Happy Pride Month!

BY MJ SORBA TEACHER

Representation matters, and Queen Mary’s Social Diversity Club is committed to uplifting and celebrating Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) identities all year, and especially during the month of June.

Despite restrictions at the start of the year due to COVID-19, students were determined to organize the school’s first Pride Week.

Organized by Grade 7 student Katie, the Kick Off to Pride Week event welcomed the North Shore Pride Alliance and Mayor of the City of North Vancouver Linda Buchanan.

Members of the North Shore Pride Alliance spoke of acceptance, being your true self, homophobia, and 2SLGBTQ+ activism to intermediate students, and read books about diversity and inclusion to students in Grades 1 and 2. Kindergarten students had the opportunity to mingle and ask questions to Drag Queen Jaylene Tyme.

In addition to the Kick Off event, the Social Diversity Club revealed plans to install a rainbow 4-square on the basketball court, thanks to a grant provided by the United Way.

Throughout the week, members of our social justice action club used their platform to create PowerPoints to share the history of Pride and how to be an ally with members of the school community. They also hosted a Just Dance Pride Party and encouraged peers to create a superhero identity that reflected their unique strengths and gifts.

We would like to thank the City of North Vancouver for supporting our efforts to enrich the Queen Mary community through the Youth