“Following our Christian call, we foster a dedication to love, to serve, and to care for others, especially the marginalized in our local and global communities.” “We strive to promote an inclusive environment where each student is supported, challenged, and accompanied throughout experiences that lead to spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth.”

Those two quotes happen to be excerpts from pages of the Padua Academy school handbook.

 A recent email that the Padua Academy administration sent the students regarding the upcoming Spring Fling on April 2nd stated that the only females that are allowed to attend the dance must currently be enrolled in Padua Academy. Furthermore, all information contained on the permission slip regarding guidelines for guests accompanying a student were for men. 

“Gentlemen attending should meet the regular Catholic school standards for guys, reasonable hairstyle in a natural color, no facial or oral piercings, and no visible tattoos.”

Padua has made it very clear that their intention is to foster a loving and inclusive environment. They are not representing these beliefs by implementing this rule. A large percentage of students enrolled at Padua are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and are entitled to the right to be able to have their partner escort them to a school dance. The same right that allows people of a heterosexual orientation to bring their partner. 

Our goal is to bring awareness to this injustice and make it so that every Padua Academy student has the opportunity to bring a guest of their choosing to a school dance. We plan to soon bring this issue to the Principal and the Superintendent/The Dioceses. But first, we need to show them that we are not going to stand for this. Share this however you can, and join our cause in righting this wrong.