Middle school students in Eugene, Oregon, were encouraged to take part in activities celebrating Pride Month this week.
The Arts & Technology Academy, which is part of Eugene School District 4J, organized a week-long event called “Pride Spirit Week.”
The school encouraged students to participate by dressing according to different daily themes related to the LGBT community.
Fox News obtained a memo outlining the planned activities for the week.
One day asked students to wear rainbow colors to show support for LGBT pride.
Another day involved wearing black clothing to remember LGBT community members who have died.
Wednesday was designated as “Drag Day,” during which students were told to either dress as a drag queen, drag king, monarch, or dress as a different gender.
Thursday was called “Queer Hero Day,” highlighting influential figures within the queer community.
The final day of the week, Friday, was “Pride Flag Friday,” encouraging students to display pride flags.
A parent interviewed by Fox News said the school sent a notice about the week’s events late Monday.
However, the parent expressed concern that parents were not notified before the activities started, which caused frustration.
A school spokesperson later told Fox that parents should have been informed ahead of time and acknowledged the communication delay.
Fox News reported that most lessons and activities during the week were not part of formal classroom instruction.
Despite this, the events aligned with the Oregon Department of Education’s “LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan,” which promotes inclusion and support for LGBT students.
In other Pride Month-related news, Sesame Street’s official social media accounts recently celebrated the start of Pride Month, drawing attention from conservative media outlets.
Some corporations and brands have reportedly pulled back on their Pride Month sponsorships in recent years.
Nonetheless, stores like Walmart still sell LGBT-themed products aimed at children, according to a report by the conservative nonprofit Building America’s Future.
Fox News noted the Eugene School District 4J is opposing President Donald Trump’s efforts to remove gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from public schools.
Two days after President Trump issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes—male and female—the Eugene 4J school board passed a resolution affirming support for gender identity, expression, and equity for transgender and gender-expansive students and staff.
This resolution was adopted on January 22, signaling the district’s continued commitment to supporting LGBT students despite federal policy changes.
The controversy surrounding the district’s Pride Spirit Week activities highlights ongoing debates over how schools address gender identity and LGBT issues with young students.
Parents and community members remain divided on the appropriateness of such school-sponsored events.
The Eugene School District has not released additional public statements regarding the Pride Spirit Week events beyond acknowledging the delayed communication to parents.
