A decision by two London, Ont. school boards to withdraw $30,000 in funding from an annual high school theatre production because they objected to its content prompted an online backlash and a kickstarter campaign that raised more than $52,000 in 24 hours.

While the online campaign successfully raised more than needed to replace the critical funds, some members of Parliament voiced concerns over the boards’ decision to withdraw financial support because they objected to the language and messaging in Prom Queen: The Musical. The play tells the Canadian story of the real-life battle of a gay teenager in Oshawa who fought a Catholic school board in court in 2002 for the right to take his boyfriend to prom.

Marc Hall’s fight with the Durham Catholic School Board made headlines around the world. The musical was chosen as this year’s high school production at London’s Grand Theatre and is scheduled to hit the stage this fall.

For more than two decades, the London District Catholic School Board and the Thames Valley District School Board would each contribute to the annual high school project, so their sudden decision to withdraw funding this year left organizers scrambling to cover a budget shortfall of $30,000. The chair of the Thames Valley board told CBC News, who first reported the schools’ decision Wednesday night, that the administrative body has issues with the script’s strong language and negative portrayal of school boards and teachers.

MPs from the conservative Southwestern Ontario region appeared split over to the boards’ reasoning; some said Thursday they were more sympathetic to the school boards’ decision while others said they were saddened and disappointed by the move.

“Like any theatrical production, there are going to be challenging episodes in the script or challenging language in the script but I think that knowing the professionalism of the folks at the Grand, that they will deal with that in a very positive and careful way… a sensitive way,” Irene Mathyssen, NDP MP for London-Fanshawe, said Thursday. “I think that parents would be the people to say whether or not they felt comfortable with their children seeing such a production.”

Following CBC News’s report, a London-based digital services agency launched an online crowdfunding campaign in order to fill the funding gap created by the school boards’ decision. The fundraiser surpassed its goal by late Thursday morning; supporters, which include Come From Away‘s Michael Rubinoff, had contributed more than $52,000 as of Thursday night.

Rubinoff, a well-known producer and director at Sheridan College — where Prom Queen was first developed — said he was “astonished” by the school boards’ withdrawals of funding. He took issue with their justification, arguing there is nothing in the musical “from a language perspective” that is “used in a gratuitous way.”

Karen Vecchio, Conservative MP for Elgin–Middlesex–London, said that after having an “in-depth conversation” with representatives at the Thames Valley board, she doesn’t blame them for their concerns with the script’s language.

“They were saying that the word ‘faggot’ was used over 20 times in the script, and that’s the type of language that they’re trying to stay away from,” Vecchio said. “You can be suspended from school if you’re at school and using language like that.”

The Tory MP said she sees no issue with the topic of the play, but thinks it sounds like a play best suited to a more mature audience. She said the school board funds the high school’s productions on the understanding that the plays are “inclusive” and appropriate for viewers in kindergarten and up.

“We don’t want to normalize words like ‘faggot’ — it’s just not appropriate in this day and age. Those words are out and should be out of our language,” she said. “And some of our children are not mature enough yet to recognize that those are wrong things to say, so when you’re seeing them in a production, children may be open to starting to say those inappropriate things once again.”

That being said, Vecchio said she’s “very pleased” to see the community pouring donations into the production and plans to buy a ticket to see it herself. She lies somewhere in the middle of the dispute, she said; she doesn’t take issue with either the project’s choice of musical or the two school boards’ decision to pull funding. Vecchio added that she wonders whether the situation could have been avoided with better communication between the two parties.

Mathyssen and Rubinoff both argued that past productions by the high school project have included Legally Blonde, Les Misérables, Grease and West Side Story — musicals that include mature language or touch on “tough” subjects like prostitution, teen sexuality and teen pregnancy.

Mathysson said she finds it “ironic” that the decision comes not even one week after London’s mayor issued an official apology to the local LGBTQ community for the city’s refusal to proclaim Pride. The school boards’ move also comes on the heels of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s historic apology for the Government of Canada’s role in systemically oppressing and discriminating LGBTQ Canadians.

Pam Damoff, the Liberal MP for Oakville North-Burlington, said she attended the workshopped version of Prom Queen at Sheridan College, which is located just outside her riding. Damoff said she was upset when she read the news about the London school boards’ decision to rescind their support for what she called “an amazing production.”

“These are some of the best that Canadian theatre is producing right now … these are Canadian stories, they’re being developed right here at home and we should be encouraging that,” said the Liberal MP, who noted she was speaking in her capacity as an member of Parliament and not on behalf of her party. “If some of the stories are hard to watch, that’s okay — that’s part of our history here in Canada.”

Damoff said Thursday morning she plans to donate to the crowdfunding campaign and hopes she can get tickets to see the production in London later this year.

“It’s really quite an incredible story,” she said.

It’s 2018 for heavens sake! Shame on both @TVDSB and London Catholic School Board for yanking funding for #PromQueen at @thegrandlondon Saw it workshopped at @SheridanCMTP – important story to tell https://t.co/UZyKfU6rIR — Pam Damoff 🇨🇦 (@PamDamoff) January 18, 2018

Fund #promqueen so the story can be told in London. Just do it. https://t.co/PoI0Zp0BrP — Pam Damoff 🇨🇦 (@PamDamoff) January 18, 2018