SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Bullying is a behaviour that can be corrected.
“It’s up to us to do our part when we see it,” said Joe Killorn. “Confront it. In most cases, it will stop if you confront it.”
Killorn’s interest in the anti-bullying movement began in 2012 when he saw a pink shirt website.
“I myself was bullied,” said Killorn. “I had some bullying go on in my life and I thought I might be able to help and do something.”
Bullying can affect the victim’s mental health, said Killorn. That was the case for him.
“It was very subtle bullying. It caused anxiety, it caused me to be kind of paranoid.”
Pink shirt day completes a circle with other awareness campaigns like the province’s family violence prevention week and Moo Let’s Talk about suicide prevention, said Killorn.
On Wednesday during Pink Shirt Day, the City of Summerside raised an anti-bullying flag, after being urged to do so by Killorn.
“Do people commit suicide because they are bullied? Yes, they do. Children do. Adults do.
“What is involved in family violence? Bullying. Children can really be affected by this and engage in that behaviour if they see that stuff at home.”
There are still many groups experiencing bullying so pink shirt day is not about the shirt, it’s about taking action, said Killorn.
“We all deserve to be treated with respect. We all deserve to be treated with kindness and we all deserve to be treated for the unique people that we are.”
At the Wednesday ceremony, a pink flag with two hands entwined was raised above Summerside City Hall.
“Today we celebrate the City of Summerside’s decision to raise a flag against bullying,” said student Henry McInnis. “Thank you to those who made the decision to support these people who have been bullied, and to stop it.”
McInnis is part of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at Summerside Intermediate School (SIS) and spoke at Wednesday's event.
“I was bullied a lot and it sucked,” said McInnis. “It made me feel really sad. It made me feel like everyone hated me; like I had a target on my back and everyone didn’t like me. I felt sad mostly all the time.”
That was in elementary school. Now at SIS, McInnis has found a group of friends and adults to trust.
“When I came out, I was able to find my confidence and was able to brush it off. Doing this allows me to say to the world ‘I’m confident, and if you try to bully me it’s not going to work’.”
