June 1st, 2022

Since 2017, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) has proudly raised the Pride flag on June 1 at every building across our school board. This is a symbol of recognition and support to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, while also marking the beginning of Pride month. This Pride Month, every school in the WRDSB will raise the Progress Pride Flag.

Listening to Student Voice

At the WRDSB, we have heard from 2SLGBTQIA+ students through conversations, surveys and data. They shared the harm they have experienced. Students have expressed ongoing feelings of isolation – an absence of representation of what their futures could be.

In the November 2016 Outlook Study, we gathered data on the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ high school students in the WRDSB. The results spoke to the need for 2SLGBTQIA+ students to see themselves in all of the curriculum, resources and learning spaces. This was particularly true for Black, Indigenous, racialized and transgender students.

We also had the chance to hear from students at a recent Student Trustee Exchange:

“2SLGBTQIA+ students should feel safer being out and open in schools. If they don’t feel safe coming out in school, they develop more anxiety being at school, at least from my experience, which causes less focusing.”
– WRDSB Student feedback from Student Trustee Exchange

“I think people should know that no matter who they are, they’re welcome and loved, and others should support them and show them that they are included.”
– WRDSB Student feedback from Student Trustee Exchange

“I think you should focus on 2SLGBTQIA+poc; it’s important to give them a safe place where they can be themselves.”
– WRDSB Student feedback from Student Trustee Exchange

Pride Month in the WRDSB

2SLGBTQIA+ and living in Waterloo Region

For Pride Month 2022 the WRDSB will share profiles of 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and other communities as a part of the series 2SLGBTQIA+ and living in Waterloo Region.

They will share about their identities, passions, and lived experiences. These profiles offer advice to students, hope for the future of education and what it means to be queer. Look out for these during the month of June.

Bangishimo

“We are unique. We are diverse. We are community and family. I joined a Queer youth group at the age of 16 and some of the folx I met there are my best friends today.”
– Bangishimo Johnson, Indigiqueer Artist, Community Advocate, O:se Kenhionhata:tie

Community Events

2022 Pride Prom: Queer Euphoria | OK2BME

The focus of the 2022 Pride Prom: Queer Euphoria is fun, socializing and dancing. There will be some entertainment and opportunity to chat with each other.

When: Friday, June 10 starting at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Toyota Room, 62 Dickson Street, Cambridge
Who: 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and allies

Register for the 2022 Pride Prom: Queer Euphoria

Pride 2022 Events | Spectrum

For Pride month, SPECTRUM is working with many great community partners to present a series of events and activities that both celebrate members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and promote equal rights and visibility.

Learn more about the Spectrum Pride 2022 Events.

tri-Pride Summer Festival

For the first time since 2019, the tri-Pride Summer Festival is back. They will be gathering in Victoria Park with entertainment, vendors, bar area, kids zone, and a whole lot of fun.

When: Saturday, June 4, 2022 starting at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Victoria Park, Kitchener
Who: Everyone is invited

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 Pride Progress 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 Pride Progress 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

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.

Categories: School News