“If we lived in a land of rainbows / Where the skies are blue; things, grand / Oh, it would be so good (so good) to live in paradise
/
Where we would be free to be exactly as we are.
The
lyrics of
Rainbowland
, a duet by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton written as an invitation to tolerance, did not find favor with the board of directors of a school in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Heyer Elementary School banned the song, which was to be performed by two students for a year-end concert.
The initiative came from Melissa Tempel, a first-grade teacher at the school.
The teacher had purposely selected the song for its
"universal and sweet"
message .
"If we lived in a land of rainbows / Where you and I would walk hand in hand."
After several weeks of rehearsal, the director of the establishment announced that the song would be removed from the lineup.
He believes that the latter
"could be perceived as controversial"
, according to the Associated Press, which tried to reach him, without success.
Other titles planned during this concert -
Here Comes the Sun
by the Beatles and
What a Wonderful World
by Louis Armstrong - have not been censored.
“My students were just devastated.
They really liked this song and we had already started singing it
,” Melissa Tempel said to the press agency on Monday.
A dangerous culture for queer people
Several parents of students in the district believe that the song was banned because it encouraged the acceptance of homosexuals, by referring to rainbows.
An alarming signal for Melissa Tempel who believes that the message sent by the establishment by censoring a rainbow song "ultimately creates
a dangerous culture for queer people"
.
The school superintendent defended himself to local media saying the song was not appropriate for
"the age and maturity level of the students"
.
He previously banned the display of rainbow flags from classrooms and suspended the work of a school equity and diversity team.
The administration of the establishment had also banned the song
Rainbow Connection
from the Muppets, before changing its mind.
These bans are increasing in Wisconsin, where the Republican Party is working hard to elect representatives to school boards, according to the Associated Press.
After numerous victories in 2022, the party has won numerous elections in schools, since contesting the health measures against Covid-19 or the rules for integrating transgender children.
Rainbowland,
released in 2017, is a song by pop star Miley Cyrus, recorded with her godmother, country queen Dolly Parton, for the album
Younger Now.