Wear it Purple Day is an annual event in Australia to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTQIA+ community. It acknowledges that all young people, regardless of their gender or sexual identification, have the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming. It occurs on the last Friday of August and in 2024, this year’s date is Friday, 30th August.
The initiative was first launched by students, co-founded by Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams, in 2010 following the suicide of an American teenager, Tyler Clementi and the many others who took their own lives following bullying and harassment.
Why Purple? Hudson associates the colour purple as a ‘way of bringing people together from all different backgrounds and creating a symbol of unity’. For the first Wear It Purple Day, participants were asked to wear a purple arm band and the day was supported by the Federal Minister for Health, the Teachers Federation, Coming Out Australia and RUOK. Members of parliament attended the Wear It Purple Day’s inaugural reception. Since then, Wear It Purple has become internationally recognised and has received support from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Department of Health, Sydney City Council, State and Federal Police, the Queensland Ambulance Service, NSW Emergency Service and the NSW Rural Fire Service – to name a few.
The Wear it Purple initiative strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people and to show that there are people who support and love them. On August 30, by wearing purple we show young people across the world that there is hope, and that there are people who support them and accept them for who they are.
The BUSY School, an alternative education offering for senior high school students who have not thrived in traditional schooling, champion inclusion and commit to the importance of Wear It Purple day. Across the nine campuses, students and staff will be dressing in purple or wearing purple ribbons, holding activities and morning teas with information sessions to educate students on the importance of the day. Importantly, students who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community are made to feel welcome and supported in a safe school environment.
Bill Weigall, General Manager of The BUSY School, said “While students disconnect from mainstream education for a variety of reasons, the evidence – both research-based and anecdotal – tells us that LGBTQIA+ young people are disproportionately likely to become eligible to join The BUSY School. For that reason, Wear It Purple Day is a wonderful opportunity to show our unequivocal support for these highly valued members of our school community.”
Studies show that being different or feeling that one is different happens in early childhood for many LGBTQIA+ community members and may be accompanied by negative judgements, engendering noxious effects on mental health and psychosocial resources. Because of stigmatisation, many of these community members are frequently exposed to discrimination and victimisation in multiple domains of life and such discrimination is related to elevated levels of psychological distress and a heightened risk of mental disorders. This is especially true in adolescence so the importance of a safe school environment for students can make a huge difference in the mental well-being of young people.
We encourage everyone to participate this year in Wear it Purple to promote and support safe and inclusive communities for all young people!
