They may be in the name of breast cancer awareness, but students at a middle school in B.C.'s Interior are being told to leave their "I Love Boobies" bracelets at home.
The call follows similar bans in several Ontario school districts, which say the wording on the silicone rubber jewelry – which spells out "I Love Boobies" in bubble letters – is inappropriate for school. Some New Brunswick schools recently pushed through a similar ban, as have U.S. schools in California, Colorado, Idaho, Florida and Wisconsin.
The bracelets are part of a youth-geared campaign from the Keep a Breast Foundation meant to raise awareness for breast cancer. The organization says the cuffs help make young people comfortable talking about a subject that can be taboo and sometimes scary, but officials with the Kelowna School District say some students aren't wearing them for the right reasons.
Sup. Hugh Gloster said some students at Springvalley Middle School aren't being mature about wearing them, sporting the bracelets as more of a novelty item.
Gloster said the district was made aware of the situation by complaining parents. They have been banned for the past month.
Last May, students in Ontario's Durham School District were banned from wearing the controversial bracelets. Other students sporting the logo on T-shirts were also asked to cover up.
Keep A Breast Canadian Executive Director Michelle Murray said the bracelets are marketed towards a younger demographic who may not respond as well to the traditional pink ribbon campaigns but still want to voice their opinions on how breast cancer has touched their lives.
"We feel these bracelets are a wonderful talking tool for young people to become advocates for breast cancer prevention. We've seen time and time again how the ‘I love boobies!' bracelets encourage a dialogue for young people to open up and share their thoughts on cancer," Murray said in an email to CTV News Thursday night.
Murray said most young people wear the bracelets for the right reasons.
She believes the ban may spur positive change, and get more young people talking about cancer.
"We look at this banning as an opportunity for our young supporters to educate their teachers on Keep a Breast Canada and our mission to eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support."
With files from The Canadian Press
