The principal of a catholic school in Ottawa, Canada, has stepped in to halt a school project from two 11-year-old pupils on the topic of gay rights
Grade 6 students Quinn Maloney-Tavares and Polly Hamilton, who attend St. George’s Catholic School in Ottawa, were asked to complete a project on social justice and allowed to choose their own specific theme.
They chose gay rights, because, as Quinn told the Ottawa Citizen, ‘A lot of people, they don’t know they’re being rude, but they make being gay a bad thing.
‘They need to know that it’s not a bad thing.’
However, principal Ann Beauchamp had other ideas and immediately vetoed the idea when she heard about it, leaving the girls ‘upset and disappointed’, according to Quinn’s mom, Ann Maloney.
In fact, the girls were so disappointed by their principal’s decision that they decided to paint small rainbow flags on their hands in silent protest; the gesture was picked up and repeated by several of their classmates.
Maloney and Polly’s mother, Kate, had a meeting with Beauchamp last week to see if they could persuade her to change her mind, but Maloney said afterwards that the principal had ‘felt strongly about her decision,’ saying that she didn’t think gay rights was an appropriate topic for children of that age, and that she also had concerns about receiving criticism from more conservative parents at the school.
Beauchamp has since refused to comment, but the school board’s communications department issued a statement from chairman Ted Hurley. It said that the school’s curriculum, ‘covers all topics around personhood, relationships and sexuality and is developed and taught in an age-appropriate manner.
‘The principal’s decision was made in this context and with the understanding that the project was going to be presented to younger students … Our board’s focus on equity and family life programs ensures students are taught within the context of our faith, with a focus on the dignity of personhood.’
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