By Christopher Little-Gagné
Pink is a colour that has long provided a bright and easy target for bullies to attack. Unfortunately, it’s not the only subject of mockery. Even within the most progressive institutions fighting for equality and activism, bullying happens. People have always tried to bring themselves and their kin to equal footing with those of perceived privilege. Unfortunately, this is usually done at the expense of others; putting them down to bring themselves up.
I remember being at a union function, recently, where I heard a person of influence talk about our ability to lead change. They said that we need to bring people “out of the closet and into the light” to fight for our rights. Being a person who belongs to a group for whom “being in the closet” has a strong meaning, I took offence to this comment.
No matter what the closet is for you – be it sexual orientation, spiritual belief, political belief, union activism, etc. – why is it the goal of others to decide when you come out?
This is a form of bullying.
We need to remember that everyone has the right to be in the closet. Our goal ought to be to make society welcoming and respectful for those who are ready to come out.
Now that I have a son, I look at things differently. When it came to advancing civil liberties and human rights, I used to do things based on my own personal agenda. This year, I will be wearing pink on February 25 in the hopes that my son can grow up in a culture of equality – one where bullying is something he sees in old movies and in old stories, which lead him to wonder how we lived in such a barbaric time.
I hope that everyone out there will do what they can to stand up against bullying or, at the very least, reflect on how their actions and words can impact others.
regional representative for human rights for Manitoba, both wearing pink!
Christopher Little-Gagné is the regional vice-president for Manitoba and proud papa of two-year-old Caleb. This article was written as part of our union’s member journalism program. If you’d like to find out more, click here – to pitch a story or for any questions, please send an email to communications@une-sen.org.