In case you missed it, Texas has passed a law mandating that every classroom in Texas display the Ten Commandments. It went into effect earlier this year, but like most Texans when it passed, I said to myself, “It’ll never hold,” or “They can’t force teachers to post that,” or “If they do, they’ll just print it on a postcard and hide it behind the door until the courts pull it.”

Well, turns out I was wrong.

Over the break, I got together with a teacher friend, and what she told me surprised me.

* It **HAS** to be on a large poster. 
* It **HAS** to be visible from everywhere in the classroom. 
* It **HAS** to be the King James Version and written exactly as it appears in the bill. No additional words can be added to the poster itself.

Also, **if posters are donated, schools are REQUIRED to put them up**. And of course, large corporations and far-right groups had already sent them to schools.

At my friend’s school, they came in overnight, took things off the walls, and put these up without even telling teachers.

So how do we fight back? By complying, of course.

I am a designer by trade so why not use my skills to create a [companion poster?](https://www.illegalposter.com/#posters) So I enlisted a copywriter friend of mine to write out the ways this law violates students’ First Amendment rights, using arguments from court cases that have already made similar posters illegal in other states. The result is a set of posters designed to be displayed beneath the Ten Commandments signs.

Then I asked myself: how far can we take this?

[The Rainbow](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/92a57d_cec67299b21a4cb6bbdb708710ba1ee7~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1192,h_1369,al_c,q_85,enc_avif,quality_auto/92a57d_cec67299b21a4cb6bbdb708710ba1ee7~mv2.jpg) — a longtime symbol of love, peace, and God’s promise not to drown us all — what better color palette to use for this venerable text? And so no one can complain, I used a high-contrast ADA-compliant color pallete, and set it in the largest possible font the poster can hold for maximum readability.

And while we’re at it, let’s use a [familiar chevron design](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/92a57d_6bfd4a877a7f44c4857d644fabfd2d91~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_1656,h_1200,al_c,q_95,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/mockup-Chev-Geo.png) that some Texas politicians seem very fond of as another option. [Texas also passed a bill banning all flags in classrooms](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/analysis/html/SB00762I.htm), as it could be considered politically motivated indoctrination of our youth “potentially making some students feel alienated or pressured.” which we all know Texas politicians would NEVER want in ANY WAY – and all such materials  “Without clear guidance, some schools allow partisan messaging that distracts from curriculum and stirs division.”

Luckily our version alters the design just enough to not be considered the flag- I took out stripes/colors, inverted it, and changed the order or changed the shape entirely so it’s *just different enough* to not ruffle too many feathers. (also gestalt theory is a thing)

Finally, [I made a website to host the files](https://www.illegalposter.com/) for her coworkers (or anyone for that matter) to download the posters. I also included DIY files so no one has to spend anything to print them. ([IllegalPoster.com](https://www.illegalposter.com/)) The posters meet **every requirement** in the law.

Rightfully, this law is being sent to the 5th circuit of appeals this week, but it could take months or longer to come to a decision. In the meantime, at least one classroom in Texas has a way to resist.

I’m taking these posters to a teacher friend today to post in her classroom, and I’ll share updates as I’m able! I plan to add a section to the site for other religious posters let me know what i should include:

\- eightfold path Buddhism
\- tenets of Islam
\- What else?

**TL;DR:** My friend’s school forced her to put up illegal 10 Commandments posters, so we complied,[ hard](https://www.illegalposter.com/)\- by designing a whole set of posters that resist multiple bogus Texas laws then made it free for everyone.

**EDIT:** A few people are having trouble with the links try this one: [https://www.illegalposter.com/](https://www.illegalposter.com/)

**EDIT 2:** The satanic tenants has been added to the list!
**TEACHERS!:** the bill allows the use of district funds to buy posters so make use of this!
“Section 1(e) of SB 10, a public elementary or secondary school *may, but is not required to* purchase posters that meet the statutory requirements using district funds.”

**EDIT 3: Thanks everyone for sharing! I have had a few people wanting to donate posters to schools, so please dm me if you want a free poster for your school.** also added a few great suggestions for posters to the site.