Schools embrace ‘spirit day’ a practice linked to US gay rights celebration
A Christian grandmother whose granddaughter fell and injured her groin after participating in “Spirit Day” activities at her school one day last week is cautioning parents not to take these special days lightly.
The grandmother told the Freedom Come Rain that she realised her granddaughter was not wearing her uniform as usual but was instead dressed in a shirt with the school’s logo. When she inquired, she was told by the child and her mother that the prominent all-girl corporate area school was celebrating “Spirit Day” as part of its anniversary celebrations.
The grandmother, however, felt troubled and decided to do some research. She found out that “Spirit Day” is a global movement against discrimination and anti-bullying of LGBTQ youth, especially those that are transgender and nonbinary. It is observed on October 17 each year, but activities geared towards increasing transgender awareness continue well into November.
November is recognised as transgender awareness month, while trans awareness week is celebrated November 13 to 19.
The matriarch shared this information with her daughter and granddaughter, who scoffed at her concerns.
“ She said, ‘Oh grandma, you are too suspicious, and it is nothing like that. It is just an ordinary day,’ and I was saying to her mother that if I was her mother, I wouldn’t send her; I would cancel the day,” said the grandmother, who was essentially overruled.
The grandmother was curious about what the day entailed, but instead of her granddaughter coming home in a celebratory mood, she said she returned limping and in pain.
“She slid. She said she don’t know how she lost her balance, and the only way to save herself from falling and damaging herself was for her to do a split, and that split that she did now cost her her groin. She is having pain in her groin; she said she just felt something shift,” reported the grandmother.
The matriarch was unable to get much of a report from her granddaughter due to the intensity of her pain. Even so, she thanks God she does gymnastics and was able to apply her skills in that area to avert a complete fall and even greater damage. The only thing she gleaned from her was that the students were asked to spread out the blankets they were told to take with them to school on the floor in the school’s auditorium. The girls were told to sit in circles. It was on her way from the auditorium that the teenager fell.
The grandmother said based on the description, it would seem the school was practising transcendental meditation. This form of meditation is not acceptable to Christians, because it is a Hindu practice that opens up practitioners to the occultic and demonic realm.
“They take out prayer out of some of the schools, but they are allowing all other things into the school,” said the grandmother, referring to the push by some quarters of the Jamaican society to get devotions out of the schools.
She said parents should encourage their children to share with them what happens at school.
“We really don’t know what is taking place with our children when they leave. When they come in with certain things, we should investigate more as to what these days are all about and what they entail,” she said.