Halloween costumes.
The student union at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., recently prepared a list of prohibited costumes for its annual Halloween bash. The list features any form of headdress, costumes that mock suicide or rape, those depicting transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner, or outfits featuring a culture’s traditional attire.
A statement from the Brock University Students’ Union website reads:
“Each year, Brock University Students’ Union is dedicated to creating Halloween celebrations at Isaac’s Bar and Grill that demonstrates integrity, respect and which honor our diverse student membership on campus who embody wide ranges of cultural backgrounds. At BUSU it is our priority to maintain a campus climate that prevents costumes reinforcing harmful stereotypes around race, gender, culture and mental health from entering our venues.
The Halloween Costume Vetting Protocol is a way of communicating to students on what is not acceptable, encourage students to be mindful of their costume choices and prevent offensive representations of our friends, family members and co-workers from permeating our spaces in an oppressive and offensive way. Vetting Halloween costumes isn’t a matter of telling people what to wear. It’s a matter of paying respect to the stories and experiences of marginalized groups who are depicted in these costumes: their culture, history, and lives should never be desecrated, but understood and celebrated. BUSU stands in solidarity by prioritizing that cultures are not costumes.”
Click here to view the list of costumes BUSU has deemed unacceptable.
While the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) has not officially compiled a list of prohibited costumes like BUSU, it has been sharing the list released by BUSU and is strongly encouraging students not to wear one of the costumes on the list.
If you’re wondering what’s appropriate to wear and what isn’t, review the list released by BUSU or contact UMSU at umsu@umsu.ca.
With content from CBC Hamilton.
