I work at a 3rd-6th public school in MA. I wore this hat to celebrate Pride month and last week of school. I am known for my 25 days of holiday hats I wear around the winter holidays. I do mostly Santa hats but also make sure to include secular hats/Hanuikka hats. No one has a problem with it and the kids LOVE it because the hats get progressively more outrageous the closer it gets to break.
So yesterday I get in the door and My Lead says "Do you have to wear that hat?" I replied "What? Its a rainbow hat for pride month?" And shrugged. Then my most vocal and conservative coworker came in and told me that "my hat is inappropriate". I replied that d"iversity, tolerance, and inclusion is ALWAYS appropriate". She came back with " if it was just a rainbow hat but with the Pride sticker on there its not ok. You want tolerance and repect but you aren't respected the other side. You know I dont believe in that and in front of the kids, its bad enough in front of us knowing we don't believe in that." So I asked her if she wanted to bring it to HR. She said no and i offered to turn my hat around. Then My called HR who told her that my hat is fine. Lol.
The kicker is the coworker was wearing a Black Flag hat!
edit Black American Flag hat worn by conservatives in the US
By "other side" I'm assuming she means heterosexuals? If so, I'll tell you as a member of that side that I think the hat is fabulous.
No, she doesn't mean heterosexuals. Because most heterosexuals don't have a problem with LGBT+.
She means bigots. She means that she expects tolerance and respect for the bigotry, so that she can continue to tell people being LGBT+ is a sin and bad for children or whatever.
It's an argument in bad faith.