Toronto Police Officer Dyes Hair Pink to Fight Bullying and Homophobia
Luke Watson dyed his hair pink to fight against bullying in schools. (Photo: Luke Watson).
The Toronto Police force is taking a stand against bullying, but it’s not in the way you might expect. Their unconventional approach involves hot pink hair and Twitter—and kids are paying attention.
It all started when Toronto police officers Ryan Willmer and Luke Watson were trying to raise awareness for the Day of Pink on April 8 in Canada, a celebration of diversity and anti-bullying. Two straight students in Nova Scotia started the Day of Pink when they saw a gay student wearing a pink shirt being bullied. They intervened and then rallied the entire school to wear pink in solidarity. To garner more attention for the event, Officer Willmer went on Twitter and promised that his beefy, tattooed colleague would dye his hair pink if the post got 500 retweets with the hashtag #stopbullyingnow and #dayofpink. “He did it without my knowing,” Watson tells Yahoo Beauty. By the time Watson got into the station there were 560 retweets. Thankfully, he was down for the cause.
Officer Watson fights back against bullying. (Photo: Luke Watson).
The officers were a hit at the Day of Pink rally at Forest Hills Collegiate Institute in Toronto. Willmer and fellow officers arrived in a pink police cruiser wearing pink T-shirts. As to why Willmer didn’t dye his own hair pink? “He lacks in the hair department, so I am the guinea pig,” jokes Watson. The students loved seeing the police officers step out of their comfort zone, and there was a line of kids waiting to thank them for their gesture. “The response was overwhelming,” says Watson.
It was such a hit, the officers decided to step it up on Twitter. They promised Watson would keep his pink hair for seven days with 1,000 retweets and an additional day for every 100 retweets on top of it. “I’ll be keeping my hair pink for quite some time,” says Watson, who has counted almost 2,500 retweets at press time. The officers are thrilled with the response and the spotlight it puts on homophobia, discrimination, and bullying. “I didn’t think such a simple gesture would become such a big thing, but it has brought awareness and opens up discussion,” says Watson.
Ryan Willmer and Luke Watson during Canada’s Day of Pink. (Photo: Luke Watson).
Watson feels strongly about getting the message out, because he sees the struggle teens face on a daily basis firsthand. “I work closely with the schools, and you see the kids that are happy and the kids that have something on their mind. People can be bullied at any point in time. I want people to be aware of the fact that people might be hurting, and to really see if they can help somebody.”
Watson says the response from friends, family, and other officers has been amazing. “My phone exploded with people congratulating me for sticking my neck out and being different. Even in the policing atmosphere it is ok to be different. The message is your friends and family should support you no matter who you are.”
