29-03-2025
Despite growing political pressures, AISD schools celebrate Pride week: 'You've got a place'
In the library at Lamar Middle School in North Austin, about a dozen students danced to Chappell Roan's 2023 dance-pop single 'HOT TO GO!' during their lunch period Thursday.
The students, with their hands up in the air, performed the song's signature dance moves, as colorful plastic beads scattered across the floor.
The Lamar students were spending their lunch period making bracelets with rainbow-colored beads donated or left over from an event held last year as part of Austin school district's Pride Week.
For sixth grader Amelia Velasquez, the fact that the district has a Pride Week is cool.
'You can feel like you've got a place, you've got your people,' Velasquez said. 'I feel like we deserve more than a week. Maybe a month.'
This year, the Austin district celebrated its 11th year of Pride Week, a weeklong event that carried the theme of 'beYOUtiful.' However, unlike previous years, the district didn't use its money for Pride celebrations or décor, and it shifted its events to only those organized by Parent Teacher Associations or held outside instructional time.
The week marked a readjustment for a district that has long promoted its inclusivity and welcoming of LGBTQ+ students and families at a time when both state and federal governments have launched campaigns to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K-12 schools.
This year, the Austin district publicly promoted its Pride Week, which it celebrated Monday through Friday, as it has in past years, with suggested themes for each day, similar to a spirit week.
For example, on Tuesday, which was 'Differences are beaYOUtiful' day, the district promoted wacky sock day.
In past years, the district has also passed out swag bags with Pride flags and stickers to campuses and hosted a Saturday event with food trucks and student performances, neither of which occurred this year.
The district did not spend its money on Pride-related materials, and any events had to take place outside instructional time, spokeswoman Cristina Nguyen told the American-Statesman. The district isn't holding its Saturday event this year in part due to its $110 million deficit and the political environment, she said.
'In an ever changing environment, we have to evaluate the ways we've done things in the past,' the district said in a statement on its website. 'Providing a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students is a year-round practice and commitment in Austin ISD. So while the way we celebrate Pride may change, our values do not.'
The district still celebrating a Pride Week, regardless of the style it takes, is positive, said Susanne Kerns, a parent who has helped organize the Saturday Pride event in the past.
'They are just choosing to show their support through prioritizing safety vs prioritizing a flashy celebration,' Kerns said.
For many of this year's campus-level events, organizing efforts fell on PTAs, said Laurie Solis, president of the Austin Council of PTAs. But with only a few weeks' notice, it was difficult to organize them across the district, she said.
'Right now, this is very grassroots and local,' Solis said.
For example, at Brentwood Elementary School, the PTA planned a parade, which the group has held every year, PTA president Erin Zehr said. Inclusion is important to the Brentwood community and parents want to make sure that families and students get a chance to celebrate what makes them different, she said.
'I would suggest that to feel seen is to feel safe,' Zehr said. 'I would hope that all of us regardless of political stance hope kids feel safe.'
Jake Morgan, who has sponsored the Bowie High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance club for three years, worries about students in different Austin campuses having equal access to Pride events.
'It's frustrating as someone who works with these kids to see people giving in to fear,' Morgan said. 'I think right now we're going to have to stand strong against this fear. I would really like to see the district stand strong with us.'
Kelly Wrobleski, who has taught in Austin for 20 years, also worries about students in various campuses accessing Pride events.
Wrobleski sponsors McCallum High School's Spectrum club, a Gender and Sexuality Alliance group.
At McCallum, the students organized a Pride-centered art show and student panels during lunch hours, but some campuses may not have an organized LGBTQ+ community, Wrobleski said.
However, the district is still advertising Pride Week and student still have space to host event, she said.
'I think there are certain education battles we have to fight and makign sure that we all have stickers at school isn't necessarily one,' Wrobleski said.
On Monday, hundreds of activists rallied at the Texas Capitol to push back against the more than 200 bills that LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Texas has identified as harmful to the community it fights for.
Texas lawmakers this session have filed bills seeking to limit discussion of gender and sexuality in the classroom, including Senate Bill 12 by Conroe Republican Sen. Brandon Creighton, which would eliminate DEI in K-12 schools and put restrictions on student clubs. The bill would follow a 2023 ban on DEI at all public Texas universities, which reshaped equity-based student support practices in higher education, led to university staff layoffs and dismantled offices meant to support minority students.
On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump issued executive orders eliminating DEI programs in federal offices and recognizing only two sexes.
Johnathan Gooch, spokesman for Equality Texas, said it's important for young LGBTQ people to have community spaces to talk about the challenges they face.
Preparing students for the state workforce means equipping them to interact with Texas' diverse 31 million residents, but schools are facing more scrutiny over teaching history, he said.
'It is much braver to find a way to continue that tradition than to throw up your hands and say, 'It's too stressful, it's too politicized,'' Gooch said. 'It is important for young queer people.'
The Austin district keeping up its Pride Week celebrations during the school year is a good step, but there's more to do to ensure equity, such as anti-bias training for teachers, said Kevin Gillion, an Austin High School teacher who has taught Spanish for 21 years. He sponsors the high school's GSA club.
'There remains a heavier need for programs to directly support students who identify with traditionally marginalized communities — not only LGBTQ+,' Gillion said.
The Council of PTAs will likely be involved in Pride events for future years, and other events as the district faces tighter budget challenges, Solis said. Each individual PTA will need to determine what's best for their campus, she said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin ISD schools celebrate Pride week amid growing political tension
