Regina school board chair explains denial of Pride motion

Katherine Gagne has had a rough week, she said, since the Regina Public Schools board of trustees meeting on Tuesday last week; she’s been called all kinds of names and there’s even a petition going around to remove her from her position as chairperson.

It’s all because, at that meeting, the trustees voted down a motion that would have mandated the celebration of Pride and the raising of the Pride flag at all the city’s public schools each June.

Gagne said she believes the trustees were confused about the motion and what it would mean.

“I think trustees defaulted to (vote) no, because nothing changed with a no-vote. But, if they were to vote yes, it could signal something that, perhaps, wasn’t intended without corresponding consideration,” said Gagne while speaking with John Gormley.

The motion, put forward by trustee Aleana Young read: “BE IT RESOLVED that Regina Public Schools recognize and support the celebration of Pride and fly the rainbow flag at our facilities each June.”

Gagne said some didn’t even know why they needed the motion.

“Trustees said, ‘why do we need a motion?’ There haven’t been motions giving directive for any of our other school celebrations, and so why was this motion necessary? There was confusion around that,” she said.

In June, the school board heard from some parents who didn’t like that some schools were recognizing Pride month.

In her rationale with the motion, Young wrote: “These parents believed that this was an instance of the majority excluding the minority and that elementary schools should not be celebrating or recognizing Pride as it would exclude those families whose personal or religious views were in opposition to gender and sexual diversity.”

Gagne said the parents were asking for the board to think about freedom of religion, parental roles and age-appropriateness when considering the celebrations.

Some have asked why, if it was confusing or unclear, that the board didn’t just amend the motion.

Gagne said the trustees had thought they would go into committee to discuss the idea. But she put the blame on a tweet that Young had sent out, telling people about a vote, for making the vote happen.

The meeting room on Tuesday was full of people in support of the motion, and there was a very loud reaction when it was voted down. That reaction has continued, and Gagne said feels “we need to be in a place in society where we can respect divergent thought.”

“This shuts down discussion, this shuts down understanding. What I want to see is us move to a place of greater understanding with one another,” she said.

Gagne emphasized — as the school division administration also did the next day — that the voting down of the motion means that nothing changes; schools can still recognize Pride in June if they wish to do so.