This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
“Just like David, Travis, and their classmates, we have the power to stand up and say homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and any kind of hatred based on people’s identities, orientations, and gender expression is not acceptable in Canada.” — Bert Blundon, Secretary-Treasurer
Ottawa (12 April 2022) — International Day of Pink began in 2007 when David Shepherd and Travis Price, Grade 12 students from Nova Scotia, saw a boy in Grade 9 get bullied and called homophobic slurs for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. Shepherd and Price bought 50 pink shirts to distribute at school and emailed their classmates to encourage them to wear pink the following day.
Students rose to the occasion and the event was dubbed a sea of pink. Since then, International Day of Pink has grown into a worldwide event to oppose bullying and hatred based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. International Day of Pink is celebrated annually on the second Wednesday of April.
NUPGE encourages participation
“As COVID-19 restrictions lift and more people go outside and attend gatherings, we should use this as an opportunity to show solidarity with LGBTQI2S+ people,” said Larry Brown, NUPGE President.
“We encourage all NUPGE members to wear pink on April 13,” said Bert Blundon, NUPGE Secretary-Treasurer. “Just like David, Travis, and their classmates, we have the power to stand up and say homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and any kind of hatred based on people’s identities, orientations, and gender expression is not acceptable in Canada.”
Share resources and participate online
If you are unable to wear pink there are still ways to participate in International Day of Pink online. The International Day of Pink website has free stickers, gifs, Zoom backgrounds, profile pictures, headers, and posters to use in your online spaces. They also produce an annual colouring book which is great for kids and adults alike and includes biographies about 12 LGBTQI2S+ Canadians.
You can also participate by sharing, reposting, and retweeting educational resources or stories from LGBTQI2S+ people on social media. Let’s help turn the internet pink!