and said that he’d like to mutilate his body and begin to be referred to as a girl – they’d celebrate him.”

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Boebert was very concerned about what Russia and China will think.

“Our education system has a deep-rooted problem with liberal bias. DON’T TREAD ON HIM!”

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The Gadsden Flag has been flown since 1775 and is a symbol of the American Revolution.

This is a direct attack on his freedom of speech.

Ironically, if this same boy walked up to his teachers and said that he'd like to mutilate his body and begin to be referred to as a girl -… https://t.co/omoUPU0fgq

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 29, 2023

In the video, the teacher can be heard saying that the Gadsden flag has “origins with slavery and the slave trade.” In reality, it was developed during the Revolutionary War to show the colonies’ unity against Great Britain.

The Gadsden flag, unlike gender-affirming health care for trans youth, has not been banned in 20 states. It’s hard to see how one teacher being wrong about the origin of a flag is worse than almost half of the states passing laws attacking an oppressed minority’s right to health care supported by mainstream health organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society.

And despite her attempt to make this a partisan issue, her state’s out gay Democratic governor, Jared Polis, also showed his support for the kid in the conflict.

“The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American revolution and a iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins through today and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies. It’s a great teaching moment for a history lesson!”

The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American revolution and a iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans. It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins through today and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the… pic.twitter.com/sroNXnlJsf

— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) August 29, 2023

The school district said that the Gadsen flag patch was only part of the dispute between the student and the teacher. He allegedly had several other patches with semiautomatic weapons on his backpack.

“The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons,” wrote

“The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons,” Assistant Superintendent Mike Claudio told Colorado Public Radio. “The student has removed the semi-automatic patches.”

Claudio also said that the student removed the gun patches and returned to class.