Westmount’s Jared McCarthy started a social media campaign against homophobia that’s reaching people around the globe.
A classroom spat over a homophobic remark led a Hamilton high school student to launch a colourful social media campaign that's gaining international attention.
Derogatory comments a classmate made about the LGBTQ community earlier this week didn't sit well with Jared McCarthy, a Grade 10 student at Westmount Secondary School.
"Those specific comments that the student made didn't necessarily hit too close to home for me, but I assume there's at least one person in the class who was really affected by those comments," McCarthy, 16, said.
When he spoke up against them, McCarthy said his classmate told him, "If I was so supportive of gay people, I should go out and wear a rainbow shirt."
So that's exactly what he did, while drawing other students at Westmount, nearby schools, other boards and people across the globe — from Laos to Sweden — to tune in on social media along with him.
After Wednesday's argument, McCarthy spoke to a few friends and turned to social media with his idea to take a stand against homophobia. He encouraged people to wear a piece of rainbow-coloured clothing or accessories, snap a photo and share it with the hashtag #notatmyschool.
It didn't take long for his post to gain traction. By Thursday night, McCarthy's video — an idea he credits to his mom, Christina — had been viewed 25,000 times. As of Friday afternoon, that number had climbed to 72,000.
Splashes of colour dotted the halls of the Mountain high school on Friday, with students decked out in tie-dye T-shirts, striped socks, colourful fuzzy bracelets and rainbow flags tacked onto backpacks and clothing.
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