The Newton Republican City Committee launched a week-long social media campaign announcing a rally on Newton Centre Green on April 13 to protest the planned “ToBeGlad Day” event and drag performance at Newton North High School the next day.
Although the Republican campaign drew Boston media to the Green and a Boston Globe column by Yvonne Abraham, only about 20 people, some not from Newton, gathered to join the protest. They were outnumbered by about 100 people — students, former students, local officials, and residents — who came to support the ToBeGlad Day event. Among both protesters and supporters, there were people who were willing to discuss their positions but preferred not to give their names.
On one side of the Green, the protesters against the drag show emphasized their belief that “high school is not the place to prioritize lifestyles” and said that they felt the crowd of students counter-protesting had been “indoctrinated.” David Cain from Watertown said that he felt the show would make it easier for students to be manipulated into sexual situations. He felt that school time should be focused on academic priorities and essentials. A counter-protester replied that the statements about pedophilia were not true.
On the other side of the Green, a much larger group of counter-protesters assembled supporting the ToBeGlad Day and the drag show. Newton Ward Councilors Emily Norton and Holly Ryan used a megaphone to kick off the counter-protest supporting LGBTQ+ students and the need for increased awareness and acceptance.
Among the protesters, a Newton man who gave his name as Avraham Abimelech (but mentioned it was just one of the names he goes by) was concerned that, as he believes, there are drag queens that have criminal records as pedophiles. He questioned “why the school would not also bring rapists and murderers.” The protesters said they were concerned that the show would be sexually charged.
Another woman, who shared that she had emigrated from Russia, was concerned that Newton middle school students had been surveyed on sexual experiences and felt the surveys were planting ideas in students’ heads. As a parent, she worried that students would be seduced by the glamour of the drag show because it would be “fashionable, cool, and funny.” When she said that she felt that kids were having sex because it was so easy for them to access abortions, the mother of a Newton North student responded that because kids were having sex earlier, they needed to learn to protect themselves.
Throughout the entire protest, several of the anti-drag-show protesters held cell phones to record the drag-show supporters.
After the initial period of protest, several Newton students and parents from the group supporting the drag show moved from the counter-protest to engage with the protesters and debate the issues. The ensuing debates were generally thoughtful and respectful on both sides. Among both protesters and supporters, there were people who were willing to discuss their positions but preferred not to give their names.
Newton North sophomore Rhiannon Esposito and her classmates talked with the protesters and spoke of the experience of feeling different and alone in a heteronormative society and the need for role models. Esposito said, “I cannot tell you the feeling of aloneness that occurs when you realize you are different and what some people here might call abnormal.” After consulting her mother, she agreed to summarize in the video below her feelings, as she expressed them to the anti-drag-show protestors.
Several supporters asked protesters to talk about their reasons for opposing the drag show. (The ToBeGlad Day included discussion groups as well, but those were not the subject of the protest.) One woman, who would not give her name, seemed to think that the drag show was a “strip” show, a point disputed by Newton resident Nancy Hurwitz, who explained, “We are not talking about an X-rated performance.” Newton North graduate Maya Gomberg asked protesters how the program impacted them. She noted that the ToBeGlad Day was one of many other “identity programs” organized by Newton North students — based on race, religion, national origin, and physical ability — to promote dialogue and understanding, and students were free to attend or not. “Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything,” she said.
Jane Frantz, a retired fifth-grade teacher from Newton and parent of a Newton High School student who had participated in a ToBeGlad Day more than two decades ago, said that the programs were age-appropriate. She underscored the importance of events that emphasized inclusion and acceptance, recalling a 10-year-old student who was gay and had contemplated suicide.
Ward 1 City Councilor Alison Leary, a Newton North graduate, as are both her children, noted that she received a number of emails urging people to participate in the protest, and she joined the supporters against the protest because “I was disturbed by the tone and content of the emails. I can’t stay silent when people attack other people’s rights as human beings. People were making assumptions about the program based on limited information.” Councilor Leary explained that the day was planned in accordance with Newton North’s rules. At the same time, she said she was pleased to see protesters and supporters talking to one another.
Ward 2 City Councilor Tarik Lucas said he was there “to support the students” and freedom of speech.
Councilor Holly Ryan, a Newton native and longtime advocate for transgender rights, said, “We are celebrating this day for the LGBTQ community as we do for the Jewish community, people of color communities, Asian communities, and others. This day has been celebrated in both high schools for over 20 years. Today we demonstrated that Newton is truly a welcoming community to all.”
Additional coverage of this event as well as the event at the school on Friday is covered in a subsequent Fig City News article.
