LegaliseLove will hold a candlelight vigil in Wellington to mark an international day of action against transphobia and homophobia this Friday. Originating in the United States in 2010, Spirit Day was founded by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan as a day to commemorate the victims of homophobic and transphobic bullying and raise awareness about the impact on high school students. “New Zealand has a proud history of standing against prejudice,” said event organiser Joseph Habgood. “It is incredibly important that we as a nation get behind Spirit Day and make it clear that bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable.” Habgood adds that although LegaliseLove is primarily a campaign for marriage and adoption equality, underlying everything it does is the belief that New Zealand needs to face up to its youth and tell them; ‘who you are is okay.’ He points to the Youth ’07 report, conducted by the University of Auckland, found that same/both-sex-attracted youth in New Zealand were five times more likely to have attempted suicide in the year leading up to the survey than their opposite-sex attracted counterparts. They were also twice as likely to be afraid that someone would hurt or bother them at school. The candlelight vigil will begin at Jack Ilott Green, near Civic Square, at 8PM. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic and wear the colour purple as a show of support.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 16th October 2012 - 12:40pm