Pride walkway targeted with hateful vandalism at Holy Cross

Shortly before 9 a.m. today, Thursday, Jul. 14, 2022, hateful vandalism was discovered on the rainbow walkway at Holy Cross Secondary School in Kingston’s west end. The rainbow walkway itself had to be removed in order to clean up the graffiti from the front of the school.

“Although we explored removing only the graffiti, it is not possible to remove the hate speech without also removing/lifting the paint beneath,” explained Terri Daniel, Principal at Holy Cross. “We are exploring next steps for preserving a Pride positive message on school property, but for today we are focused on addressing the damage and helping the Kingston Police to begin their investigation.”

Kingston Police confirmed they are aware of the incident, and that the vandalism appeared to be hateful in nature, though they could not expand on the types of charges that may be associated with the act of vandalism, as the investigation is currently ongoing.

Daniel stated that the school has video surveillance in working order, and that they are currently working with Kingston Police. 

“We value inclusion and acceptance in our Catholic School Communities. Acts of hatred will not be tolerated within our board; this includes acts that vandalize the Pride flag,” Daniel continued. “The ALCDSB stands with the SLGBTQQIA community, and we will not let this act of hatred get in the way of our broader mission to build faith-filled learning communities where each member is loved, inspired, and successful.”