The School Committee has voted 5-3 to approve the painting of a progressive Pride crosswalk at WHRHS and Whitman Middle School and to accept a Whitman PRIDE scholarship for a graduating senior. The vote also allows a partnership with the district’s wellness program and the Whitman Public Library to provide age-appropriate materials to district students.
Opposing it for various aspects of the crosswalk portion of the proposal were Fred Small, Glen DiGravio and Stephen Cloutman. Not present were Vice Chair Christopher Scriven and Michele Bougelas.
“We are not here to advance an agenda,” said Whitman PRIDE President and Director Christopher DiOrio. “We’re here to try to save lives, that’s really what’s important here. [See accompanying story, page 3] … Having at least one accepting adult in a child’s life can reduce the amount of suicidal attempts among LGBTQ people by 40 percent.”
He presented the requests at the Wednesday, July 19 meeting, explaining that his organization was created to increase LGBTQ visibility in Whitman, as well as raising awareness and funds for organizations and funds for organizations that provide community programs, advocacy and activities for LGBTQ youth.
“We know that LGBTQ people and their allies exist in all corners of the community, but they may feel alone or unrepresented,” he said. “Our mission is to help them show that Whitman is a place of inclusion, acceptance and love.”
When students see the rainbow colors it demonstrates the school they attend and the community in which they live, accept them for who they are, DiOrio said.
“These colors are not for everybody, but they are to let the teen-ager who’s insecure and unsure about how safe it is to be who they are, to know that the community and school that they work and live in actually cares about them,” he said. “They are for folks who live in a world where we still have to worry about folks legislating away their future rights to work, to raise children, to get an education, to get married and even to exist. … I’m asking simply to place colors on the ground.”
DiOrio had researched the district’s mission statement, which points out, in part, that it is “committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and supportive working and learning environment in which all students and employees can thrive and succeed” … with core values of supporting an inclusive environment and makes all decisions in the best interests of students.
“Whitman PRIDE is here today asking to be a partner with the schools in fostering and furthering your mission, because your mission coincides with ours,” DiOrio said. The organization’s ask is that the district act in the best interests of its student body – specifically LGBTQ students – in a safe, secure and healthy environment and to be a good model for diversity, equity and inclusion, proposing that:
Whitman PRIDE provide progressive PRIDE crosswalks at the high school and at Whitman Middle School – not state-mandated crosswalks, but simply painting them the traditional rainbow colors, plus black, brown, light blue, white and pink (to include racial diversity and trans persons);
The organization is offering to create a Whitman PRIDE scholarship to be offered to a graduating W-H senior who has exhibited efforts toward advocating or strengthening the LGBTQ community; and
Offering to partner with the Whitman Library and libraries in all W-H schools to provide age-appropriate educational materials for students at all levels to understand diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically related to the LGBTQ community.
“Why is this important?” he said. “Because this community, specifically the young people in the LGBTQ community, are under active attack in this country.”
DiOrio pointed to more than 500 separate pieces of legislation – including a bill now before Congress to cut funding for HIV research – have been filed throughout the country, specifically attacking LGBTQ individuals. More than 220 of those bills specifically single out trans students.
“Attacking students,” he repeated. “Children. “Seventy of them have already been approved by individual states, banning necessary gender-affirming care for trans students, banning trans students from participating in sports and sporting activities and even limiting bathroom access for those people conforming to their person’s gender.”
Chair Beth Stafford said she hoped before he entered the building that DiOrio looked up to see a nice “Respect” sign and an inclusion sign, which to her is very important.
“I did,” he replied.
“Those were done by the students themselves, and I think that’s very important and an important thing for all of us to remember,” she said, noting that the WHRHS library where the committee meets had a number of Pride-related books on display.
A former teacher who had LGBTQ students in her classes over the years, Stafford admitted that, “I treated them differently, but not in the way you think.”
“When I know that they are trans or maybe going to be, and they were walking alone in the corridor, I would stop them and ask them how their day was and how they’re doing and how they were feeling,” she said, recalling one former student, now working in town, who insists on waiting on her and has friended her on Facebook. “I find it very important that each and every one of us think about that before we have our discussion.”
Committee member Fred Small, while agreeing with “probably 90-something percent” of what DiOrio was saying, and for the committee to pass a proclamation or resolution that it is an inclusive district would be a good thing and that the mission statement could be adjusted to specifically include the LGBTQ community.
