Watertown middle schoolers stage walkout after musical piece tied to LGBTQ+ history cut from concert
CBS 58
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Now, student protests are spreading, with hundreds of middle schoolers walking out of class Friday over what they say is censorship.
Dozens of students at Riverside Middle School walked out Friday morning, chanting and holding signs, joining a growing backlash over the district's decision to remove the instrumental piece "Mother of a Revolution" from next week's concert.
This comes after Watertown High School students staged a similar walkout earlier this week.
The composition honors LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson and the Stonewall uprising.
School board members voted 7-1 to cut the piece, saying it conflicted with district policy around controversial issues and religious beliefs.
Riverside students say the walkout was about supporting free expression and the LGBTQ community.
"It's so important for me because there are people who feel unaccepted about being LGBTQ, and there are people who really care about the band and the music that they play," middle school student Allie Roberts said.
The band concert is still scheduled for Monday, without the piece at the center of these protests.
