A serious conflict has arisen at Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town regarding the flying of the Pride flag. The Old Diocesan Committee (ODC) sent a letter to the school board demanding that the use of the Pride flag cease and that flagpoles be limited to three official flags: the South African flag, the Bishops flag, and the St George's flag.
According to the committee, which made the decision by a majority vote (10 for and one abstention), only the three specified flags should be used for official purposes. The ODC stated that these three flags belong to everyone and do not require community members to take sides. It noted that many other world flags, regardless of the significance of their causes, prompt the school to take a position on a controversial issue, and their presence or absence is interpreted as a statement.
The committee emphasized that by opening such a door, the school is not closing it forever, but commits to constantly deciding which causes are represented by the flags and which are not, and defending this choice to a community that will never fully agree.
The ODC clarified that the issue specifically relates to the Pride flag, which the school raises in June during Pride Month. Although the ODC's letter welcomes 'every gay and lesbian person,' the committee believes that the school's care for its members is best expressed not through a flag.
The committee wrote that the message boys should receive—'you are welcome, you are safe, you are ours'—should come directly from the school's own voice and conduct, and this will be stronger than a flag hanging next to the question, 'Whose flag will be next?'
Furthermore, the ODC demanded that if the school board decides to use flags other than the three official ones, a full written flag policy must be published for the entire Bishops community. This policy must clearly state the principle by which the school decides which flags are flown and apply this principle uniformly to all flags, including Palestinian and Israeli, Ukrainian, Taiwanese, Tibetan, and others, and specify the days when its own flags are flown. The ODC concluded that a policy that can simply be formulated and consistently applied can be defended, whereas one that cannot will be disputed in the community year after year, flag by flag.
However, Anton Taylor, a Bishops alumnus and South African comedian, spoke out against the ODC. Taylor previously served on the ODC from the 2009/10 to 2019/20 academic year. He told IOL that these flags have been flying for years, and the Pride flag is raised only two days a year, and that the ODC is trying to create a problem that does not exist to target gay students.
Taylor also publicly distanced himself from the ODC and its views on his Instagram, noting that the committee sent a letter to the entire OD community—thousands of people—on their behalf, and committee members actively promoted their stance in WhatsApp groups, called people, and even involved 'Bishops friends' to support their idea.
Despite the principal's comments, the boys at the school were already bearing the weight of this dispute. In his video, Taylor called the current committee shameful and stated that they are targeting the gay community. Since then, Taylor has severed ties with the committee but retained his love for the school.
In response, the school principal, Tony Ryler, informed parents in a letter that the third flag will continue to alternate with flags dedicated to various occasions, including Africa Day, 16 Days of Activism, cancer awareness, Movember, the Bokke flag, World AIDS Day, and the Pride flag. He explained that he views this flag as a symbol of inclusion.
Parents, alumni, staff, and friends of Bishops, united under the name 'Supporting A Progressive Bishops,' supported Ryler's view. They stated that they believe Bishops belongs to everyone in its community and that the school can serve as an example in the wider life of the country.
A group that received over 300 signatures from the Bishops community in response to the ODC's letter stated that flying the Pride flag is just a small gesture. They emphasized that it is a simple gesture signifying that members of the Bishops LGBTQ+ community, especially boys under the school's care, feel as welcome, valued, and safe here as any other person.
This group referenced the South African Constitution and noted that the school is an Anglican foundation patronized by the Archbishop of Cape Town. They reminded that St George's Cathedral, where the Archbishop resides, has flown the Pride flag since the mid-1990s, about thirty years ago. The group also cited the words of Archbishop Tutu, who fought against homophobia with the same passion he fought against apartheid, stating that he could not 'worship a God who is homophobic.'
The group added that this flag, described as 'close to home,' speaks to the dignity and care for its own children, and a school existing to inspire people should let every person know that they matter. They concluded by stating that they respect the School Board's right to fly flags, but write to emphasize that the broad and diverse community of people who care about Bishops hopes the school will continue this quiet sign of welcome.
The Old Diocesan Committee (ODC) at the Bishops Diocesan College has decided to demand that the school's Council cease flying the pride flag and limit flagpoles to three official banners: the South African flag, the Bishops flag, and the St George's flag.
This vote, which passed with ten votes and one abstention, formalizes a position that has been accumulating since 2022. That was when the Anglican boys' college in Cape Town first drew public attention for raising the progressive pride flag during Pride Month.
In a letter published on the recently launched United Bishops website, the ODC argues that if the school opens its flagpoles for one purpose, it opens them for all. The committee emphasized that such a policy entails a constant obligation to define which purposes will be represented and which will not, and to defend these decisions before a community that will never fully agree.
However, the letter was carefully phrased as a governance issue, not an anti-inclusive call. The ODC assured that it treats all gay and lesbian individuals in the Bishops community the same as everyone else and wants them to know they are fully welcome there.
Next comes a point that turns the dispute over a single flag into a more complex problem for the school. The ODC writes that if the Council decides to fly flags beyond the three official ones, the policy must apply equally to all other flags, including Palestinian and Israeli, Ukrainian, Taiwanese, Tibetan, and others.
Director Tony Riler responded to parents this year in his letter by declining, stating that the school's third flagpole would continue to alternate between flags for various occasions, such as '16 Days of Activism,' Africa Day, the Bokke flag, cancer awareness, Movember, World AIDS Day, and the pride flag. Other Anglican schools, such as St Andrew's and St John's, have also used the pride flag.
Riler explained that he viewed the pride flag as a symbol of inclusion, noting that people are welcome at Bishops and do not need to pretend to be someone else. He concluded with a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a former guest of Bishops: 'All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, men, women, gays, heterosexuals, all, all, all.'
The conflict is structural. In the letter, the ODC refers to the Diocesan College Council, Rondebosch, Incorporation Act, 1891, which enshrines governance under the Council, not the Executive body, and requests refraining from flying unofficial flags until the Council makes a decision. Riler's letter does not address this governance argument; it is addressed to parents and students, not the ODC, and frames the opposition as 'discord,' not a constitutional challenge to who has the authority to decide.
Rob Hersov, a Bishops parent and Michaelhouse alumnus, publicly supported the campaign, arguing in a BizNews article from July 7th that the school should adopt institutional neutrality. He stated that this is a declaration that Bishops belongs equally to every student, regardless of their race, religion, politics, or sexuality. Hersov pointed to a global trend: by the end of 2024, at least 148 institutions serving about 2.6 million students had adopted formal neutrality policies.
The debate resurfaced in 2024 when Matriculation class graduates and members of the Student Representative Forum wrote an open letter requesting that the pride flag not be flown. They stated: 'We do not accept symbols that seek to divide us into groups based on attributes we cannot control.' They added that only the school and country flags are symbols representing all students. Hersov noted that in response, they were told they needed more 'education' about diversity. He countered: 'Education that continues until disagreements cease is not education. It is, at best, persuasion by attrition, and critics will call it indoctrination.'
Thus, the positions of the parties are set: old alumni want the Council to decide. The Director asserts that the Executive body has already made a decision. The dissenting students were instructed to undergo 'education.' And somewhere on the flagpole in Rondebosch, the third banner continues to turn.
