International Day of Pink is honoured every year at the Toronto District School Board in support of creating a more inclusive and diverse world by encouraging young people to challenge social norms, ask more of their educators and stand up against bullying towards their 2SLGBTQIA+ peers.
On April 13, students and staff from across the system wore pink in celebration of this important day and the Board’s work to create and maintain safe and inclusive spaces in which to learn and work.
This year, Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School hosted the first in-person International Day of Pink event since 2019. Keynote speaker Dr. Kate Reid delivered a powerful speech about their journey, answered questions from the TDSB community and performed queer-folk music.
Kate is an exceptional creator and writer of songs: a whip smart wordsmith with a knack for candid story-telling and song writing that is charged with humour and social-political commentary. Kate also has a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, where they investigated the role of queer folk songs in public school curriculum development related to gender and sexuality education.
Students from the Hospitality and Culinary Arts program at Eastdale Collegiate Institute once again provided delicious baked pink treats for the event, under the guidance of program director Sean Meikle.
Trustee Michelle Aarts and Director of Education Colleen Russell-Rawlins were joined by Mayor John Tory and representatives from the Toronto Police 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee.
For more information about International Day of Pink, please visit www.dayofpink.org.
Learn about what the Toronto District School Board is doing to create more safe and inclusive spaces for students and staff, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ community:
