Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/10/2014 (2171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Isabella "Bella" Burgos wore a fuchsia pink dress and a bright pink scarf around her hair.

Nearly everyone else in the crowd of a few dozen also sported something pink: a scarf, a hair ornament, a T-shirt.

A week after the family of an eight-year-old transgender girl came forward and told media she’s been the target of a bullying campaign by another parent, a rally was held at Transcona Centennial Square on Saturday to show support for the girl by wearing pink.

The rally was organized on social media using the hashtag #pink4bella.

"Thank you for supporting me," Bella said after members of her family, including her father and brother, also thanked supporters for turning out.

For more than a month, Bella and her family have been at the centre of a dispute over her transgender identity at her Transcona elementary school. On the other side is a parent who yelled at the child and her older brother and lobbied other parents outside the school, the Burgos family has told media.

At first, the issue was which bathroom Bella should use. She had been using the girl’s washroom, but after the complaint from the parent — the mother of one of Bella’s classmates — she was supposed to use another washroom, a gender-neutral single toilet separate from the girl’s room. The matter then escalated beyond bathrooms to the broader issue of transgender identity. The Burgos family has taken the issue to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission for resolution.

The River East School Division has spent the last several weeks trying to find a way to accommodate both sides, and in the last week Bella’s story has drawn attention from local media and from social media around the world. The rally gave the family a chance to express their gratitude.

"I’m excited our community sees a reason to come out and support us," said Bella’s mother, Izzy Burgos.

In a speech at the rally, the girl’s father, Dale Burgos, said, "It’s been unreal. The support out there. Trailblazer is the word we’ve heard for Bella... #pink4bella has gone all over the world."

The family has received emails of support from as far away as Japan and the Netherlands.

"I don’t know how all these people are finding my email. It’s kinda creepy, but it’s great," the father said, drawing laughs from the small crowd.

"You’re not only supporting Bella, you’re supporting people like her," her brother, Rece, said.

The rally featured pink flamingos, pink balloons and short speeches from radio personalities Jordan Knight and JD Francis of Energy 106 FM, both wearing pink T-shirts.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bella Burgos has her balloon tied by a family friend in Transcona Centennial Square during a rally Saturday. Everyone wore pink to show support for the transgender girl.

"I just want to thank you all for coming out in support of Bella and wearing pink," rally organizer Adam Herstein said. "The only way I know how to deal with a bully is to stand up to them."

The crowd gathered in the bright sunshine in the Transcona square amid plaques that pay tribute to the district’s founding families and civic leaders.

Mothers and fathers with sons and daughters showed up, along with members of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. They came from St. James, Wolseley, Waverley Heights and even outside Winnipeg.

They included some parents whose children attend the same school as Bella, Joseph Teres School.

"My daughter goes to school with Bella," said one mother, who didn’t want to give her name. "I think there’s a lot of support, even more than has shown up here," she said. "My father, every day, is asking me how Bella is doing."

Tara Bailey brought her daughter, Fiona, from Selkirk to the rally.

"She takes dance classes in the city, and I thought it was worth it. My husband is here, too," Bailey said.

She said she saw the rally posted on Facebook, and after seeing the news reports, she talked about the empathy she feels for Bella and her family.

"Bullying is wrong at any level," Bailey said.

For the LGBT community, the issue is a matter of solidarity. Bradley West has helped lead workshops in schools and worked to raise awareness and tolerance on LGBT issues.

"First of all, I want to show support for Bella and her family," West said. "It’s important we show solidarity."

At the same time, he said, he’s perplexed by the school at the centre of the bullying issue.

"I’m confused they’re compelling her to use a gender-neutral washroom. Maybe they’re caught in a maelstrom and they don’t know what to do."

His daughter, a university student training to be a teacher, has discussed the issue with her classmates. They don’t understand why the school didn’t step in earlier, West said, raising his pant leg at the ankle to show his bright pink socks.

"They’re my daughter’s, and she said this is a no-brainer."

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca