A Warm Welcome in Amherst for LGBTQIA+ Middle School Students on First Day
Community members greeted Amherst Regional Middle Schools students on their first day of the fall term, with messages of support for LGBTQIA+ students. Photo: Art Keene
About forty people sporting rainbow umbrellas and signs with messages of support for LGBTQIA+ students gathered in front of the Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS) early in the morning on Wednesday, August 27, to welcome students back on their first day of school. The standout was organized by the Ad Hoc LGBTQIA+ Caucus of Amherst, to send a message to LGBTQIA+ middle schoolers that their community stands with them. The caucus noted that the standout was not a protest or a rally, but rather an opportunity to offer love and solidarity to kids during a vulnerable time. They noted that returning to school can be an exciting time but it can also cause anxiety, especially for some LGBTQIA+ students. Things might feel especially challenging this year as students anticipate the potential return of a staff member who has allegedly caused harm to LGBTQIA+ people.
Former Middle School Adjustment Counselor Delinda Dykes, who had been dismissed in 2023 for harassment of LGBTQIA+ students (see also here), had been ordered reinstated for the Fall term and with back pay by an arbitrator, but as of opening day, was still on paid leave. The school district is in the process of appealing Dykes’ reinstatement order. (see also here and here).
The line of caregivers and allies greeted arriving buses with smiles, waves, shouts of “welcome back”, and “happy first day of school” and a row of twirling rainbow umbrellas and a bubble machine. Bus drivers tooted their horns as they pulled up to the school entrance and many of the arriving students returned the greetings with their own smiles and waves.
We all know that having even one supportive adult can make an enormous difference in the life of a struggling queer or trans kid. Today we showed the kids arriving at school that they are not alone, they are celebrated and they have adult support.
– Organizer Ali Wicks-Lim
Laura Jane Hunter, of Amherst, a parent of two children at the high school and the spouse of an ARMS teacher held up a trans pride flag and said, “I am here because I want to make sure that every ARMS student feels supported and loved.”
Dawn Kennedy of Leverett, the mother of one student at ARMS and one at the high school, held a sign saying “support trans students”. She said she joined the greeters because, “I wanted to make sure that all students felt supported and I wanted to celebrate all off the diversity of our students.”
Following the event, organizer, Ali Wicks-Lim thanked those who turned out to greet the children saying, “Thank you for showing LGBTQIA+ students that they are not alone. We began thinking about this action as a response to Delinda Dykes’ return but ended up deciding that the need to welcome and affirm LGBTQIA+ students back to school is important regardless of who is in the building on any given day. The hostile conversations that are happening both nationally and locally cause real harm. LGBTQIA+ kids are vulnerable right now, and now is the time to let them know they deserve to feel safe, seen, believed, and protected at school. We all know that having even one supportive adult can make an enormous difference in the life of a struggling queer or trans kid. Today we showed the kids arriving at school that they are not alone, they are celebrated and they have adult support. I hope that when they face a hard moment in school they remember what it felt like to arrive here today, and that there are people in their community who have their back.”
