International Pink Day: History and THREE ways to fight bullying
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Race, age, disabilities, gender, and sexual orientation are just a few of the many categories that fall under discrimination. Bullying and violence motivated by hateful beliefs are not new to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It is worse when children and young adults are exposed to it and scarred for life.
Discrimination still exists, despite the progress that has been made toward removing these social barriers from our society.
International Pink Day symbolizes tolerance, bravery, diversity, equality, and inclusion. It is a way to recognize 'otherness' and change patterns of violence against those who are different.
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History of International Pink Day
The Day of Pink was sparked in 2007 when students David Shepherd and Travis Price saw a student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt in their Central Kings Rural High School in Nova Scotia, Canada. Shepherd and Price decided to show support for the student by getting everyone at their school to wear pink the following day.
Inspired by this show of solidarity, Jer's Vision (which is now known as the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity) founded the International Day of Pink. Unlike Pink Shirt Day in February, which aims to abolish all forms of prejudice, the purpose of International Pink Day in April is to show solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in their ongoing fight for equality and acceptance. The day's goal is to make the world more varied and inclusive by encouraging young people to question societal conventions, demand more from their teachers, and speak out against 2SLGBTQIA+ mistreatment.
Wearing pink on this day is thought to symbolize acceptance, courage, variety, equality, inclusion, compassion, and unity. Support and participation from individuals outside the community will help to spread the message of creating a more inclusive and diverse society.
3 Ways to Fight Bullying
Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, nonbinary, or otherwise gender nonconforming (LGBTQI+) are more likely to be bullied. There are critical and specific issues for LGBTQI+ youth bullying prevention and intervention measures. Bullying is highly associated with the presence of homophobic remarks. Homophobic bullying is the most frequent form of bullying after name-calling. Here is what you can do:
1) Keep a record of any comments or behavior. If you are being bullied on the internet or on social media, capture screenshots and save them as proof to show your parents, school, or the police.
2) If you are unable to communicate with your parents or a teacher, perhaps another adult you trust can assist you. Try to talk to a trusted therapist.
3) If the bullying escalates into threats or violence, it ought to be reported to the authorities as a hate crime. Many police departments have specialized units to handle similar incidents.
Encourage student-led and student-organized school clubs that promote a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment (e.g., gay-straight alliances or gender and sexuality alliances, which are school clubs open to youth of all sexual orientations and genders) The Supreme Court has upheld LGBTQ+ people's right to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, or discrimination - and all LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections.