Schools in Cape Town are showing support for inclusivity for all students and staff.
The representative council at Fairmont High School in Durbanville Cape Town has initiated an International Pride Month celebration for the month of June. They seek to educate and make people aware of Pride and the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Headmaster at the high school Leon Erasmus says that the plans for Pride celebrations preceded the incident that took place at DF Malan High School where LGBTQ students were not allowed to commemorate Pride Month. The school rejected the request to celebrate Pride Month on the school premises because they believed that it "could lead to tension and division within the school."
This sparked uproar and DF Malan High School is now being investigated by both the Western Cape Department of Education and the South African Human Rights Commission.
"I'm extremely proud of our learners, our RCL in particular and our learner executive... It has nothing to do with what happened at other schools, we have been planning this for a while. It's part of Youth Month and it's part of Pride Month," says Mr Erasmus.
He says that the initiative was started by the RCL as well as a society called Impact at the school. He says that the aim is to make everyone at the school feel included and as though they belong. He says that the school doesn't want anyone to be marginalized.
"What we are doing this afternoon is just to show those learners that you are apart of us, that you are protected that you are safe, you can express your identity the way you want to and that we are here to protect you and that no one should feel that they are not part of the school," Fairmont High School Headmaster, Leon Erasmus.
He says that students and staff must be made aware of what their peers are going through when they are marginalized for their identities, even when these topics seem difficult to discuss.
The RCL Chairperson also spoke to SABC News saying that it is of utmost importance that issues surrounding all members of the youth are addressed. This is why she feels it is important that the issues which queer youth face are also discussed at schools.
"As a Fairmont RCL we are letting our queer students know how much we love them and how much we support them," she said.
She hopes that these celebrations will make the entire community of students at the school feel welcome and supported.
Staff and students at Edgemead High School in Cape Town also showed its support for the LGBTQIA+ community in an instagram post in which they stated that they stood "in solidarity against all forms of discrimination," against race, sexual orientation, age, appearance or religion.
The post showed students and staff standing with posters and flags in support of Pride Month.
"We believe that everyone deserves to be treated equally," the picture reads.
