Pink Shirt Day aims to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting workplaces, communities and schools to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive of all people.
While all people can be the target of bullying, some groups or individuals experience more bullying than others.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other sexuality and gender-diverse identities – also known as rainbow communities – experience higher levels of bullying.
Pink Shirt Day started because people wanted to stop homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and this remains a strong focus of Pink Shirt Day today.
Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new Year 10 student was harassed and threatened for wearing pink.
The students bought dozens of pink shirts and distributed them to their classmates to wear the next day. The word got out online and hundreds of students showed up in pink, some from head-to-toe, to stand together against bullying. It has been celebrated here since 2009.
Bullying can have serious and ongoing impacts on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Many studies show that people who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts.
As with any health condition, mental health problems can affect a person’s work and cause substantial costs to organisations. For workplaces, it’s their legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to manage risks to mental health and wellbeing just like they do any other health and safety risk.
For more details, go to https://pinkshirtday.org.nz.
