Brenda Agnew

One of the biggest stories we have covered since this podcast began was last year’s decision by Halton Catholic School Board over a motion brought that, if passed, would have seen the Pride flag fly over Halton’s Catholic Schools during Pride month, along with a variety of other measures to demonstrate and support acceptance of LGBTQIA+ students in HCDSB schools.

The motion, brought by Trustee Brenda Agnew following an initial question raised by a student, was not so much defeated as disassembled by a thousand amendments. But the message was clear – a majority of HCDSB trustees were opposed—some virulently so—to raising the Pride flag over Halton’s Catholic Schools, and, at least for some, any suggestion of support for or endorsement of LGBTQIA+ students. It was a decision that received national and even international attention, and went against a trend seen at other Catholic School Boards in Ontario, where numerous votes saw support for raising the Pride flag.

But Trustee Agnew is bringing a new motion to HCDSB this evening (January 18th 2022), and with it an opportunity for trustees to take a different approach.

Trustee Agnew joined us late last week to discuss why she’s bringing another motion, and what she expects from her fellow trustees this time, and why she believes HCDSB’s decision over the Pride flag is so important.

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