Published October 26, 2018 by Rebecca Goldfine

Bowdoin Celebrates Yellow Shirt Day

Donning yellow shirts has been a campus tradition since 2005, when an anti-gay rights advocate spoke at campus.
A crowd gathered in front of the polar bear wearing their yellow shirts

Across campus yesterday, staff, faculty, and students wore yellow shirts in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or questioning community. Donning yellow shirts for one day in October has been a campus tradition since 2005, when an anti-gay rights advocate spoke at campus. At the event, students protested peacefully by wearing yellow. 

It is also a tradition for some of the people who wear yellow shirts to gather at the polar bear for a group photo after the final class of the day. At 4:15 p.m., people braved the bitter wind and unzipped their jackets, briefly, for the “bright sunshiny yellow” photo.

Yellow Shirt Day is organized by Bowdoin’s Queer-Straight Alliance.