Mr. Speaker, when I see my neighbours pushed to the margins of society because they do not fit the mould, I know it is incumbent upon me to stand up against bullying. Today marks the International Day of Pink, a day against homophobia, transphobia and all forms of bullying.
This occasion began after two high school students from Nova Scotia, David Shepherd and Travis Price, saw a gay student wearing a pink shirt and being bullied in school. They intervened and a few days later wore pink shirts themselves to show their solidarity.
It is 2019 and countries around the world are still passing laws that allow punishment of homosexuality by stoning. Nightclubs are no longer a safe place to dance with a loved one. I do not need to look any further than my own community of New Glasgow, where Scott Jones was tragically attacked simply for being gay.
There is no place in our society for hatred against people based on the colour of their skin, their country of origin, the god they pray to or the person they love. Hating people for things that they cannot change is the mark of intolerance, and refusing to acknowledge that diversity of humanity is what makes life interesting is a sign of ignorance.
Let us take a stand against bullying because, in the end, we are responsible not only for our actions but the times we saw an injustice and chose to stand silently by.