The Story Behind the White Ribbon

On Dec. 6 1989, Marc Lépine entered Montréal Ecole Polytechnique, and his following actions would not only affect the lives of the women attending the university, but the ongoing feminist movement as well.

It was past 4:00 p.m. when Lépine entered a mechanical engineering classroom at Montreal Ecole Polytechnique armed. Upon entering the classroom, he demanded that all of the women separate from the men and move toward one side of the room while the men left. He then asked the women if they knew why they were there, but rather than an answer, he was faced with confusion as a student began to wonder who he was. He simply replied with the fact that he was fighting feminism and began to open fire. After leaving the classroom, he began to travel throughout the campus, injuring and killing numerous women, and even injuring multiple men in the process. Ten women and four men were wounded, and 14 women lost their lives: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz. In the end, Lépine himself committed suicide.

As if the event did not already have a severe impact, what made it worse was that public figures tried to downplay the tragedy and its significance by claiming that it was an act targeted towards “youth” rather than an anti-feminist act. Since this was happening during the 1980’s, a time when people had just started pushing for gender equality, some people believed that this event was justified and even worshiped Lépine as a hero.

On the other hand, those who realized what this could mean for the lives of numerous women who continued to fight for their rights, began shedding light on this incident. Not only did the sixth of December turn into a day to honor these women and be designated as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, but throughout Canada, multiple events and memorials were held in honor of the victims. Specifically, in 1991, a group of men in London, Ontario decided to symbolize men giving up their arms by using a white ribbon, hence the title “white ribbon day”, which is commonly used to refer to Dec. 6.

Recently, the G.S.A. and Character Matters club teamed up to help inform the students of Emily Carr Secondary School about the Montreal massacre and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Creating a flower where each petal had a different touching and empowering message, helped paint a picture of how to support women who have been subjected to gender-based violence. Rana Tekin, a grade 11 student at Emily Carr Secondary School who is part of the Character Matters club, explained how Dec. 6. is not only a day to remember the victims of this fatal incident, but to reflect on the bigger picture. “It is a day to recognize the impact that this kind of violence has on individuals, families, and communities, and to reaffirm our commitment to working towards a world where all people are treated with respect and dignity,” she said. Moreover, both clubs made it a point to emphasize the fact that this was a day that honors all women, which include transgender women as well. Rana begins to explain how “by including transgender women in the category of all women, we can ensure that their specific needs and experiences are being recognized and that they are receiving the support and protection that they need.” In 2021 alone, 375 transgender and gender-diverse people were murdered worldwide (Dayal, Pratyush, CBC, 2021) and regardless of those and their opinions on gender identity, it is important to recognize the lives of these individuals too. While it may be impossible to change the opinions of everyone, it is still important to realize that gender should not be the leading cause of deciding one’s fate.