At the beginning of June — Pride month — a post began to circulate on social media saying “Support students who are being censored! A 4J middle school is being banned from celebrating a day as Drag Day.”
Last year, 4J’s Arts & Technology Academy came under fire from FOX News and other conservative sites for its optional “Drag Day” as part of Pride Spirit Week. This year, there was no Drag Day but instead “Express Yourself Day.”
Kelly McIver, 4J spokesperson, says in an email that ATA “had a more inclusive ‘Express Yourself’ day on Wednesday,” June 3. He adds, “The message to students and families for Express Yourself Day was ‘wear whatever makes you feel most authentically you, celebrating unique identity with no limits or labels.’”
The other Pride days included Rainbow Day on Monday, Day of Remembrance on Tuesday, Queer Hero Day on Thursday and Pride Flag Day on Friday.
A 4J equity team member, however, says that the 4J administration’s response is hypocritical and “teaching queer children to be ashamed of their identities.” The equity team member, who is also part of the queer community, spoke anonymously out of concern for retaliation.
They say 4J Express Yourself Day “didn’t come from the kids” as Drag Day had and that 4J vetoed all names that had the word “gender.”
The equity team member says that the Drag Day cancellation seemed like it was in response to hypothetical pushback in light of the 2025 events.
McIver says in the email, “Last year, our school and district administrators who were visiting ATA on that day (partly to ensure student and staff safety in the wake of the elevated attention from select national media) observed no students choosing to participate in drag attire.”
He continues, “The themes this year were thoughtfully developed to educate and support inclusion while still being age-appropriate and in a vein students might be more likely to participate in. A few staff and a community guest have expressed their preference for an explicit ‘drag day.’”
McIver adds, “Planning did include the Gay-Straight Alliance student group at ATA, and school and district leadership were very mindful of student experience.”
The equity team member says they are not sure what McIver means when he says “explicit,” but that drag is not sexual in nature, and so also questions why 4J would indicate drag dress and performance is not “age appropriate.”
The 4J School Board’s 2025 Resolution 2025-01 “affirming gender identity, expression and equity for transgender and gender-expansive students and staff” says, among other things, “The District unequivocally rejects any effort to diminish, politicize, or label the identities of students, their families, and staff members as controversial or divisive, affirming that diversity is a profound strength that enriches the district’s schools and aligns with its mission and core values.”
4J Board President Tom Di Liberto says via email that the “board isn’t involved with how individual schools plan celebrations, and I’m not aware of how many students participated in the various activities,” and he could not respond “on that score.” However, he continued, “I believe this year’s plan for ATA’s Pride Week was very much in accordance” with the resolution.
The decision to ban Drag Day, the equity team member says, came about, “no matter how many meetings we had trying to describe the emotional impact not having the day has on the students.” And it is “so devastating to see how this is the culmination of marginalized students and the staff that support them.”
They say 4J made the decision but “put it on the shoulders of the educators” to communicate that to the students, and point out that on other days, like Halloween, students come to school dressed in drag or as a different gender.