Primary school forced to cancel Pride parade after parents plan protest
The headteacher said the cancellation of the parade 'takes us back decades'
By Steve Brown
A primary school was forced to hold a Pride event in private after parents threatened to protest at a playground parade.
Heavers Farm Primary School invited families to watch the ‘Proud to be Me!’ parade on the campus but the event was axed last minute after the headteacher received warnings from parents who planned to hold a protest, the Standard reported.
The school was forced to hold an assembly and low-key parade in the morning with parents being invited into classrooms to discuss their work on diversity and inclusion.
One mother took her daughter out of school on the day of the parade and said she demanded a meeting when she heard what they were teaching.
She said: “There were dozens of us who were upset and waited outside the school office to demand a meeting when we heard what was being taught.
“I want to be able to educate my child on these things, it’s not just a matter of religion or our religious beliefs.
“We were going to write to the MP about it anyway but he turned up in the morning. So where can we go?”
Headteacher Susan Papas said the planned protest “takes us back decades”.
She said: “Some parents have taken exception to this. They feel the school is shoving LGBT issues down the kids’ throats. This takes us back decades.
“We thought we would celebrate Pride month so those children from LGBT families would feel included and to show the kids that children come from different families.
“But some parents aren’t happy with the term LGBT and don’t want their children knowing about these terms or what they mean.
“We have had so many messages of support from many parents who are quite cross about this minority who they feel are spreading hateful messages.”