Whenever Heather Donaghy saw one of her peers pick on another student at school, she had to step in.
The Grade 12 Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute student wore a pink shirt in part of the annual Day of Pink on Wednesday. The day originated four years ago when a Grade 9 boy in Novia Scotia wore a pink shirt to school. Some other students harassed him because of his shirt but the next day he found that other students wore pink to show their support.
Heather said what happened to that boy shouldn’t be tolerated. Heather joined the Gay and Straight Alliances when she was in Grade 10. Since then, she has worked to try to bring more tolerance to her school.
"I think discrimination against anybody, regardless of your sexual orientation, gender or whatever is wrong," Heather said. "I want to do everything that I can to make things easier for people who aren’t straight because they have things pretty hard. It’s not fair. When I see bullying I get mad."
Jen White, 17, also a Grade 12 student, joined the GSA two years ago and has learned the importance of promoting social equality. Through initiatives, such as Day of Pink, students can become more comfortable with each other, she said.
She said she didn’t see a lot of bullying at her school but often heard name calling when she walked down the hallways between classes.
"Bullying is a big problem despite what school you go to," Jen said. "Throughout my high school career, I’ve noticed people have become more helpful towards everyone else. There’s some odd name calling but it is never too serious."
Connor Pratt, a teacher at Superior Collegiate, said getting students out of the habit of using those common phrases that are hurtful is the next step towards further acceptance. Students don’t use phrases that are deemed offensive in class and usually reserve those kinds of words for when they are among their friends, she said.
Students used to vandalize posters when the campaign first started but have since become more open and stop bullying when they see it, she said.
"Students are getting a point, especially in the classroom, that they are recognizing that saying phrases like ‘that’s so gay’ isn’t acceptable," Pratt said. "You’re taking a word that somebody is using to identify themselves and you’re turning it into a negative. The students are getting that and they are stopping themselves."
Sometimes her students catch themselves from saying gay as a negative and quickly correct themselves. That shows a step in the right direction, she said.
