A pink shirt was the outfit of choice for many Victoria University of Wellington students on 14 April 2011 to support Pink Shirt Day’s campaign to stop homophobic bullying.
Three Vic students took the reins in this years’ campaign to fight for gay rights and fight against homophobia. The team, comprised of Queer Rights Officer Tom Reed, Genevieve Fowler and Joseph Habgood, presented a petition demand-ing better education and awareness-raising programmes
in schools.
They collected approximately 1650 signatures and sent the petition to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.
Genevieve Fowler said the message they are trying to share is one of rights.
“When it comes down to it, gay rights are human rights. And any kind of inequality in society affects everyone.”
Fowler was pleased that the 15 volunteers were both straight and gay, saying “this was a cause which bought people together from across the board.”
Pink Shirt Day originated in Canada when David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied.