A Metro Vancouver police officer caught the attention of thousands of social media users by addressing critics of a rainbow Pride patch on his uniform.
A video posted on TikTok by Sgt. Julien Ponsioen has been seen by nearly 170,000 people as of Tuesday afternoon.
The sergeant with Metro Vancouver Transit Police says in the video he’s had "quite a few comments" on a patch across his chest baring the word "police" in capital letters and rainbow colours.
"There’s a lot of people that think that I probably shouldn’t be wearing it or, you know, that my parents are ashamed of me – those are the kind of comments," he says, speaking to his phone camera.
Addressing his message to those people, he says he’s proud to be wearing the patch, and that he feels "very fortunate to be able to build relationships with my community."
"For those of you that think my parents are ashamed, get over yourselves. Really, you think your words are going to bother me? No," Ponsioen says.
"But thanks, it just goes to show how bigoted some of you are still out there."
While police are not allowed to march in uniform in Vancouver’s Pride parade, a rule imposed by the Vancouver Pride Society, Ponsioen used the remainder of his 47-second video to tell the LGBTQ community he supports members and is one of them.
Ponsioen joined CTV News Channel Tuesday to speak about the video and how it appears to have resonated with many.
xjmtzywIn an interview he said the video was sparked by comments he gets while hosting a weekly initiative he calls "Coffee with a Cop."
"Every once in a while I get these people that just attack me for wearing just this patch. I don’t even comment on this patch," he said.
"So really what happened was I’ve been getting so many negative comments on different posts that I’ve made that I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to stand up for myself,’ because I know there’s a lot of kids who are just like me, on social media … and they’re getting bullied and they don’t know how to stand up. I want to show these kids, especially young LGBTQ2S+ kids, that they can stand up for themselves."
He said when he was a kid, bullies were peers he faced in the schoolyard – people he saw face-to-face. Now, bullies are able to hide behind a fake name or photo and are "keyboard warriors, so they have a lot more bravery."
While he acknowledges there is a lot of hate online, Ponsioen said he gets a lot of support, too, when wearing his rainbow patch.
He said he gets compliments and questions in person and on social media from people who say they like seeing it.
"Let’s be real. There is a disconnect between the 2SLGBTQ community and the police," he said.
"By wearing this and being open, as I am, hopefully I can help rebuild that bridge."
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Sgt. Julien Ponsioen is seen in a still image from video posted on TikTok.
