Middle School “Pride Month” Revolt? Students Chant ‘U.S.A. Are My Pronouns’

According to Boston.com, students at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, Massachusetts revolted against a school-approved Pride month celebration on June 2nd.

“The spirit day was requested and sponsored by Spectrum Club — a student group for LGBTQ+ students and allies,” the outlet stated.

Spectrum Club members decorated the school with “Happy Pride Month” signs, Pride flag banners, rainbow streamers, handed out rainbow stickers, and invited students and faculty to wear rainbow clothing.

However, some students reportedly tore down the signs and banners and chanted “U.S.A. are my pronouns” while wearing red, white, and blue.

Marshall Simonds Middle School Principal Cari Perchase sent a letter to parents about the incident.

Middle school students tear down Pride banners, chant 'USA are my pronouns' while wearing red, white, and blue https://t.co/kHAR7jdReG

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) June 13, 2023

From Boston.com:

In the letter, Perchase said she was “extremely disheartened” by the students’ anti-Pride actions.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I fully respect that our diverse community has diverse opinions and beliefs. I also respect individuals’ right to express their opinions through clothing choices and freedom of speech,” she wrote. “When one individual or group of individuals’ beliefs and actions result in the demeaning of another individual or group, it is completely unacceptable.”

Perchase said in the letter that she stands in solidarity with and in support of the students and faculty that were impacted by the student protest.

“I am truly sorry that a day meant for you to celebrate your identity turned into a day of intolerance. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for ALL students and faculty. Some community members’ actions created an unsafe environment for many of our students, caregivers, and faculty,” she wrote.

To help remedy the situation, Perchase said the school designated a meeting time during which students could express their concerns to administrators and created an anonymous form for students to report specific hateful incidents. She also said the school would look into providing a program that would teach students tolerance, acceptance, and respect.

Burlington Public Schools Superintendent Eric Conti also responded to the incident. In a letter to parents, he denounced the students’ protest, writing that the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ violence in the country “has no place in our schools.”

Burlington Public Schools wrote in a statement:

The rise in anti LGBTQ+ violence across the country is unacceptable and has no place in our schools. We recognize that intolerance can manifest in many different ways, and unfortunately our school community experienced intolerance during the school day on Friday. Students who participate in the Spectrum Club led a celebration of National Pride Month that included posters in support of identity pride, and other symbols of LGBTQ+ identity such as rainbow flags and clothing. Unfortunately, some of these symbols were damaged on Friday during the school day by some students. The Spectrum Club is one of many interest-based clubs where students who share similar interests, along with allies, can gather and support one another. Like any spirit day celebration at MSMS, participation is optional. Respectful behavior across the entire student body, however, is non negotiable.

I recognize that discussions and celebrations of individual identity are complex and impacted by individual values, religions, and cultural norms, the result of which may include expressions of racism, anti-religious hate, ableism, and in this case homophobia. The Burlington Public Schools are obligated to provide a safe environment for all students to feel safe, seen, and respected without retaliation.

We ask all staff, teachers, and members of the Burlington Public School community to join us in taking a stand against homophobia and identity-directed hateful actions. We also recognize that it is not enough to publicly denounce these incidents as they happen. As a school system we have a unique opportunity to educate our community on the nature of these events. The work we do in the Burlington Public Schools and at MSMS is not easy. It often leads to difficult and uncomfortable conversations. Nevertheless, we encourage you to discuss differences with your families to try and make sense of how one’s actions always impact others.

The Burlington Public Schools believe in the individual dignity and humanity of each and every person in our community. We embrace everyone for who they are and for what they bring to our schools and larger community. Our staff have and will continue to receive resources, materials and training to help identify and respond to identity bigotry and discrimination. As these lessons extend beyond the classroom, we invite all students, parents, guardians, and other community members to participate in this ongoing dialogue. A list of resources on how to talk to adults and children about identity hate is available below.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Burlington Equity Coalition called for “consequences for the students who participated in the counter protest.”

Last Friday at Marshall Simonds Middle School, students were invited to show their pride and wear rainbow clothing in celebration of Pride Month. On that same day, there was a counter demonstration in response to what should have been a day to celebrate, where students wore red, white, and blue clothing, chanted “My pronouns are U/S/A”, and destroyed rainbow decorations at the school. These displays of intolerance and homophobia are unacceptable and impact the whole community.

The Burlington Equity Coalition stands in support of and solidarity with the members of the school community who were harmed by these acts of intolerance. We call upon the school administration to address and provide consequences for the students who participated in the counter protest. While this is an opportunity for education for the whole community and a chance to remind residents that every person is important and welcome in our town, we also believe that without any direct and concrete action, these incidents will occur again and increase in severity. In addition, we call on school administration to hire a DEI Director for the district, a position which has now been unfilled for almost a year.

WCVB Channel 5 Boston covered the story: