On 18th October 2018, we celebrate Spirit Day. Organised by Out Asia Pacific and NBCUniversal, our founder, Ms June Chua was invited to a conference talking about bullying of LGBTQ+ and other minority communities.
Together with other guests Hirzi and Simone, there was a sharing and discussion on bullying the panelists have experienced and how they overcame it. Issues brought up included bullying between minority groups and even within groups.
The few takeaways from today was the importance of strength and resilience in the face of bullies, and that for some people, embracing the LGBT community means challenging what they have been taught their entire lives. When dealing with ignorance, we should first try to educate rather than getting insulted or defensive.
In the Q&A, an audience member asked how to raise their child to be more compassionate. As a society and as a younger generation, we ourselves should unlearn the negative behaviours from our elders and embody compassion and understanding.
Integrating diverse communities in our lives and in your child's upbringing will encourage them to be more respectful and inclusive of others. June further shared that starting a conversation with your child as early as possible will help them understand who and whom is a transgender person.
Thank you very much to NBC Universal and Out Asia Pacific for inviting us to an incredibly thought provoking panel with an amazing group of audience.