York Catholic school board won’t raise Pride flag

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Ontario’s Education Minister will not intervene in a publicly funded Catholic school board’s decision against raising the Pride flag, a symbol that the board says is not reflective of its faith.

Trustees at the York Catholic District School Board voted on Monday against a motion to fly the rainbow flag outside its main office in Aurora, Ont., next month. Police and security guards were present at the meeting. When the topic was raised at a meeting earlier in May, video showed some attendees confronting and yelling at LGBTQ advocates.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he supports raising the flag, but he did not address a question from the Opposition NDP at Queen’s Park on Tuesday on whether his government would require publicly funded schools to fly the flag.

“We have been clear and consistent in our expectations and our hope. We believe the Pride flag is something we can rally behind. It represents a welcome, inclusive message for every child,” Mr. Lecce said. “We’ll continue to encourage school boards to do their part to ensure every child in Ontario feels safe, affirmed and respected.”

Many school boards in the province, including the Toronto Catholic District School Board, fly the Pride flag in June.

A report from the York Catholic board’s Gender, Sexuality and Catholic Education Committee recommended that the Progress Pride flag, which includes marginalized communities of colour, be flown outside the board’s main office to mark Pride Month.

“In no way should it be viewed as undermining our board’s commitment to honouring and respecting the teachings of the Catholic Church,” the committee wrote.

“Instead, it would be an attempt to support our 2SLGBTQA+ students who historically have been disproportionately marginalized and bullied, often with tragic consequences.”

Frank Alexander, the board’s chair, told reporters on Tuesday that York Catholic schools supports LGBTQ students but “the flag does not align with our faith.”

“We love that community; we acknowledge them as children of God. However, there are parts of that belief system that really does not align with our faith,” he added.

At Queen’s Park, Mr. Lecce acknowledged that LGBTQ students are subjected to increased bullying and harassment at schools. He said his government will mark Pride events.

“We’ll continue to stand with those kids,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam said the government should direct all school boards to fly the Pride flag and that it was choosing not to do so because it was reluctant to anger religious groups that support it.

“In the past what we’ve seen, and I think it still stands today, is that the Ford government has courted a bigoted minority,” they said, citing the fact that Premier Doug Ford sought out this kind of support in his 2018 party leadership campaign from various groups and from Charles McVety, head of a Christian college east of Toronto known for his campaign against same-sex marriage.

“This is their way of not taking action,” the NDP MPP said of the government’s response, accusing it of offering only platitudes even as hate crimes against LBGTQ communities have risen dramatically in Ontario.