Trustees at The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School in Canada has voted against allowing Pride flags being flown outside their institutions.

This decision has stirred controversy amongst the school community.

According to CBC, an emergency meeting was called after the vote on Tuesday, 11th June, during which trustee Brea Corbet pushed back on the new policy, stating: "All are welcome in our Catholic schools. That does not mean only some."

"This is particularly important for the 2SLGBTQ+ community," she noted, because it's experiencing "increasing levels" of bullying, harassment and mental health concerns.

Brea proposed a motion to permit schools to display the flags in "support of particular observances", emphasising the board's duty to ensure schools are "welcoming, safe and inclusive spaces".

However, the motion did not secure a majority vote on Tuesday night.

Josie Luetke from Campaign Life Coalition, who registered to persuade trustees against permitting the change, welcomed the vote's outcome.

"We saw the flying of the Pride flag as not being consistent with the teachings of the Catholic faith," she told the media outlet, adding that the issue wasn't about "hatred towards any group".

In a video shared on X, previously known as Twitter, the coalition showed a group outside the board's meeting, celebrating when the motion failed.

Tristan Coolman from PFlag York Region also spoke on the broader implications of such decisions in an interview with CBC, stating: "It was incredibly disappointing... It's the latest example of a Catholic school board acting in a way that is unsupportive to their students and their staff."