Over the past decade on Wear It Purple Day, people at schools, universities and workplaces across Australia have dressed in their favourite purple piece of clothing to show rainbow youth that they're accepted for who they are.
It all began in 2010 as a grass roots movement by two students, Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams, who wanted to find a way to show young people that regardless of their sexuality or gender identity there was hope and acceptance.
They both realised that if they wanted to stop young people being bullied and discriminated against, then young people had to be advocates for inclusion. So Wear It Purple Day was born!
Now, a decade on, Wear It Purple Day 2020 is themed We Are the Change! This represents a generation of implementing productive and inclusive changes. And there certainly has been a lot of changes. Since 2010 it has become unlawful to discriminate against LGBTI people, NSW Police have said sorry for the violence of the 1978 Mardi Gras Parade and Australians said Yes! to marriage equality.
However, there is still work to be done. Young LGBTQIA people are overrepresented in mental health statistics and can still face social isolation.
2020 has already been a year of challenges. For young people it's brought a loss of social connections, disruption to school and studies, and significant uncertainty about what the future holds.
That’s why Wear It Purple Day is especially important this year. Together we can reflect on all the positive changes we have seen, and show each other support as we navigate through this time.
Here at Flourish Australia we will proudly be wearing our favourite purple item on Friday, to show our LGBTIQ+ young people that they should be proud of who they are.
We are proud to have a continuous commitment to delivering culturally safe and responsive services to people from the LGBTIQ+ community.
While we can't come together as easily as we usually would, there are still lots of things we can do to show our support.
Hold a virtual morning tea with your colleagues or friends, or turn your social media profile purple. There are more tips about how to participate in Wear It Purple Day here: https://www.wearitpurple.org/blog/how-to-celebrate-wipd-at-work
Talk to us today
For more information, contact us on 1300 779 270 or make an enquiry now.
