Anger erupted after a student group at an Erie, Pennsylvania, high school promoted a “Dress in Drag!” day and a “Lesbian Pride!” day — among other similarly themed days — as part of “Spirit Week” happening April 24 to April 28: Flyers advertising “Dress in Drag!” day and “Lesbian Pride!” day were posted throughout McDowell High School, Erie News Now reported.
For Thursday’s “Dress in Drag!” day, students are encouraged to “be your own drag queen!” and “embrace yourself!” the flyer indicates. For Wednesday’s “Lesbian Pride!” day, students are encouraged to “dress in the colors of the lesbian flag!” the flyer adds.
Monday was “Rainbow Day!” during which students were encouraged to “dress in the colors of the rainbow flag!” the flyer says. The abbreviation for the student group promoting spirit week is “GSA” — and the only club on the high school’s website that matches such an abbreviation is the “Gay-Straight Alliance.”
TheBlaze reported that interestingly, the superintendent of Millcreek Township School District — Ian A. Roberts — doesn’t make reference to the “Gay-Straight Alliance” in his Tuesday letter answering “concerns” about the flyer. Roberts only notes that the “flyer was created by a student-led organization at our high school called GSA.”
Roberts adds in the letter that “participation is only being encouraged by the student group and is solely the choice of our students whether they participate in the student organization’s event or not.”
