Gresham High adds LGBTQ pride theme to football games

Published 12:00 am Monday, October 25, 2021

Gresham High School boasted an LGBTQ pride awareness theme for its football game Friday, Oct. 15, against Portland’s Jefferson High School.

Since the Newberg School District recently banned pride and Black Lives Matter flags and symbols, schools across the region have reacted by hosting pride-themed football games. Gresham students in charge of organizing games said the goal was to protest Newberg’s ban.

One Gresham High student called Newberg’s ban on pride and social justice statements, “pretty stupid,” while other spectators at Friday’s game appreciated the theme.

Students, parents, and faculty were in agreement about their feelings toward Friday night’s theme. “I think it’s really nice to be all inclusive of everybody,” said Ashley Spencer, parent of a Gresham High School student. “I know that when it comes to pride week, it’s not necessarily for one type of sexual orientation. It’s incorporating everybody.”

Despite the love from spectators in the crowd, Friday night’s game had more of a parent turnout than student. Walter Castillo, campus security monitor at Gresham High, said he suspected as the season comes to an end, less students tend to show up.

“I would have hoped for more but I think it’s cold and I don’t think it has anything to do with the theme,” Gresham High School Principal, Drake Shelton, said when asked about the game’s low turnout and small student section.

Although there were differing opinions, the night remained peaceful.

Kim Cortes-Martinez is an intern through Amplify, a community storytelling initiative of Pamplin Media Group and Care Oregon. Amplify supports internships for high school journalists in the Portland metro region and aims to elevate the voices of student journalists from historically underrepresented groups, such as communities of color, low-income residents and others.