Police in Marion, Iowa are investigating an assault on queer students marching in their high school’s homecoming parade this week.
According to witnesses, a group of about 10 students shouted slurs at the LGBTQ+ kids as they marched behind a banner for Linn-Marr Spectrum, the high school’s gay-straight alliance (GSA). The group began throwing objects at the GSA marchers, including an open box cutter.
However, a quieter form of “soft” book bans also threatens free speech and LGBTQ+ representation in schools.
The kids marched on despite the assault.
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“They chose to make a statement and say: ‘We’re here, we’re to be valued, and we’re not going anywhere,’” said Corey Jacobson, president of Cedar Rapids Pride.
The school said they’ve enlisted police to investigate but didn’t detail what actions would be taken to punish the assailants.
“We were saddened to learn that an otherwise spectacular Homecoming parade last evening was disrupted by a few individuals who elected to harass, ridicule, and throw objects at some of our students in the Linn-Mar Spectrum parade entry,” the Lin-Marr Community School District said in a statement. “This behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our district.”
“We are dedicated to ensuring that all students feel safe, respected, and valued, and will not condone actions that threaten them,” they added.
The mother of one of the GSA students said she was proud of her daughter’s decision to keep marching but feared for her safety.
“I cannot fathom being a child going to homecoming and not feeling safe,” Jennifer Pitkin told KCRG-9 News.
“There’s a lot of other kids affected that don’t speak up, and this is their norm,” she said.
While the thrown box cutter didn’t injure anyone, Pitkin had a message for the perpetrators.
“I want you to stay home, I want you to never go to a Pride parade again… my kid and these kids would not be held down,” she said. “I promise you, they would not be held down.”
Police had no information about the progress of their investigation.
Linn-Mar Spectrum was recently named GSA of the Year by Iowa Safe Schools at their Spirit Awards in Des Moines.
Anti-LGBTQ+ hostility runs high among the far-right in Iowa. There, a federal court recently upheld an LGBTQ+ book ban for public schools in the state. Iowa, along with Florida, leads the country in the number of books removed from shelves containing LGBTQ+ and other “woke” content.
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