Last Friday (August 26th), we celebrated Wear It Purple Day as part of our commitment to creating supportive, safe, empowering, and inclusive environments at the Y, for all young people to be proud of who they are and feel safe and included at our services.
Wear It Purple Day began in 2010, in response to global stories of bullying and harassment and its very real impact on LGBTQIA+ teenagers, including a number who took their own life. The community came together in response with a day of support, education, and fundraising, with everyone wearing purple to show their commitment.
Since then, Wear It Purple Day has grown into an international movement, with the simple message that everybody has the right to be proud of who they are.
At Head Office, and across our services, we donned our brightest and boldest purple get up to show our support as allies. We also attended the Y’s Affinity Network Wishing Line and Virtual Lunch.
This was a great opportunity for us to have open conversations and reflect on some of the great wins across the Y, while also sharing our hopes and wishes for LGBTQIA+ diversity and inclusion in the future.
But we are not done. LGBTQIA+ people continue to face intense discrimination just for being themselves and are still disproportionately overrepresented in mental health statistics.
We are dedicated to creating an LGBTQIA+ inclusive organisation and culture that empowers all young people to explore and express their sexuality and gender identity without fear of judgment or discrimination.
“Wear It Purple Day is an opportunity for us to show all our rainbow young people that we see you, support you, and respect you…We believe in the power of inspired young people, that’s all, young people”- Y WA CEO Dr Tim McDonald
Learn more
· Watch videos for parents of LGBTIQA+ children
· Read about misgendering & pronouns in languages other than English
· Additional resources from the official Wear It Purple website
· Learn about being a trans ally