A Winnipeg father says a video that was shown to his son’s Grade 7 class about bullying was too graphic and violent.
He said his 13-year-old son blacked out after watching it.
“He wasn’t able to mentally digest what he was seeing and had an emergency reaction,” said Alan DeBaets.
The video was shown at a class at École Julie-Riel in St. Vital on Tuesday.
The 19-minute video illustrates the bullying that gay and lesbian students can face by reversing roles to show a straight student stigmatized for her orientation in a fictional world dominated by gay people.
It ends when the main character locks herself in a bathroom after she can’t take the bullying anymore and commits suicide.
DeBaets said the video was inappropriate.
“Even as an adult, I had a hard time stomaching the contents. The ending is so graphic is really leaves a traumatic impression on the viewer,” he said.
DeBaets said school officials told him the teacher who showed the video acted on her own and it was not part of the curriculum.
Gay and lesbian advocates said it should be, however.
“It really helps straight kids get and step into someone else’s shoes,” said Chad Smith from Rainbow Resource Centre.
The centre said a video like that is a good education tool for Grade 7 students.
As for the graphic nature, it said there are worse things on television.
“These are things that we see at the Rainbow Resource Centre. We have kids that are in Grade Seven that come to our youth group that struggle with suicidal feelings,” said Smith.
DeBaets said he supports anti-bullying messages but said parents should have been told about the video beforehand.
"I think that is the real issue - being in the know and being able to make that decision what's right for your family,” he said.
Calls to the school division were not returned on Thursday.
