June 1st, 2023

Since 2015, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) has officially recognized and celebrated Pride Month. Today, we are raising the Progress Pride Flag at every building across the WRDSB, as a symbol of solidarity and inclusion for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, staff and families/caregivers.

Theme of Pride Month 2023: We Have Always Been Here

Building on our commitment to honour student identity and the ways it intersects, for Pride 2023 we are recognizing the African, Caribbean and Black-identifying (ACBi) community leaders that have and continue to advocate for the equitable treatment of the 2SLGBTQIA+ identifying communities.

While this Pride Month centers the contributions of Black people to the 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation movements, we honour all the individuals who have paved the way and provided the lessons to continue the work of affirming belonging and actualising safety.

Resources for Students and Families

2SLGBTQIA+ Supports and Resources

Visit the 2SLGBTQIA+ Supports and Resources page to find a selection of resources for students and families from clinical and community organizations.

About the Progress Pride Flag

Progress Pride flag flies beneath the Canadian flag on a flag pole.

The Progress Pride Flag honours the contributions, lives and histories of Black, Brown and Transgender people who live a multi-marginalized reality. It recognizes the disproportionate impact of HIV and the AIDS crisis on the global Black community. The Progress Pride Flag builds on the Gilbert Baker Flag. The six-coloured Rainbow Flag has and continues to be a symbol of hope, resilience and inclusion.

Designed in 2018 by Non-binary American Artist Daniel Quasar, the Progress Pride Flag includes the addition of a five-coloured chevron to emphasize inclusion and ongoing advocacy. The Black and Brown stripes represent marginalized 2SLGBTQIA+ communities of colour. The pink, light blue and white are from the transgender flag. The Progress Pride Flag with the six-coloured stripes is grounded in the liberatory meaning and activism of the Baker Flag. It now includes a visible reminder of those communities disproportionately impacted by:

  • Homophobia
  • Transphobia
  • Queerphobia
  • Racism

The Progress Pride Flag is a symbol of our commitment to ensure every student sees themselves reflected in their learning environment, and those who teach them so that they can reach their full potential.

The Pride Flag flies beneath the Ontario flag at the Education Centre

“A Rainbow Flag was a conscious choice, natural and necessary. The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope. In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Native American history. A Rainbow Flag would be our modern alternative to the pink triangle. Now the rioters who claimed their freedom at the Stonewall Bar in 1969 would have their own symbol of liberation.”
– Gilbert Baker, Rainbow Flag Creator

Profiling 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Leaders

Last year, we recognised 2SLGBTQAI+ community leaders in Waterloo Region. You can revisit those profiles here:

Categories: School News