Jordan Rada and Frank Figueroa survived anti-gay bullying in school and now speak out to help others
Pink Shirt Day was recently observed at schools in Nanaimo and across Canada. The now-annual event was inspired by Nova Scotia high school students David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenaged friends, who in 2007 organized a high-school protest in support of a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied—for wearing pink to school. They took a stand against bullying by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.
Homophobia in schools is associated with bullying behaviours. A Canadian study found that 37% of gay and lesbian youngsters felt like outsiders at their schools and that a quarter of gay and lesbian youths in Canada have attempted suicide at least once. [Source: Alliance busts gay stereotypes, Nanaimo Daily News]
Jordan Rada and Frank Figueroa have shared their experiences as young gay men overcoming being bullied in school. They spoke with Sheri Lunn on the program This Way Out on February 21, 2011. We rebroadcast the interview.
