William Gierke, 9, from Wisconsin, was proud of his T-shirt.
But he came home from school crying and heartbroken.
His classmates bulli3d him and called him a “sissy” – because the T-shirt was pink.
William Gierke, 9, wanted to show his support for people affected by cancer and therefore chose a T-shirt that was close to his heart.
“Tough Guys Wear Pink” was emblazoned across the T-shirt, which was sold to support a breast cancer charity. Sadly, his classmates weren’t very kind to the T-shirt. William was bulli3d and called a “sissy” for wearing pink.
William’s mother, Tomi, was completely heartbroken when she saw her son coming home from school crying. The mean comments from his classmates made him not want to go back to school the next day. The mother didn’t know what to do to help William. But luckily the boy had a very attentive teacher.
When William went to school the next day, he was ready for even more teasing and unkind remarks. Then he saw what his teacher, David Winter, was wearing. The teacher was very attentive and noticed how William had endured because of his T-shirt. That’s why he decided to wear a pink shirt himself – to show his solidarity with William.
It may seem like a small gesture, but it meant a lot to William. And more importantly, it was a message to all students: it is never okay to b-u.lly people because of what they wear.
“I feel better, I don’t let it bother me anymore,” William said after his teacher took a stand against the b-u.llies.
No child should be bulli3d for their clothes. Huge respect for this teacher for standing up for his students.
