Students at a Massachusetts middle school protested an LGBTQ “pride day” at their school by wearing American flag colors and taking down rainbow decorations. The students have since been reprimanded by local officials, who claim their actions were “homophobic” and “intolerant.”
The Marshall Simonds Middle School students in Burlington, Massachusetts were asked to wear rainbow colors at the start of pride month on June 2nd to support their LGBTQ peers. Some students, however, felt that the theme for the day was inappropriate and excluded those who disagree with the message of pride month.
These students protested the festivities by wearing American flag-themed shirts, tossing the progressive pride flag stickers on the floor, taking down various rainbow decorations that had been displayed by school staff, and chanting, “My pronouns are ‘USA.” According to the school’s computer science teacher Diana Marcus, the event was organized by the school’s Spectrum Club for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
She told BCAT News, “The idea was to have a day of support and celebration of our diverse community, including those students and staff who are LGBTQ+.”
Marcus also said that throughout the day, “You could actually see a reduction in the number of students walking around in rainbow-colored clothing. It was really tough.”
Another teacher who asked to remain anonymous told the outlet, “My first feeling is sadness, but I also feel disappointed because we let them down. I’m sure the students who are outspoken and advocate for themselves are extremely disappointed, but also I feel really disappointed for the students that aren’t able to speak out, that aren’t out of the closet, or don’t have the space to do so.”
Nancy Bonassera, the co-chair of the Burlington Equity Coalition, told the town’s Select Committee Monday, “There was a counter-demonstration in response to what should have been a day to celebrate where students wore red white and blue clothing chanted ‘my pronouns are USA’ and destroyed rainbow decorations at the school.”
Parents, whose children participated in the protest, said that story told by school administrators and officials was “overblown.” One mother told a local ABC affiliate that her daughter felt “coerced” to participate in the pride event and was offended by one of the quotes listed on a pride-themed poster from Tennessee Williams. The quote read “What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh no, it’s curved like a road through the mountains.”
The mother explained that “Some of the kids threw the stickers on the ground, but I can only speak for my daughter. She just, she didn’t want to wear that to school. It’s not that she wanted to hurt anybody’s feelings.”
The Burlington Public School District’s (which oversees Marshall Simonds Middle School as well as other schools within the area) handbook for this school year includes “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” under its “core values,” as well as within its “equity statement.”
Marshall Simonds Middle School provides a link to its morning announcements for students directly from the school’s official website. “To kick off Pride Month, which starts in June, MSMS will have a Spirit Day on Friday, June 2nd,” the school’s June 1 announcement began. “Friday’s Spirit Day will be Rainbow Day: You can either wear rainbow colors, a piece of clothing with a rainbow on it, or just as many colors as you can! There will be door prizes for anyone who comes dressed for Spirit Day!”
On June 5, the school’s announcement to students read: “LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queen and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans.”
“Stay tuned for more facts about Pride month next week!” the announcement concluded.
In fact, the school began announcing plans to decorate for pride months in advance. A morning announcement from April 27 encouraged students to join the Spectrum Club for LGBTQ+ students and allies to begin preparation.
The principal at Marshall Simonds Middle School, Cari Perchase, has repeatedly reposted several images across her social media accounts celebrating pride, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has also posted numerous images of young students at school on her personal social media accounts.
Several community members attended the board meeting on Tuesday to demonstrate their disappointment with the students’ actions. One parent even said that he thought this liberal school district was a “safer place” than states like Texas or Florida. “Obviously I was wrong.”
According to the New York Post, Nancy Bonassera, a parent whose child is a student at the middle school, implored school administrators to “’provide consequences’ to the protesting children, calling punishments an opportunity for the town to emphasize its stance on inclusivity and equality.”
