After Westmount Secondary School student Jared McCarthy was harassed at school because he stuck up for gay people, he took up the instigator's challenge wear a rainbow shirt, and used social media to encourage teens across Hamilton to do the same.

Jared's mom, Christina McCarthy, began making Facebook posts on Wednesday looking for a rainbow shirt that would fit her son, and explaining the back story of why he wanted to wear it. She posted a Facebook video on Thursday that shows Jared, wearing a rainbow shirt, talking about what happened and what he's doing.

He said, if I was so supportive of gay people, why don't I go out and wear a rainbow shirt tomorrow? So that's what I'm going to do. - Jared McCarthy

The video has amassed over 68,000 views as of Friday afternoon, and his campaign has prompted his school principal, students at his and other high school and others to take up the challenge. Many have responded with their own photos on various social media under the hashtag #notatmyschool.

In the video, Jared, who is 16 and in Grade 10, says: "Yesterday I got into a bit of an argument with a classmate who was making inappropriate comments about gay people."

"When I challenged him about it, he said, if I was so supportive of gay people, why don't I go out and wear a rainbow shirt tomorrow? So that's what I'm going to do."

He goes on to encourage other people to follow his lead by wearing rainbow clothing on Friday.

We have your back Jared. Supporting the fight against homophobia. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/notatmyschool?src=hash">#notatmyschool</a> <a href="https://t.co/u29vsJJtjD">pic.twitter.com/u29vsJJtjD</a> —@Bruno_Bronco

Wearing rainbow in support of Jared from Westmount High. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/notatmyschool?src=hash">#notatmyschool</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash">#HamOnt</a> <a href="https://t.co/F3Yh8FXDX7">pic.twitter.com/F3Yh8FXDX7</a> —@DrLisaA1234

Grade 3 students @CathyWeverPS in solidarity with Jared <a href="https://twitter.com/Westmount_HWDSB">@Westmount_HWDSB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/notatmyschool?src=hash">#notatmyschool</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/studentleadership?src=hash">#studentleadership</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/inspired?src=hash">#inspired</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HWDSB">@HWDSB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/wilsonemma81">@wilsonemma81</a> <a href="https://t.co/zTEWf31rxc">pic.twitter.com/zTEWf31rxc</a> —@ParsaShahid

Wearing 🌈 to proudly support <a href="https://twitter.com/HWDSB">@HWDSB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/studentleadership?src=hash">#studentleadership</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/Westmount_HWDSB">@Westmount_HWDSB</a> Jared <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/notatmyschool?src=hash">#notatmyschool</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/challenginghomophobia?src=hash">#challenginghomophobia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weallbelong?src=hash">#weallbelong</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hamont?src=hash">#hamont</a> <a href="https://t.co/SpNkVg0wsD">pic.twitter.com/SpNkVg0wsD</a> —@superengager

Supporting Jared !! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotAtMySchool?src=hash">#NotAtMySchool</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash">#HamOnt</a> 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈❤💖💙💚💜 <a href="https://t.co/AL2MRRqYzh">pic.twitter.com/AL2MRRqYzh</a> —@LabonteJamie

Resisting the bystander effect

Westmount's principal, Angela Ferguson, was wearing a rainbow patch on the front of her shirt on Friday.

"I'm very proud of Jared," she said. "I saw the video last night, and I thought, what a great way to stand up against bullying of any type, and in particular homophobia.

"It really speaks to the power that the bystander has," she said, as well as "the means social media has to help us rally people together."

Jared inspired a dozens of his own peers at Westmount to wear rainbow clothing and accessories on Friday, along with many others who heard about his efforts via social media. (Dave Beatty/CBC)

Several rainbow-clad Westmount students said they first heard of Jared's campaign through the social media hashtag, not even realizing at first that it started with a student at their own school.

"This morning when the national anthem was playing, I was smiling," said Nicola Cross, a Westmount student wearing a rainbow shirt, "because I was thinking about all the people who came together in unity and support of the LGBTQ-plus community."

Cassie Chamberlain, another Westmount student, who wore rainbow socks on Thursday, said "it's about solidarity. It shows that everyone at Westmount will stand together and that we're not going to take this kind of treatment."

And for Chamberlain, it's also personal: "I'm involved in positive space here at the school, and I'm out [of the closet]."

dave.beatty@cbc.ca | @dbeatty