Westmount students protest alleged homophobia at Mountain school
Roughly 200 walked out of class last week
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, unsafe schools have got to go” was the repetitive chant by some 200 LGBTQ students and others, many waving rainbow flags and signs, outside Westmount Secondary School on Wednesday.
They walked out of class around 10:30 a.m. to rally and protest what they claim to be the school administration’s refusal to crack down on homophobic remarks, online and inperson, directed at members of the school’s LGBTQ community.
“We’ve brought all these issues of feeling unsafe in our schools and our administration is not giving us anything really to combat that, they’ve said we’re committed to working with our students but they’re not actually showing us that in any way,” said rally organizer Liana DeSousa, an openly gay Grade 12 student. “(LGBTQ) students don’t feel safe coming to administration. Anyone who experiences hatred in our school is intimidated by the staff and by the administration, and they’ve shown us they will punish anyone that speaks out.”
DeSousa said the rally was also sparked in part by recent online homophobic comments from some senior Westmount football players.
“It was them making comments specifically toward a student who is in an openly gay relationship,” DeSousa said.
DeSousa said their friend group was accosted by some male students in the cafeteria a couple of years ago and they have not felt safe at the school since then.
DeSousa noted there is a large LGBTQ community at Westmount and the school needs to do more to educate students about homophobia and that homophobic remarks are not acceptable.
Word of the walkout spread quickly on social media.
DeSousa noted another, smaller group of students held a counterprotest closer to the school.
“They were offering money to burn our pride flags,” DeSousa said.
DeSousa and three other students (one from each grade) plus an adult legal adviser met with Colin Pinkney, superintendent of student achievement at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Education Centre on Thursday.
“We feel we were treated respectfully,” said DeSousa who added they were told their issues and concerns would be investigated.
“He did say they would take action,” DeSousa said. “He did not specify what that will be.”
DeSousa said they reiterated their concerns that students of marginalized identities have never felt safe.
In a written statement Wednesday to Hamilton Community News, Pinkney acknowledged some students participated in a walkout to express concerns over their feelings of safety at the school.
“While we are unable to discuss the specific situation that initiated this student demonstration, we acknowledge a Safe Schools response was applied to address individual behaviour,” Pinkney wrote in the statement.
“We recognize that aside from the measures currently in place, we need to consider the broader impact on school culture when students feel unsafe. An act of injustice to one student is an act of injustice against us all in a school and the community.”
Pinkney said school administration responded appropriately based on Safe Schools procedures.
“Acts of hate, bias, and discrimination in all forms are completely unacceptable in schools. All staff have an obligation to stop these actions when they witness it, or become aware of it, which include homophobic and transphobic slurs.”
In a letter to families the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board said mental health and well-being support is available online at:hwdsb.info/HWDSBWeHelp.
For anonymous support and reporting through HWDSB Helps, text to 905-963-0066. Standard rates apply.