More than 200 schools across the motu held pride events this week, standing firm against a reported rise in anti-rainbow hate.
One of Auckland’s biggest school pride events, Lil Gay Out — hosted annually by Hobsonville Point Secondary School — was cancelled after receiving protest threats from anti-rainbow groups.
The event usually draws hundreds of students from secondary schools across the region but organisers say it needed to be cancelled to keep students safe.
This devastated both students and staff nationwide, who say visible and positive expressions of pride are more important than ever.
But the setback hasn’t stopped many schools pushing ahead with their own celebrations, including Macleans College in Tāmaki Makaurau which is hosting a pride-themed quiz and bake sale to raise money for InsideOUT — a charity supporting rainbow and takatāpui people.
Re: News journalist Zoe Madden-Smith went along to Macleans College to ask staff and students how they are feeling about pride this year. You can watch the full video on TVNZ+
Macleans College media teacher Jerome Cargill, who organised the pride event, says it is the fourth year the school has celebrated pride.
“It started small with just a small group but slowly, year by year, we’ve iterated on that. And now it’s a week of a lunchtime celebration of events that students can participate in and come along if they want to and celebrate, the beautiful diversity that we have in the school.”
Cargill says school pride is important because it creates a sense of belonging for all rainbow students and helps education staff and students about how we can make the school a safe environment for everyone.
“This group is at risk of high levels of bullying and high levels of discrimination so it’s really important we set aside time to send a message to everyone in the school that we value this community. And everyone belongs here,” he says.
One year 11 student from Macleans College, who didn’t want their name published for safety reasons, says school pride events provide a way for people to be part of the queer community “casually”.
“I know that not everyone comes to [pride] club, but the little events there are fun, and you can kind of hide in the crowd a bit. But it also makes everyone feel seen.”
The student says they feel safe to be out at school because of how the school prioritises inclusion and diversity.
“Just having people around me that I know support me makes me feel that joy in my queerness and my identity. And I really value that, it just makes me feel safe.”
Watch the full video from Re: News on TVNZ+ here
