High school students are showing pride by supporting LGBTQ athletes.
Hockey teams from Chatham-Kent and Lambton-Kent's secondary schools met on the ice Wednesday afternoon for a match-up to show their support.
This comes as part of the awareness sessions being held at CKSS.
"I think it's great for high school students to be aware of the different diversities," says Alison Stephens, a CKSS Hawks player. "[Also] to accept everyone regardless of what they identify as."
Stephens adds although more people are becoming sensitive to those in the LGBTQ community, there's still a lot that can be done -- especially in hockey.
Whether it's in school or in the locker room, Grade 12 student Sydney Sabourin says there's certain homophobic terms that should stop being used.
"People say a lot of the time 'that's so gay' or words like that, that really just put a negative attitude towards [the LGBTQ community]," says Sabourin. "A lot of people are feeling more comfortable about coming out and then when they hear those words, it's really disrespectful and rude towards them."
The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity along with local organizers will continue educating about the barriers LGBTQ athletes face, with a public session coming up January 13.
Hawks win 9-1, but more importantly we stood up to show our #Pride @PrideTape @CKSSHawks pic.twitter.com/7kj9fuEkDB
— CKSS Girls Hockey (@CKSSGirlsHockey) January 11, 2017