With public opinion seemingly on his side, a Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) trustee is hopeful a board decision to pull funding from a play about a gay teen's fight to take his boyfriend to prom will be reversed.
Jake Skinner, a trustee with the board since 2014, is the driving force behind a motion that calls for funding for Prom Queen: The Musical to be restored and that trustees be included in any future theatrical funding decisions. Trustees will debate the motion at a TVDSB meeting on Tuesday night.
"I am hoping this won't be a lengthy debate, that we can get our points across quickly and have a discussion," said Skinner. "I know where my vote is."
The TVDSB and the London District Catholic School Board traditionally donate $15,000 each to the Grand Theatre's high school project - a production staged by area secondary school students. But this year, citing concerns over inappropriate language and the negative portrayal of authority figures in the script, both boards yanked the funding.
Public backlash to the decision was swift. An online fundraiser to make up for the funding shortfall exceeded its $30,000 goal in less than 12 hours Thursday. Irene Sankoff, one of the playwrights behind the smash hit Come From Away, was among the 671 people to donate to the cause. Nearly 900 people signed an online petition, started by Skinner Friday, that demands the school boards reinstate the play's funding.
"I think the public has spoken," said Skinner. "They are unhappy with the decision that the school board made to withdraw the funding and hopefully that will be top of mind as trustees are trying to deliberate about what they should do."
Skinner, who has read the script, believes concerns with the play were "overblown" by school board administration.
"The main thing where there was a problem was with the questioning of authority and I think it is important that kids can see this play so they can see the perspective and engage in critical discussions," said Skinner.
Prom Queen: The Musical is based on the true story of Marc Hall, an Oshawa teenager who successfully fought the Durham Catholic School Board to bring his boyfriend to prom in 2002.
London-area MPPs Peggy Sattler and Teresa Armstrong, along with London North Centre New Democrat candidate Terence Kernaghan, also waded into the fray Monday.
"Refusing to support a student-led production of a play that depicts actual historical events and highlights the barriers faced by the LGBTQ community sends the wrong message. More troubling, it also undermines all the good work that the school boards have done to make LGBTQ students feel safe and supported, and flies in the face of the Mayor’s recent apology to the LGBTQ community," the three said in a statement.
Tuesday's board meeting will begin at 7pm. The debate will be live streamed through www.tvdsb.ca.
