Students across the GTA celebrated International Day of Pink on Wednesday with events or presentations aimed at curbing bullying and discrimination in schools and communities.
The initiative is led by Jer’s Vision, a Canadian organization that provides anti-bullying and anti-discrimination programming, and it encourages everyone to wear pink.
One of the largest gatherings was held at Oakwood Collegiate Institute, where Toronto police Chief Bill Blair, members of the police service’s LGBTQ internal support network, and TDSB officials joined students and staff for an event celebrating diversity.
Elsewhere, members of the Harlem Globetrotters were at Claude Watson School to present an anti-bullying message and University of Toronto students gathered at the corner of Bloor Street West and Spadina Avenue.
International Day of Pink evolved from a show of support at a Nova Scotia high school, where a gay teen was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.
Two straight students intervened and, in an effort to stop homophobic and transphobic bullying, they purchased pink shirts to support the bullied teen, say International Day of Pink organizers.
A few days later, many other students wore pink to school in a show of solidarity.
@ChrisKitching is on Twitter. For up-to-the-minute breaking news, follow @CP24 on Twitter.
