Colourful events of celebration & support

For more than 10 years, Wear it Purple Day has brought together fun, awareness raising and some pretty smart styling to celebrate and support young people who belong to the LGBTIQA+ community.

Wear it Purple was founded by Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams in Australia in 2010, but soon evolved into an international movement dedicated to promoting the expression of support and acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people.

“It’s become a day of celebration and support, but has its roots in a sad reality. Seventy-five per cent of LGBTIQA+ young people are bullied, and 18-24 year olds are less likely than other age groups to be out in the workplace. These kind of statistics paint a very sad picture,” says Julia Earley, Senior Coordinator, Inclusion and Engagement at VU.

The movement provides support and resources for schools, universities, gender and sexuality alliances and youth organisations to help them create inclusive environments for rainbow youth.

This year’s theme is Start the Conversation … Keep it Going and VU is celebrating with a great range of events starting on 23 August.

Online Drag Queen Bingo on Tuesday 24 August has amazing prizes, such as Tandem skydiving vouchers, Apple AirPods and vouchers. You must be a current VU student to be eligible.

The student union is hosting a virtual Queernival Dinner Party on Thursday 26 August with prizes, free dinner vouchers and a queer movie. The first 55 people to register receive a $50 voucher to spend on dinner.

Professional development training for teachers, youth workers, or for family members is available. An on-line Q&A panel is discussing Queer Health in Higher Ed, and purple Zoom backgrounds are available to cheer up those meetings.

There’s a selfie competition, and a staff Wear it Purple Zoom lunch starts at 12.30pm on Thursday 26 August.

“We all need to play a part by creating an environment where LGBTIQA+ people feel safe and valued. It’s a really important day for VU to mark,” Ms Earley says.