Students at Marshall Simonds Middle School in the Boston suburb town Burlington, Massachusetts revolted against the school’s “Pride” month spirit day indoctrination on Friday June 2, glaring at teachers, tearing down posters and chanting “U.S.A. are my pronouns!” while wearing red, white and blue clothing and face paint. The protest was reported to be in part a response to the school ignoring Memorial Day two weeks ago while going all in on LGBTQI+ indoctrination.
The school had been decorated with “Pride” signs and stickers, including the “Progress Pride” flag. Students were encouraged to wear rainbow colored clothing. A sign with a quote from gay playwright Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire adorned with “Pride” flags hung on the walls was taken as criticizing straight (heterosexual) people: “What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.”
The protest came to light after a meeting was held Monday night to address the protest. The school principal said an anonymous snitch form had been established for students to report “hateful incidents.”
The incident happened on Friday when Principal Cari Perchase said “some students had independently organized a counter message to Pride Spirit Day.”
“This became evident in the lunchroom, where several groups of students wore red, white, blue, or black, including face paint,” Perchase wrote in a letter to families.
Perchase said stickers, banners and signs were also torn off walls and crumpled into water fountains.
“…groups of students were heard chanting, ‘U.S.A are my pronouns,’ and students glared intimidatingly at faculty members showing pride,” Perchase continued. “Students were shamed into removing their stickers or covering their clothing with rainbows.”
…Perchase said she received some feedback that the counter message was in response to the school not recognizing the observance of Memorial Day.
Perchase said the lack of recognition for Memorial Day was “an oversight” and said school officials apologized to students on Monday.
WCVB-TV reported on the meeting and spoke to a mother of one of the student protesters. The mother said her daughter was offended by the Tennessee Williams quote displayed in the school. There was a call at the meeting to reinstate the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion board.
More from Boston.com (excerpt):
According to a letter to parents from Marshall Simonds Middle School Principal Cari Perchase, the incident took place during a school-approved spirit day celebrating Pride month on Friday, June 2. The spirit day was requested and sponsored by Spectrum Club — a student group for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
As part of the event, the letter said, Spectrum Club decorated the school with handmade “Happy Pride Month” signs and educational posters with messages such as “Why it’s not ok to say ‘That’s so gay’.” The club members also put up rainbow streamers and Pride flag banners, handed out rainbow stickers, and invited students and faculty to wear rainbow clothing.
But throughout the day, some students showed their disdain for the event in a number of ways. The letter said students were seen “being inappropriate” with the stickers and tearing down the banners and signs.
Other students tried to intimidate faculty and students showing support for Pride through glares, chanted “U.S.A. are my pronouns” in the halls, and wore red, white, and blue clothes with face paint in protest of the event, the letter said.
…To help remedy the situation, Perchase said the school designated a meeting time during which students could express their concerns to administrators and created an anonymous form for students to report specific hateful incidents. She also said the school would look into providing a program that would teach students tolerance, acceptance, and respect.
WBZ-TV reported an LGBTQI+ activist group is demanding “consequences” for the students (excerpt):
Nancy Bonassera, co-chair of the Burlington Equity Coalition, said that students were invited to wear rainbow clothing on June 2 in celebration of Pride Month.
“On that same day there was a counter-demonstration in response to what should have been a day to celebrate,” she said. “Students wore red, white and blue clothing, chanted ‘my pronouns are USA’ and destroyed rainbow decorations at the school.”
The coalition is calling for “consequences” for the students who participated in the counter-protest and is urging the district to fill a diversity, equity and inclusion role that they say has been vacant for almost a year.
“We also believe that without any direct and concrete action, these incidents will occur again and increase in severity,” Bonassera said.
…Select Board member Michael Espejo said a “bad light has been cast over our town.”
“I was very upset, I’ve lost sleep over it,” Espejo said about the incident. “It kind of shocked me to my core. I didn’t think something like that could happen in Burlington.”
Burlington Schools Superintendent Eric Conti, Ph.D., issued a statement condemning the student protesters (excerpt):
..The rise in anti LGBTQ+ violence across the country is unacceptable and has no place in our schools. We recognize that intolerance can manifest in many different ways, and unfortunately our school community experienced intolerance during the school day on Friday. Students who participate in the Spectrum Club led a celebration of National Pride Month that included posters in support of identity pride, and other symbols of LGBTQ+ identity such as rainbow flags and clothing. Unfortunately, some of these symbols were damaged on Friday during the school day by some students. The Spectrum Club is one of many interest-based clubs where students who share similar interests, along with allies, can gather and support one another. Like any spirit day celebration at MSMS, participation is optional. Respectful behavior across the entire student body, however, is non negotiable.
I recognize that discussions and celebrations of individual identity are complex and impacted by individual values, religions, and cultural norms, the result of which may include expressions of racism, anti-religious hate, ableism, and in this case homophobia. The Burlington Public Schools are obligated to provide a safe environment for all students to feel safe, seen, and respected without retaliation….
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