Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia
CANADA A Catholic school board in suburban Toronto has voted to uphold its policy banning Pride flags from being displayed outside schools after a school trustee introduced a motion to revise the policy on Jan.
22. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board governs 151 public Catholic schools in Toronto’s western suburbs. In the province of Ontario, Catholic schools receive public funding and are allowed to promote religious teaching, but must generally follow provincial nondiscrimination law.
The board’s policy limits the flags that may be flown outside schools based on the number of flagpoles the school has. Those with one pole must fly the Canadian flag, those with two must also fly the Ontario flag, while those with three must fly a flag that is either associated with the liturgical season of the church, the school board itself, or a local Catholic charity.
Trustee Brea Corbet had proposed that the third flagpole could be used to fly the Pride flag or other appropriate flags. “When we remove rainbow flags or other heritage flags, we’re not protecting Catholic identity.
