Contentious Meeting at York Catholic School Board Over Pride Flag Raising

Tensions flared up at a contentious meeting of the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) in Aurora on Tuesday evening as attendees debated the idea of raising the Pride flag at schools during the upcoming Pride Month in June.

The packed boardroom saw people opposing the idea shouting and causing disruption, prompting security to intervene and clear the unruly crowd. A video posted to social media showed a loud and angry mob accosting Paolo De Buono, a parent and Catholic teacher from Toronto, outside the meeting.

De Buono, who has long advocated for equal rights for LGBTQ students, made a five-minute deputation before being escorted into the board room by a school superintendent. Despite the temporary halt, the meeting later resumed, but the board did not vote on the Pride flag-raising issue.

In a follow-up tweet, De Buono expressed his concern for the students who were “crying, in fear” due to the “angrily shouting” of some members of the York Catholic community from the lobby. It remains unclear why the simple but important gesture of raising a Pride flag could evoke such a strong and adverse reaction in some members of the York Region community.