York Catholic District School Board votes 6-4 against raising Pride flag

WATCH ABOVE: The Pride flag will not be raised outside of the York Catholic District School Board for Pride Month. Trustees, including the chair of the board, votes six to four against the motion in a meeting Monday night. Brittany Rosen reports.

York Catholic District School Board trustees have voted against raising the Pride flag next month after a motion was defeated six votes to four.

A portion of the meeting held Monday night was to decide if the rainbow flag, specifically the Progress Pride flag, would be flown during the month of June at York Catholic Education Centre as Pride month begins later this week.

Chair Frank Alexander, who voted against the motion, told the meeting his “faith guides him.”

“It is why I became a Catholic school trustee to ensure that the York Catholic District School Board remains Catholic,” Alexander said. “It is what parents send their children to your Catholic schools expect.”

Trustee Michaela Barbieri said she was against the motion because it didn’t do much to address the struggles and challenges LGBTQ youth face in Catholic schools.

Others expressed disappointment and anger at the vote including trustee Jennifer Wigston.

“What raising the flag does, however, is demonstrate that York Catholic is listening to our LGBTQ2 students,” Wigston said.

“If we do not raise the flag, some people will feel empowered to continue intimidating, bullying, marginalizing and discounting LGBTQ2 students,” she said.

The decision comes a month after a chaotic meeting in April where students and faculty had called on YCDSB to raise the Pride flag in solidarity. The meeting saw a number of people yelling “shame” in the board chamber and a number of attendees were ejected by security.

York Regional Police told Global News that it was aware of the scheduled meeting and that there would be a police presence in the area on Monday night.

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Meanwhile, Pflag York Region — a charity organization for the LGBTQ2 community —  reacted to the vote saying, “YCDSB is not safe for York Region’s LGBTQ2 community … and it is kept unsafe by a group of York Catholic Board Trustees who weaponize their faith against marginalized communities.”

“We encourage admin at York Catholic schools across the region to raise both the Canadian flag and the Pride flag in an act of defiance against the Board of Trustees,” Pflag York Region said.

— With a file from The Canadian Press