The TCDSB Raises the Rainbow Flag
- themidnightmagazin
- Jul 21, 2021
- 2 min read
By: Sophia Arellano
https://thepostmillennial.com/toronto-catholic-schools-to-raise-rainbow-flag-in-honor-of-pride-month
On May 6th, 2021, the TCDSB made history by passing the motion to recognize June as Pride Month and raise the rainbow flag. Let’s break down how it all went down.
There’s no avoiding the fact that acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has been highly disputed in the Western world for decades. The most recent organization to take a stand? Toronto’s very own Catholic District School Board (the TCDSB). With over 165 elementary and 29 high schools, not to mention the tens of thousands of students in its jurisdiction, the TCDSB is the largest publicly funded Catholic school board in the world. The motion to raise the pride flag and acknowledge June as Pride Month was therefore monumental -- but make no mistake, this was no spur of the moment decision.
The TCDSB has sent mixed signals on their stance on LGBTQ+ issues throughout the years. In 2013, a motion was passed to eliminate Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs. In November of 2020, sanctions were imposed on board member Mike Del Grande for homophobic comments he had made the year previous. Just a year later, the TCDSB came under fire for removing the Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line from their page of mental health resources, citing its content as “inappropriate”.
One step forward, another step back.
But among these motions and through all of these occurrences, there were people within and outside the board fighting for the recognition of June as Pride Month. Current student trustees Keith Baybayon and Kathy Nguyen were just two of the many people pushing to propel this motion forward.
Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the board debated, held conferences, and conducted surveys. Ontario’s former premier, Kathleen Wynne, also used her influence to examine the issue. " [the TCDSB’s] position … is one that I think comes with the responsibility to play a leadership role, especially when it comes to those issues that continue to divide the Catholic community," Wynne said just before the board's final vote.
The board’s trustees voted in favour of acknowledging Pride Month, and raising the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag at the board headquarters and in all TCDSB schools late in the night of Thursday, May 6th, 2021.
And so, on June 1st, the rainbow flag was raised for all to see at the board’s headquarters in North York, and the raising of the flags across various TCDSB schools, elementary and high school, followed shortly afterwards.
The recognition of June as Pride Month and the raising of the rainbow flag sparks a beacon of hope for various members of the LGBTQ+ community within the board, many of which have grappled and struggled with their identity in relation to their Catholic faith. It ultimately serves as a chance to promote inclusivity within the TCDSB, colouring the lives of the next generations of TCDSB students.
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