Posted on 09/14/2007 12:25:48 PM PDT by Daffynition
CAMBRIDGE — Two students at Central Kings Rural High School fought back against bullying recently, unleashing a sea of pink after a new student was harassed and threatened when he showed up wearing a pink shirt.
The Grade 9 student arrived for the first day of school last Wednesday and was set upon by a group of six to 10 older students who mocked him, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up.
The next day, Grade 12 students David Shepherd and Travis Price decided something had to be done about bullying.
"It’s my last year. I’ve stood around too long and I wanted to do something," said David.
They used the Internet to encourage people to wear pink and bought 75 pink tank tops for male students to wear. They handed out the shirts in the lobby before class last Friday — even the bullied student had one.
"I made sure there was a shirt for him," David said.
They also brought a pink basketball to school as well as pink material for headbands and arm bands. David and Travis figure about half the school’s 830 students wore pink.
It was hard to miss the mass of students in pink milling about in the lobby, especially for the group that had harassed the new Grade 9 student.
"The bullies got angry," said Travis. "One guy was throwing chairs (in the cafeteria). We’re glad we got the response we wanted."
David said one of the bullies angrily asked him whether he knew pink on a male was a symbol of homosexuality.
He told the bully that didn’t matter to him and shouldn’t to anyone.
"Something like the colour of your shirt or pants, that’s ridiculous," he said.
"Our intention was to stand up for this kid so he doesn’t get picked on."
Travis said the bullies "keep giving us dirty looks, but we know we have the support of the whole student body.
"Kids don’t need this in their lives, worrying about what to wear to school. That should be the last thing on their minds."
When the bullied student put on his pink shirt Friday and saw all the other pink in the lobby, "he was all smiles. It was like a big weight had been lifted off is shoulder," David said. No one at the school would reveal the student’s name.
Travis said that growing up, he was often picked on for wearing store-brand clothes instead of designer duds.
The two friends said they didn’t take the action looking for publicity, but rather to show leadership in combating what they say is frequent bullying in schools.
For the record, I was looking at “Cambridge” and assumed England. I didn’t look at the source. :-( It’s even more surprising a story from Canada didn’t slant to gay rights.
Kids will be kids. All teasing will not be eliminated unless you gag them. I do remember a kid with a harelip being teased pretty significantly. Now that was tragic because the kid couldn't help it. Still, how far can you go controlling kids being kids?
.. I don’t think they worked at the paper mills.
Dude it’s “Salmon”.. ..LOL..
Yes, but that's why high school reunions are so fun. Those scumbags have gone nowhere in most cases, and the toughened up survivors are doing much better. It's not good, it's intensely painful at the time, but the victims should know that the 'bullies' are going to be announcing things like "Attention, K Mart shoppers!" in the future while they go on to a better life.
ROFL! Yeah, I learnt the same thing.
Just be glad it wasn’t yellow.
I don’t thing Elvis was ever accused of being queer, was he?
“;^)
Semper Fi
I never stopped wearing pink. The women look at me and say it is a sign of a man who is confident in his sexuality.
You don’t need to t wear pink.
Just make sure the bully’s clothes are red, - in spatters, at least..
“probably still have some pink long johns tucked away somewhere in the closet.”
That’s a scary thought you coming out of the closet in your pink long johns!
Now that is sssssoooo true. Reminds of that line from Miss Congeniality where Victor Melling is showing Gracie Hart how to walk:
Victor Melling: [teaching Gracie how to glide] See? Glide. It’s all in the buttocks. Don’t I look pretty?
Gracie Hart: It takes a very secure man to walk like that.
Yep, that was me in that poodle skirt!
Man, that was cold!
Yeah... and outspoken conservatives are really closet liberals.
That's a better solution - cheaper, quicker and far more effective. Plus it's educational!
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