“I believe we have counselors and people in place to provide that adult educational assistance … so they know it’s OK, they have someone to talk to,” he said. “The one part that I worry about …is that by putting a symbol on the ground, and if we can end up having that discretion to say yes to one group, what happens when another group comes and says, ‘We want our symbol there?’”
He said it could be a group the district does not agree with or is “very repulsive,” such as Nazis, and referred to the group that took the city of Boston to the Supreme Court over the issue of a Christian flag. They Supreme Court allowed it, even after every lower court rejected the suit.
“My big fear is ‘Who pays those legal expenses?’” Small said.
DiOrio, who is a lawyer and Constitutional law professor, said the difference is the Boston case dealt with an existing policy that the city had, but was not followed. They had never rejected anyone based on their written policy for flags going up the third pole. The Supreme Court said that because the policy was not followed, the content decision made by the city in contradiction to its stated policy, they were operating in violation of that policy and had to allow the Christian flag they had rejected.
“The difference here, is when you as a collective body make a determination of policy it is what we call ‘government speech,’” DiOrio said. “You are permitted, as a government entity, to speak as you choose, no different than any individual.”
Neither can government entities be compelled to say anything they don’t believe or wish to say.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said he did not see any mention of a flag in the Whitman PRIDE request.
“Not yet,” DiOrio said.
“What I see is a scholarship, which I feel would be beneficial to my student body, support for education of our students – age appropriate – and a crosswalk,” Szymaniak said. “In our country, in our commonwealth right now, that’s a hot-button issue – the flag, and what pole it goes on.”
He stressed that the district has education professionals to help select age-appropriate materials across the board.
School Committee member Dawn Byers noted there is already a gender and sexuality alliance (GSA) club at the high school called the Rainbow Alliance, and advocated embracing them and include them.
“I support Mr. DiOrio’s efforts coming forward, however I would not want a citizen in the community to be dictating how a message or a symbol is put on a school campus without [the Rainbow Alliance] input,” she said.
She noted there is “a variety of flags” on display in the WMS foyer and did not recall any of those placements coming before the School Committee before.
DiOrio said each of the three South Shore Communities he is working with that have done similar sidewalks – Hingham. Scituate and Weymouth – all of them have worked with GSAs on being approved by the town, and he would welcome that volunteer effort. Cohasset, Quincy and North Quincy have also approved the rainbow sidewalks.
Committee member Hillary Kniffen, who is a teacher, said she has read many college entrance essays about how seeing a painted crosswalk, or a sticker placed in a classroom by a teacher, led to students feeling more like they belonged.
“To me, all of these things are absolutely harmless,” she said.
District Equity and MTSS Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis said Massachusetts is the only state with a safe schools initiative so there is precedence to support LGBTQ students in the school setting.
“Going back to our pillars, one of them is safe schools,” said Committee member Steve Bois. “How would we want it any other way? … We’re here to educate the future.”
Small asked about the propriety of painting a crosswalk on Hanson property at the high school.
“This isn’t a social issue, I don’t think it’s a political issue, frankly, it’s a civil rights issue,” Committee member David Forth said. “I don’t think any statement is worthwhile unless there’s actions to back it up, and I think this is a great opportunity for us as a community, for as a district, to back it up.”
Member Glen DiGravio asked it there was a precent for a citizen request to make a change to school property. Szymaniak said there are Eagle Scout projects at schools all over the district that were approved by the committee. There have also been memorials placed on school grounds in the district.
He expressed concern that once a permanent change is permitted it shifts from inclusion to promotion.
Member Stephen Cloutman said a Pride flag is a statement of sexual preference that should not be present on school property. He advocated treating individuals as individuals.
“It’s a personal issue. We all need affirmation,” he said. “Every sentence or paragraph I read says inclusivity or diverse. I see it too much, it makes me think, what are we, all a bunch of bigots or racists? It’s put in our face.”
DiOrio corrected him that it is not an preference. It is an identity.
“I’ve also heard people saying it shouldn’t be taught,” Stafford said. “We do not teach you how to be gay. That’s not taught here just like Critical Race Theory is not taught here. We’re not promoting it. We’re helping the children who are under-recognized.”