Day of Pink
The second Wednesday of every April marks the International Day of Pink
This annual event brings people together in solidarity against homophobic and transphobic bullying, and to celebrate equity, diversity and inclusion.
Day of Pink began in Nova Scotia when two high school students intervened after witnessing a gay student in their school being bullied for wearing pink. Wanting to do more, they purchased pink shirts and distributed them through the school in solidarity against homophobic and transphobic bullying.
Each year, university community members come together in a pink shirt or clothing item to show their support.
2024
On April 10, 2020, the TMU community gathered in the Student Learning Centre in honour of Day of Pink. This was the largest Day of Pink event to date, topping the previous record. This year, almost 150 attendees arrived to hear remarks from our student speakers and to show solidarity with the community. The theme was Let’s Celebrate Visibility Together, and to do so we focussed on centring student voices. Speakers included:
- Roger Castelo (he/they), Professional Communication Student, LGBTQIA+ Group Mentoring Lead, Tri-Mentoring Program
- Julia Lawrence (she/her), Journalism Student, The Society of the Creative School
- Kirsten Rowe (she/her), Media Production Student, Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support.
2023
On April 12, 2023, the TMU community gathered in the Student Learning Centre in honour of Day of Pink. This was the largest Day of Pink event we’ve ever held, with over 100 people in attendance. The event was co-organized with the Careers, Co-op & Student Success Centre. This year’s theme was courage. Speakers included:
- Tamara Sylvester, Partnership and Resolutions Officer, Human Rights Services
- Dr. Jennifer Simpson, Special Advisor to the President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization
- Nika Zolfaghari, Manager, Equity and Community Inclusion, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science
2022
On April 13, 2022, the university community gathered in the Student Learning Centre in honour of Day of Pink.
2021
On April 14, the university community donned their pink attire in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
About 115 university community members joined the virtual Day of Pink celebration, all wearing pink, to gather against homophobic and transphobic bullying. Positive Space committee member Dani Gomez-Ortega shared her lived experience and how we as a community can advocate for greater support for the trans community.
Tara Collins, graduate program director and professor in the School of Child and Youth Care, also spoke about how violence affects 2SLGBTQ+ youth in schools, and the importance of a child-centred approach to combat these effects.
2020
On April 8, 2020, the university community gathered at a virtual event on Zoom in honour of Day of Pink.
About 100 participants (all wearing pink) joined a Zoom call and Positive Space committee members took screen shots of the group in various poses.
Resources
Visit the International Day of Pink website (external link) for more information, including resources, support services, and organizations that work to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Positive Space Faculty and Staff Network at positivespace@torontomu.ca.