Poster complaint
Botwood Collegiate students report discrimination for being in Gay-straight Alliance
Students are pushing back against discrimination at Botwood Collegiate after posters for the newly formed Gay-straight Alliance (GSA) group at the school were torn down, sparking more significant incidents.
“We were talking about something we could do to include everybody, not just us,” said one student who spoke with The Central Voice on condition of anonymity. “So we put up a poster that said something like, ‘everyone is welcome,’ and it had a rainbow on it, so everyone freaked out about it.”
The GSA, she said, was formed about a month ago, but only became active in the last weeks of November. The posters were an attempt to foster support and expand the group.
“People were going around, ripping them down and complaining about them. And then they were like, sticking straight pride posters to their shirts and saying that’s what belonged there,” she said.
But the reaction has not been limited to tearing down posters.
Students, she said, have been making death threats against members of the GSA, as well as barking at them.
These are also some of the allegations that parent Christina Sharron outlined in a post on Facebook last week that has since been shared more than 80 times.
“I know teachers have got their hands full, I can just imagine, dealing with what they have to deal with, but there’s no restriction here, there’s no consequences to these students that are going around barking,” she told The Central Voice.
While Sharron is concerned for her own child, she is also worried for members of the GSA who might not have the support of their families. She believes the group is a vital place for them to express themselves.
“Then they wonder why children go to suicide or drugs or all this stuff,” Sharron said. “I can’t imagine being in school now and dealing with that. It turns me.”
The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District did not agree to an interview before deadline, but did provide a statement.
“The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is committed to ensuring all schools are safe and inclusive learning environments for all students. As such, the district actively supports and promotes the acceptance of LGBTQ students, and the establishment of Gay-straight Alliances (GSAS) within our schools,” the statement read. “The incident you reference is reportedly related to some students reacting inappropriately to posters in the school which feature the rainbow flag and declare the school to be ‘a space that welcomes and supports everyone.’”
In a follow-up email, a spokesperson for the district wrote, in part, “The issue you reference is being addressed by the school administration, with the students and families involved. The response has, to date, included the imposition of school-based discipline — the details of which we are not at liberty to disclose in accordance with the provisions of the Schools Act, 1997. The response will also involve ongoing education, training and district support around inclusion and diversity, including Lgbtq-related issues.”
For members of the LGBTQ community, however, school culture is only the beginning. Derek Semerad, director of external affairs for SAGA (Sexual and Gender Advocacy) at Memorial University, said discrimination doesn’t end with graduation.
“Bullying is not something that stops when you leave junior high, or high school, or your place of work,” he wrote in an email to The Central Voice. “It’s an ongoing after-effect that follows you as grow older, influencing who you feel comfortable around and who you feel comfortable being.”