Oregon Middle School Hosts Pride Spirit Week, Encourages Students to Dress like ‘Drag Queens’
In celebration of the beginning of Pride Month, an Oregon middle school encouraged students to dress as drag queens and their favorite “queer hero,” and some parents say they were not notified ahead of time.
The Arts & Technology Academy, part of Eugene School District 4J, organized a “Pride Spirit Week” that featured a different LGBTQ-themed activity each day. According to a memo obtained by Fox News, Monday was “Rainbow-Out” day, where students were told to “wear as many colors as they could.” Tuesday was a day of remembrance, with students wearing all black to honor “lost members of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Wednesday’s theme was “Drag Day,” where students were encouraged to “dress like a drag queen/king/monarch or dress up as a different gender.” On Thursday, students picked their favorite “queer hero” to dress as. The week concluded with “Pride Flag Friday,” in which students were told to dress as the pride flag of their choice.
One parent told Fox News the school principal notified families of the spirit week only on Monday afternoon, after the first day of events had already taken place. The message also noted that the week included classroom lessons on “the history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.”
Oregon state law requires parents to be notified prior to instruction involving human sexuality. A district spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that parents were only informed Monday afternoon. The district claimed the activities were not part of formal instruction, but acknowledged the short notice and said it would “work more closely with schools around notice for thematic and spirit weeks.”
The district said the spirit week aligned with the Oregon Department of Education’s LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan, which aims to teach students about the “histories and contributions of historically marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals.”
“We remain deeply committed to fostering inclusive, safe learning spaces—and doing so in partnership with families. That means ensuring our communication is clear, our curriculum is aligned, and our students feel like they belong,” the district stated.
The initiative by the district comes despite the Trump administration’s efforts to remove radical gender ideology teachings from schools. Upon returning to office, the president signed an executive order formally recognizing “two sexes, male and female.” However, just two days later, the Eugene 4J School Board passed a resolution “affirming gender identity, expression and equity for transgender and gender-expansive students and staff.”
