Massachusetts students take down rainbow decorations and sing that their pronouns are “USA.”
Massachusetts high school students took down Pride decorations and chanted that their pronouns were “USA” in a high-profile protest after being asked to wear rainbow colors to school.
Students at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, Massachusetts, were asked to wear rainbow-colored shirts to celebrate Pride Month on June 2, but a pre-planned protest broke out with students tearing up Pride flag stickers and chanting, “USA is my pronouns .’
Decked out in red, white and blue, the students destroyed hallway decorations handed out by the Spectrum Group student organization, including a quote from American playwright Tennessee Williams, signs that said the school was a “safe space” and “equality for everyone’s decorations.
“I was shocked and shocked,” Nila Almstrom, a parent of an LGBT student, said at a town hall meeting about the protest.
Parents have told local news outlets that their straight-identifying students said they felt compelled to participate and were “offended” by Tennessee Williams’ quote that repeated that the human heart is “curved like a road through the mountains” and that only lines and streets can be direct.
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Nancy Bonassera, co-chair of the Burlington Equity Coalition (pictured), said at a town hall meeting, “These expressions of intolerance and homophobia are unacceptable and impact the entire community.” Her and other supporters are now calling on the school district to reinstate DEI governance
Christine Steiner, whose daughter took part in the protest, said the intention was not to “hurt anyone’s feelings,” but simply that they didn’t want to be forced to wear rainbow shirts.
Made in red. white and blue, the students destroyed the hallway decorations handed out by the Spectrum Group student group, including a quote from American playwright Tennessee Williams, signs saying the school was a “safe space” and “equality for all” decorations, and crumbled stickers
“My daughter just said, ‘You know, mom, that’s insulting to me, I’m straight,'” Christine Steiner recalled. WCVB. “Some kids threw the stickers on the floor. But I can only speak for my daughter, she just didn’t want to wear that to school. It’s not that she wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings.’
However, Burlington Public Schools said in a letter to parents that the district “has an obligation to provide a safe environment where all students feel safe, seen and respected without retaliation.”
“I recognize that discussions and celebrations of individual identity are complex and are influenced by individual values, religions and cultural norms, resulting in expressions of racism, anti-religious hatred, competence and in this case homophobia,” Chief Inspector Eric Conti wrote.
“The Burlington Public Schools believe in the individual dignity and humanity of every person in our community. We embrace everyone for who they are and for what they bring to our schools and greater community,” he continued. “Let’s all work on being kinder to each other.”
A straight student told her mother she was offended by Tennessee Williams’ posters claiming that the human heart is “curving like a mountain road” instead of a straight line
Burlington Public Schools, however, stated in a letter to parents that the district has a “obligation to provide a safe environment where all students feel safe, seen, and respected without retaliation.”
The altercation prompted allies and parents to call for more diversity, equality and inclusion in schools, claiming that “this kind of bigoted rhetoric starts at home.”
“These expressions of bigotry and homophobia are unacceptable and affect the entire community,” Nancy Bonassera, co-chair of the Burlington Equity Coalition, said at Monday night’s meeting. “We are challenging the Burlington City Council to take an active stand against hate under the guise of ‘free speech.'”
Director Cari Perchase issued an apology in a letter stating that she wanted to “publicly state my solidarity and support for the members of the LGBTQ community affected by these events.”
Days after the disastrous Pride celebration, anti-Semitic and racist graffiti was found in the school’s toilets. However, Perchase told the parents she doesn’t believe it was related to the Pride blowout, the Boston Globe reported.
Parents are now calling for the reinstatement of the DEI board. It was disbanded in 2022 after its planned one-year term of office expired.
Former member, Carl Foss, said the need [for the board] is quite clear’ after the congregation meeting.
Elected board member Michael Espejo called on the district to fulfill his DEI board role, but assured the district’s parents that the “administration is taking this matter seriously.”
“I assure you that we will have discussions on this issue in the coming weeks and we will report by the end of the summer,” he said.
However, the school did meet with students after the Pride incident to “teach them how their behavior affects others, take responsibility for their behavior and help us become a more inclusive community where we all feel belong’. So said Martha Simon, chair of the Burlington School Committee, according to the Boston Globe.
School officials are scheduled to meet tonight to discuss the matter NBC Boston.
This year’s Pride month has generated a lot of backlash, from people boycotting Target for “crease-friendly” swimsuits, to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passing the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Many parents across the country claim that children are too young to know about sexuality and gender-affirming care and that schools and health officials are pressuring young people to take hormone blockers and begin menopause early.