When was the first time you were called something negative or hurtful?
Some well-known Winnipeggers told 680 CJOB their #FirstTimeIwasCalled stories.
Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Obby Khan remembered being picked on when he was in Grade 2 after moving from Pakistan.
Khan didn’t speak any English, so he was bullied all the time.
“I was called a Paki, I was called really mean things and stuff was thrown at me constantly,” said Khan. “Thank God I had a friend in class who spoke Punjabi as well, so him and I became really good friends.”
Lara Rae, comedian and artistic director of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, described herself as the trifecta of hate because she’s a transgender woman.
“I’m bullied as a trans person now and it’s something that happens to me on a daily basis,” said Rae. “I was objectified as somebody whose sexual attraction was obnoxious. I was taught that wanting to be a girl was somehow disgraceful…and then my trans identity was also shameful.”
Student activist Sappfyre McLeod said as a black woman, she was bullied in elementary school.
LISTEN: Richard Cloutier and Julie Buckingham interview a panel of Winnipeggers who share their stories of sexism, racism and transphobia.