WORCESTER—The Worcester School Committee took up a proposed resolution to designate the Worcester Public Schools as a safe place for members of the LGBTQ+ on Feb. 6, ending the night by approving a broader resolution much to the disappointment of the many supporters in attendance.
The LGBTQ+ “Safe Schools Resolution” was proposed by committee member Susan Mailman and sought to solidify the district’s stance on prejudice or bullying regarding gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
The language of the document, which was included in the school committee’s meeting packet, heavily focuses on acknowledging the victimization and harassment faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. The school committee heard from numerous citizens calling for the approval of the resolution as a way to support students they feel are being marginalized and targeted, especially in the current political and social climate.
Kristen Frazier, an educator and Gay Straight Alliance advisor at North High School, was one of many who gave an impassioned speech asking the committee to support Mailman’s proposal.
Speaking from experience about the fears local students face by embracing their identities Frazier said, “They know what’s happened in the past. They’ve seen what has happened to the trans communities and to their friends in other states. They already know people who are coming into Massachusetts as a safer space, not completely safe but a safer space, and they want to know that we have their backs. We need to make sure we are protecting all of our students and that we have the courage to stand up and say, ‘you are safe in our schools.’”
Joshua Croke, founder and president of Love Your Labels, which seeks to support the local young queer and trans community, was another supporter who hoped the school committee would back the resolution.
“Queer and trans folks are scared,” said Croke. “My adult friends are scared and the young people I support are scared and it is our responsibility to ensure our students, not just allowing them to be in our schools and city but fighting for them to show up as they are.”
Frazier and Croke were two of many members of the community, school staff, and local organizations that spoke at the meeting, either in person or through online participation, hoping that the school committee would support the document.
The discussion came only two days after the Worcester City Council tabled a proposal to declare Worcester as a sanctuary for the LGBTQ+ community and in a week where President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, making it no surprise that concerns around the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community were fresh on everyone’s minds going into the night.
When it came time for the school committee to have its say, numerous members vocalized their support for the LGBTQ+ community and Mailman’s intent. Mailman championed the resolution saying it was time for the committee to act and solidify support for members of a community many feels are becoming increasingly marginalized.
“We must use our voices,” said Mailman. “I listen to our Congressman Jim McGovern say we need to speak up for these families that are most targeted, for these students, and for our employees. The hate and vitriol around this particular issue, for the LGBTQ community, is incredibly sad.”
However, the vote proved to be much more complicated after member Molly McCullough, who earlier in the evening stated that the district needed to address the treatment of all marginalized communities noting the concerns of the immigrant community, presented an alternative resolution of her own.
McCullough’s document, which she said was written after consulting with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), removed much of the LGBTQ+-specific language in favor of broader text decrying any type of discrimination, bullying, or harassment including race, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, or “any other category protected by state or federal law.” The document still acknowledged that members of the LGBTQ+ community experience disproportionately high rates of discrimination.
The introduction of McCullough’s resolution sparked an exchange with Mailman, who denounced the document saying she didn’t “get the game” being played and vowed not to vote for the new proposal. McCollough defended her resolution saying she wasn’t playing games but felt her document was more succinct and included language recommended by the MASC while preserving the intent of Mailman’s proposal.
“I completely support our LGBTQIA+ families,” McCullough said. “I would say everyone in this room probably has a family member or a close friend who is part of this community and part of the ‘plus’ can sometimes refer to being an ally, and I would like to think that everyone sitting here in this room on this committee would consider themselves an ally because we have very vulnerable students and staff that are part of this population.
“This was not intended to diminish the motion put forward by member Mailman to have a resolution, but it was to make it a more succinct, clear, and well-defined statement that says we have been promoting and maintaining this type of environment, and we were doubling down on our commitment to providing this type of safe environment for our students.”
Mailman argued that her document served its purpose and that the changes weren’t necessary. “This is succinct,” she said. “This isn’t four, eight, 10 pages, this is maybe four more paragraphs, and it is all the same — the intent of this is no different.”
The committee first acted on Mailman’s original document, with members Vanessa Alvarez and Jermaine Johnson voting with Mailman, while the remaining members voted “no.” McCollough’s amended resolution was considered next, receiving support from every member of the committee except Mailman and Alvarez.
The decision received criticism from members of the public who shouted cries of “shame” and gave thumbs-down gestures to the committee as they exited. At least one exiting parent shouted that the decision only helps “erase their child from existence.”
Jason Bleau, a seasoned reporter from Connecticut’s Quiet Corner, has over 11 years of experience in news media. He can be reached at bleau.jason@yahoo.com
