Despite some backlash from outside the school community, students seemed to really enjoy themselves, a TDSB spokesperson said.
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TDSB school marks International Day of Pink with Stonewall Riots survivor while dozens of protesters rallied outside
Despite some backlash from outside the school community, students seemed to really enjoy themselves, a TDSB spokesperson said.
By
Alessia PassafiumeStaff Reporter
Wed., April 12, 2023
timer3 min. read
York Mills Collegiate Institute and the
Toronto District School Board marked International Day of Pink on Wednesday with an in-person and virtual celebration attended by a Stonewall Riots survivor and a champion drag queen. Outside, protestors and counter protesters clashed over the message the event was, or wasn’t, promoting.
“This is a small group (of protesters),” said gay rights activist and Stonewall Riots survivor Martin Boyce in an interview after his keynote address to students. “In my time, it was the whole world. We know where we stand on the idea of righteousness, individuality and togetherness.”
Boyce, now in his 70s,
is one of the last known survivors of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which are considered to be the watershed protests that opened the doors for the gay liberation movement and the fight for gay rights in the U.S. and in Canada, and the precursor to Toronto’s Bathhouse Raids of 1981.
Boyce’s talk focused on LGBTQ liberation in the face of increased hate toward that community, and how it’s important to know the history of such to ensure it doesn’t repeat itself.
“It’s about courage, and individual courage,” he said to students. “They are fighting us, but we’re ready. We’re on the right side of history.”
He, along with a group of other advocates, speakers and performers, were brought to the North York school to mark the International Day of Pink — a day similar to Pink Shirt Day that seeks to end anti-LGBTQ+ bullying, and to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and the birth of World Pride.
York Mills Collegiate Institute was decked out in pink for the occasion, from balloons to streamers to tinsel. Open for students from Grades 7 to 12 to participate in, parents were informed in advance of what the assembly would include, TDSB said, and could decide whether their children should attend.
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And despite some backlash from outside the school community, students seemed to really enjoy themselves, said TDSB spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz. “It was so powerful — we really have to advocate for inclusion, which is what this is about.”
Deputy mayor Jennifer McKelvie was in attendance, along with Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education for the TDSB; Isaiah Shafqat, an Indigenous student trustee; Srgt. Robert Chevalier, the 2SLGBTQ+ liaison for Toronto Police; and Omid Razavi, the executive director of It Gets Better Canada. Each spoke of love and acceptance for all students, but especially those who are members of the LGBTQ community.
Icesis Couture, the 2021 winner of “Canada’s Drag Race,” also gave a performance, but it wasn’t one that would be seen at a typical drag show for adults. Fitted in a chartreuse dress with a large bow and a black beret, Icesis’s performance to Meghan Trainor’s “Mother” was a hit with students and faculty, and was arguably the one performance students were most enthusiastic about while watching.
Protesters and counterprotesters rallied outside the school
Save Canada, a youth-run Christian organization based in Nova Scotia, protested to “end grooming” outside of the school during the event. The organization’s website says it was inspired by former president Donald Trump and his message to “Save America.”
Josh Alexander, 17, of Save Canada, said Tuesday the organization is “disappointed” the board is hosting Boyce and Icesis Couture, adding it’s not fit for an educational setting and that the “grooming is incredibly inappropriate.” Speaking with media outside the school after the assembly, he echoed the same message.
In recent years,
the term “grooming” has been used against members of the LGBTQ community, with some saying — without proof — members of that community, especially drag queens, contribute to the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children.
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Police cruisers and officers surrounded the school and the demonstration, which remained mostly peaceful, save for a few incidents where people were pushing.
The TDSB said Tuesday it was aware of the planned protest and said they would have extra security on hand and had notified the local police division “just in case.”
Some students appeared to have joined the protest after the assembly, while others — wearing pink shirts — hung around the area during their lunch break. A counterprotest against Save Canada's message also occurred simultaneously. At one point someone grabbed a Trans flag from a demonstrator and ran away with it.
When the lunch bell rang at 1:05 p.m., the crowd dispersed and most students returned to class, while Save Canada protesters handed out their last copy of the Bible.