Anti-LGBTQ protests lead to absences
Faith-based group called on parents to keep kids home
The hoisting of the Pride flag is meant to be about inclusion and acceptance, but resulted in empty desks at some Ontario schools this week.
Sarah Forrest, a mom of two children at Dr. David R. Williams Public School in Oakville, said about a quarter of her son’s class was missing on June 1, and she believes some were absent in protest of the boardwide celebration of Pride Month.
“My heart breaks for these kids,” she said, thinking about children and parents who are part of the LGBTQ community. Forrest also identifies as queer herself. In posting about the situation on social media, she said she received backlash from parents who decided to keep their children at home. “It’s been so disheartening to see all the hate — I’m tired.”
In an email to parents, the principal said the school “became aware that there was a call for parents/ guardians to keep their children home from school (Thursday) in protest of Pride Month.” In the email, she confirmed the school experienced “a higher than normal absence rate” that day.
The absences come after an attempted national boycott organized by the Campaign Life Coalition, a faith-based group that opposes abortion, gay marriage, transgender rights and right-to-die legislation. The group urged parents in public or Catholic schools where the Pride flag has been flown in the past to keep their children home on June 1, when flags are traditionally raised to mark the start of Pride Month.
Heather Francey, a spokesperson for the Halton District School Board, confirmed that some schools experienced “higher than normal absence rates” on Thursday, noting some reached an absence rate of up to 30 per cent. However, she said it’s “impossible for us to verify if absences were due to a call for a walkout.”
In an email to parents, David R. Williams Public School said the Progress Pride flag symbolizes that “HDSB schools are safe, respectful and welcoming environments” for LGBTQ students and staff. They added that the education on Pride month aligns with the Halton board’s multi-year plan to provide safe and inclusive schools for every student, staff and community member.
The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, which represents English-language public boards in the province, said boards were aware of the walkout and that it’s often difficult to attribute absences to a particular cause. For example, some parents might have kept their kids home because of the heat wave or because some boards had a professional development day on Friday and wanted an extralong weekend.
Ryan Bird, a spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, said “we have heard of isolated cases where absences are higher than normal,” but couldn’t confirm the reasoning behind them. School boards in York and Durham regions didn’t note any increase in absences on Thursday.
Absences in schools on Thursday were not isolated to the GTA. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board reported nine schools with absence rates of 40 per cent or more, with two exceeding 60 per cent. Spokesperson Darcy Knoll said where parents provided information about the absences, some cited the heat warning or long weekend, while other “parents indicated they did not wish to send their children to school due to Pride activities that may be taking place.”
“It’s really sad that in 2023, this is what, as a community, we have to deal with,” said Sherwin Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto. He learned about the boycott effort hours after attending the June 1 Progress Pride flag-raising ceremony at Nathan Phillips Square.
“After staff shared this with me, I had to sit. It took me a while to come to grips with how far the right is going to attack the 2SLGBTQT community.”
This week has been a challenging one for LGBTQ parents and students. On Tuesday, the York Catholic District School Board voted against flying the Pride flag outside its main office, with the chair saying it doesn’t “align with our Catholic values.” And in Niagara, a Catholic school board trustee came under fire for comments she made about the Pride flag while leaving a board meeting.
Marnie Kersten is a lesbian mom to two children in Oakville, and has a godson who is trans. While increased absences weren’t noted at her child’s school, the knowledge that the protests were happening elsewhere still affected her family. “It made us feel far less safe than we thought we were,” she said. “My kids are just like your kids, and they deserve to see their family represented just as everyone else does.”
Kersten says she was encouraged to see messages of inclusivity at her son’s school, and said schools need to continue to make it clear “that this kind of intolerance is unacceptable.”
Research has shown that young people believe rainbow symbols in schools send the message that LGBTQ youth matter and will be protected, said Elizabeth Saewyc, a professor in the school of nursing at the University of British Columbia and executive director, Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre. “That acceptance and inclusion is so important for teenagers,” she said. “It’s really hard to learn and do well in school if you don’t feel safe there.”
Isio Emakpor, a Grade 12 student who identifies as queer, is co-organizing a different walkout at schools in the York Catholic board. On Thursday at 1:15 p.m., she and other students will be walking out to protest the board’s decision against flying a Pride flag at their head office. They will be wearing rainbow colours instead of their school uniforms.
“We’re hoping that students taking action and walking out of their classes and … having all their Pride colours out will make them notice it more,” Isio said. “And make them understand that we’re not just numbers on a petition, but real people with real feelings.”