East Wiltshire Pride Incident: Read Pride PEI’s Open Letter
“It is only by teaching students the truths about themselves and those around them that we can impart empathy and understanding that will lead to a safer world for not only the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but all marginalized communities.”
– Andrea MacPherson, Secretary of Pride PEI
Date: Friday, June 11, 2021
Attention:
Honourable Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island
Honourable Peter Bevan-Baker, Leader of the Official Opposition
Honourable Natalie Jameson, Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning
Sonny Gallant, Interim Leader of the Third Party
Heath MacDonald, Member for Cornwall-Meadowbank
Steven Howard, Opposition Critic for Education and Lifelong Learning
Norbert Carpenter, Director of Public Schools Branch
Terri MacAdam, Director of Student Services Department, Public Schools Branch
Jamie Cole, Principal of East Wiltshire Intermediate School
On June 1, the government of Prince Edward Island released a draft for Guidelines for Respecting, Accommodating and Supporting Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sexual Orientation in our Schools. Not two weeks later, events occurred at East Wiltshire Intermediate School that both highlighted their need, but also how much they still fall short for the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) community on PEI.
EWIS designated June 7-11 as Spirit Week, with Thursday being Pride and Rainbow Day. Marring that support was a group of students who dressed all in black, ripped down posters supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and accosted others for “supporting the gays”. Worse, the administration was warned about these plans, and still had a lacklustre response, with one teacher noting “kids are like that”. During the day itself, the school did nothing to support their 2SLGBTQIA+ student body; the word “inclusion” was used once in morning announcements, but there was no mention of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, no stand taken against homophobia or transphobia, and no lessons about what 2SLGBTQIA+ students or their classmates should be learning about themselves and one another.
This is beyond unacceptable.
Leading up to May 17 - the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia - Pride PEI ran a campaign asking people to #TakeAStand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to great success, with many government leaders, local businesses, and PEI at large - including some addressed in this letter - sharing the hashtag and declaring their support for their marginalized family and friends.
Now, Pride PEI is asking you to be accountable for your words. Do not let these microaggressions pass consequence free. Do not delude yourself into thinking this was an isolated incident within the Public School System. It has been estimated that as many as one third of young people identify with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and many more have family and friends that also identify as such. Inaction in the face of homophobia such as displayed at EWIS only emboldens those individuals - both students and staff - who try to wield hateful power over their 2SLGBTQIA+ fellows.
The guidelines proposed by the government are a start, but cannot be the end goal for supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ students and staff within the PEI Public School system. They need to be made policy, with explicit means for enforcement and consequences for those schools that fail their 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
In addition, government needs to provide funding to deliver in-school mental health support for 2SLGBTQIA+ students and direct the schools to support student-led Gender and Sexuality Alliance groups, so students may have a safer space to express themselves as they learn about their place in the world.
Furthermore, education about gender identities, gender expression, and sexual orientations need to be added to curricula at all levels of schooling - it is only by teaching students the truths about themselves and those around them that we can impart empathy and understanding that will lead to a safer world for not only the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but all marginalized communities.
The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is waiting. And watching.
Sincerely,
Andrea MacPherson, Secretary
Pride PEI
info@pridepei.ca
