Students and teachers at a school in Halifax, Canada have reacted after a trans flag was torn down during Trans Awareness Week.
The incident is particularly upsetting for the school, which flies the trans flag at its doorstep as a show of support to the trans community, as it was the second year in a row it had happened.
“The flag was actually ripped right off of the pole and just left on the ground,” said the school’s associate director, Noel McLellan.
“For that flag to spark … an expression of aggression towards that sign of solidarity was upsetting and kind of heartbreaking.”
Fellow teacher, Wesley Pitts, who sits on the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, said staff quickly put the flag back up and used the incident as a teaching moment.
“You can knock us down, but we’re going to get right back up,” said Pitts.
“We had discussions about it with our students, and they all know that it’s someone else’s opinion. They have their thoughts and opinions on trans people, queer people, and it’s one of love and acceptance.”
“We have a number of trans students here. It can really feel like an attack against people in particular and make them feel unsafe,” added McLellan.
