THUNDER BAY -- Brooklyn Wilson wants her fellow students to feel safe and accepted at school.
Wilson and dozens of other students at Westgate Collegiate are celebrating Ally Week, a national dialogue about how everyone, both in and out of school, can work together to become better allies to LGBTQ youth.
Members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance set up a booth in the main hall requesting pledges of support and passed out pamphlets of information about LGBTQ issues.
“I think it’s really important to stop bullying in our school system,” Wilson said Tuesday during lunch.
“It’s something that I’ve experienced before and I think that everyone should feel safe in their schools, especially high school, it’s such a hard time already and I think everyone should feel safe and accepted.”
Throughout the week, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance will be handing out stickers and pamphlets with information for 20 minutes during the lunch hour.
Wilson said the pamphlets include resources for LGBTQ students, and how straight allies can help.
“I think it helps,” Wilson said. “It gets people involved, and it raises awareness so people realize there is stuff they can do for LGBTQ students to help them feel included.”
Students pledging to end bullying have the opportunity to sign a rainbow-coloured triangle to show their support.
“We have a whole bunch of them. I think this is the most we’ve ever gotten so it’s great that we are trying to stop bullying,” she said.
“I’ve seen that (bullying) has gotten a lot better, people are getting more inclusive, like people who would never sign these are starting to sign them, which is great.”
Wilson added bullying isn’t a huge problem in her school, but it’s something the students are working to stop completely.
“We are just trying to educate people that’s our main goal.”
Student support professional Carlos Santander-Maturana said this week is about advocating for LGBTQ youth and other groups without speaking for them.
“We have seen a real degree of understanding of the issues affecting LGBTQ community,” Santander- Maturana said.
“We are seeing a greater degree of respect with gender issues, and we want to make sure we are going to keep an environment that is free of discrimination.”
Santander-Maturana added that the school’s goal is to have an environment free of discrimination and so far there has been an incredible amount of support from the school community.
