Pride Month

This year, our board will celebrate Pride Month in a variety of ways—from rainbow flags in schools and other board buildings, to displays of support and acceptance on social media, prayers and messages that highlight how important love, welcome and understanding are for us as a Catholic school board.

The Pride flag that you will be seeing during the month of June is a more recent development of the earlier “rainbow” flag, which dates back to 1978. Its designer, Gilbert Baker, said that each stripe represented a key theme associated with Pride: 

Red for life; Orange for healing; Yellow for sunlight; Green for nature; Blue for harmony/serenity; and Purple for spirit. We believe that these are values that are profoundly compatible with Christianity.

In recent years, triangular chevrons have been added to the left side of the flag, to produce what is now called the “Progress Pride” flag. It includes black and brown stripes, to recognize Black and Indigenous people, and other People of Colour (who have long been leaders in the LGBTQ2S+ movement). The light pink and powder blue stripes represent transgender men and women, and the white triangle stands for those who identify otherwise. This newer version of the flag also recognizes the “intersection” of issues of racism, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the struggle for equity and justice for all people who suffer exclusion, misunderstanding or oppression in our societies.

For more information on Pride Month in SMCDSB schools, view the Pride Month 2021 Slideshow Presentation.