Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland is replacing the Pride and Progress flags that had been displayed in classrooms with a school-created emblem, marking a major Pride flag decision just as students return for the 2026-2027 school year. The Catholic school said the move will usher in a new symbol called the Inclusive O, a large letter O filled with colors from the Pride and Progress flag.
School President Kim Walsh said Wednesday that the new symbol is meant to reflect the school’s commitment to everyone in the community, including LGBTQ+ students, families, faculty and staff. She said the yearlong discussions over the issue led to a design that belongs specifically to O’Dowd and was defined by the school itself. Supporters of the change say that difference matters, arguing the school now has an emblem rooted in its own identity rather than outside political or social imagery.
The Pride flag issue became a source of tension on campus last year, with Walsh describing the flags as a “lightning rod.” That controversy pushed school leaders into a year of conversations with students and community members about how to handle the symbols. The result, according to the school community supporting the move, is an effort to give the entire student body one shared symbol instead of one that can be read as favoring particular causes.
For some parents and community members, the change also lines up more closely with traditional Catholic teaching. Others see it as a path toward unity, with the school’s own image standing in for broader political or cultural messages. The new Inclusive O keeps the colors associated with Pride and Progress while shifting the focus to the school’s name and identity.
