Students at Troubled School District Attend Pride Event

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

August 10 2011 3:40 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Students, parents, and teachers in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin School District, rocked by suicides and antigay bullying, attended a Pride picnic Tuesday.

"Its not a political event," organizer and middle school teacher Jefferson Fietek told the local Fox affiliate. The school district did not sponsor the Pride event, which drew around 300 people.

Six students have killed themselves in recent years at the Minneapolis-area school district; many students and parents have blamed antigay bullying and a school environment that, if not condoning it, allows it to occur.

"One of the sad things I've heard kids say is, 'If they knew who I was, they wouldn't love me or wouldn't like me,'" Fietek said. "This is saying you are wrong, and these people do love you and support you."

Recently, a sixth student sued the Anoka-Hennepin School District, saying officials turned a blind eye to antigay bullying.

Anoka-Hennepin Students, Parents Hold Pride Event: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com