Pride prom creates safe space for Surrey, B.C., students to celebrate
SURREY, B.C. — School may be out, but Alisa Atchison has one more art project to complete. The 14-year-old from Surrey, B.C., will be spending her first weekend of the summer making a butterfly themed mask to wear to her school district’s first-ever pride prom.
“I always thought that butterflies were really free … and they’re beautiful,” she said. “I want to be free and beautiful as well.”
Guildford Park Secondary School’s gay-straight alliance is hosting the inaugural district-wide dance on Monday evening to give LGBTQ students from different high schools a chance to meet, have fun and feel supported.
“Each student is on their own path and in a different place when it comes to self-acceptance, or being out or not, or figuring out who they are and I think creating that safe space where you can just be who you are, whoever that is, is really, really important,” said Guildford Park teacher Heather Kelley.