The beginning of June marks the start of Pride Season in Canada, including Pride Month as well as events throughout the summer to mark advancements in equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people and raise awareness of the work still to be done.
At TCS, in addition to the two Progress Pride flags that fly on our campus, throughout the month of June flags will also be displayed prominently in Cirne Commons and Boulden House.
On Thursday, May 30th, the Senior School’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) hosted an awareness day in advance of Pride Month. This was a non-uniform day where students were asked to wear the colours of the rainbow. GSA leaders hosted a chapel in Cirne Commons to share information on the history and importance of this month. Students had the chance to test their knowledge in a fun trivia game where they answered questions on topics such as the history of Pride Month and the meaning of the colours of the Pride flag.
In the Junior School, Monday, June 3rd was the third “Help Stop Discrimination Day,” hosted by the Allies Against Racism & Discrimination (AARD) group. Students took part in a non-uniform day, wearing bright colours, and were eager to purchase treats from the AARD’s bake sale. Funds raised will support the Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in unsafe environments, countries, or cultures to reach safety by immigrating to Canada. In early May, the Senior School GSA donated more than $1,000 to this organization, the proceeds from its own bake sale.
The history of the Pride movement is traced back to the Stonewall Uprising, protests that followed the June 1969 police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York. Indeed, activism for equal rights for 2SLGTBQI+ people in Canada and the U.S. began decades earlier, but Stonewall served as a catalyst for more widespread demonstrations. In August 1971, the We Demand rally was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and was Canada’s first large-scale public protest of its kind. Pride Month today serves as a chance to honour the pioneering work of 2SLGTBQI+ activists, including BIPOC queer community members, in fighting for the expansion of equal human rights. It is also a time to commit ourselves to working together to build on this progress for the sake of current and future generations.
