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Story: Public protest

Letter writing: Pink Shirt Day

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Letter writing: Pink Shirt Day

In 2011 queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) youth groups initiated a letter-writing campaign to Prime Minister John Key as a national protest against bullying of queer youth. Letter writers were encouraged to describe their own experiences of bullying to show how it affected their lives. The aim was to send these letters on Pink Shirt Day (14 April), which raises awareness of bullying. More than 3,000 letters were received by the prime minister’s office. These young people in Nelson hold letters ready for posting.

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Nelson Mail

Reference: 14 April 2011

by Martin de Ruyter

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Public protest – Letter writing, petitions, meetings and rallies, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/35082/letter-writing-pink-shirt-day (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 7 May 2012.