Every second Wednesday in April marks the International Day of Pink. The International Day of Pink is a day of action, born when a youth in a high school in Cambridge, Nova Scotia was bullied because he wore a pink shirt to school. His fellow students decided to stand up to bullying, and hundreds of students came to school wearing pink to show support for diversity and stopping discrimination, gender-based bullying, homophobia, transphobia and transmisogyny.
Discrimination against anyone, no matter of age, race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation is something that we all should stand up to and speak out against. Every day around the world, countless LGBTQ people are victimized, shamed, beat up and even killed just for being who they are. Recently in Miami, a gay friendly city, a gay couple were attacked after a gay pride parade for just holding hands.
We are very lucky to live in Toronto. It is a city that is open, welcoming and accepting. Annually, Toronto holds one of the largest Pride events in the world. Although we feel safe to live here, there still are people who are not so open and accepting of our type of family. It is important for us to be out and open, not only in our community, but also at work.
As educators, this is a very important day raise awareness. We hold “Day of Pink” events at our schools to get all our students involved and participate in activities that our Gay/Straight Alliances plan. We hope that holding these events will help create dialogue and open discussion around discrimination and bullying.
Growing up, I was bullied for being different. I always knew I was gay, and I tried to keep it a secret as best as I could. I was afraid to be myself. I was afraid I would be outed. I just wanted to blend in. If I only had the knowledge and confidence that I have now, life would have been so different. I often think back on my experiences growing up; all the name calling, the taunting and teasing, and I think because of that, it has made me the person who I am today. I am proud that I am out. I am proud that I can be a positive role model to my students. I am proud that I have a loving relationship and a father to the best little boy. I am proud and lucky that I get to live in a country that recognizes and me as a person and accepts my family.
I just hope that this work we do in our schools and communities opens the eyes of those students who may not be so accepting, and that we can inspire even just one student who is afraid to be them self can see it’s perfectly normal to be different.
