By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

going a different route

Trustees vote down Pride Week motion in favour of Diversity Week

Feb 11, 2021 | 5:54 PM

A Red Deer Public Schools trustee’s bid for a division-wide Pride Week each June has been voted down by her colleagues.

Dianne Macaulay presented her motion during the board’s regular meeting on Wednesday.

She told rdnewsNOW earlier this week that having a Pride Week would align with the division’s 2015 Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (SOGI) policy and its commitment to equity, respect, student success and completion.

Macaulay, a self-described LGBTQ+ ally, said she received around a dozen letters from school community members asking for her to propose the idea, in addition to calls she heard during Central Alberta Pride Week in 2019.

Her motion was defeated, however, with only Macaulay and fellow trustee Cathy Peacocke voting in favour.

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The board instead voted to back a revised proposal by Bev Manning to celebrate “Diversity Week,” though Macaulay and Peacocke voted against.

“The people I heard from had very powerful messages on why (Pride Week) was needed and why it needed to be LGBTQ+ focused,” Macaulay shared.

“Nothing has been brought to the board’s attention that we needed a Diversity Week. That’s what has me questioning this. Why say no to one thing when you have people who want it, and yes to another when it’s just coming from your own mind?”

Manning says she’d heard from some people after this week’s meeting agenda became public that they’d prefer something diversity-related.

Her motion included references to Red Deer’s Public’s history of celebrating diversity through the work of such people as Dr. Darren Lund, Paul Gowans, Sandre Bevan and Gail Holland.

“I’m hoping the community’s reaction to this will be one of kindness and acceptance, and realization that diversity speaks to Pride Week just as much as it does to any other group,” Manning says. “We want to be inclusive to all. That’s the responsibility of the public school system.”

Manning and Board Chair Nicole Buchanan point to the division’s SOGI policy as proof the board and division is in support of protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

“We’ve heard some concern around the timing of [Diversity Week]. We don’t want to offend anyone, so if there’s a better time of year to do Diversity Week, that will certainly come forward,” Buchanan says, adding that all trustees spoke passionately in support of LGBTQ+ students during the meeting.

“Diversity is promoted [year-round], to an extent, and it’s something that’s accepted, but I don’t think it’s celebrated currently.”

Manning took a moment to react to the slew of discriminatory comments on social media after rdnewsNOW’s initial report on the Pride Week motion, calling it “disappointing.”

“I understand people have their own perspectives and opinions about it. All I ask is that we be kind and accepting of one another.”

Macaulay says such comments reinforce the need for Pride Week.

Peacocke said she supported Macaulay’s motion because Central Alberta Pride Week is in August, and this would’ve allowed students to celebrate it together during the school year and what is internationally known as Pride Month.

“I know my board and I know this wasn’t meant in any way not to be inclusive of those students,” she says. “They just wanted to be more inclusive of all students.”

“One of my reservations is that this isn’t necessarily just a school issue, this is a community issue, and I think that the celebration of Pride Week ought to be a community-wide celebration. We want to have the maximum impact on the largest number of persons,” suggested Trustee Bill Stuebing during the meeting.

Trustee Laurette Woodward said she also wanted to have a conversation about diversity and that Macaulay’s motion was not broad enough for her to support.

Dr. Kristopher Wells Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, MacEwan University, says the board’s decision is disheartening.

“What message does this send to LGBTQ2 students, staff and families? The trustees need a lesson about the importance of equity and intersectionality. Have they not been paying attention to world events?” he wondered.

“Supporting a diversity week is the equivalent to saying ‘All Lives Matter.’ You can still celebrate Pride Week and a Diversity Week. Last I checked, there were 52 weeks in the year. This is outdated and backwards thinking.”

Macaulay admitted to telling her board colleagues Wednesday that their decision was “a slap in the face of every LGBTQ+ person.”

Red Deer Public Schools says there are Gay-Straight Alliances or Queer-Straight Alliances in at least five local schools in the division, including Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive, Hunting Hills High School, Eastview Middle, Oriole Park Elementary and Central Middle.

Buchanan also noted Section 9 of the division’s SOGI policy allows for students to request a staff member help lead an activity intended to promote a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity. She says that may include a Pride Week.