Wear It Purple Day
Image: Jacaranda is a young drag performer and a Wear it Purple ambassador. Image: Wear it Purple.
By Alexander Driscoll
On August 25, workplaces, schools and individuals around the country will be donning the colour purple to help commemorate the annual Wear It Purple Day.
Since its inauguration thirteen years ago in 2010, Wear It Purple has aimed to help celebrate young LGBTQI individuals, raising awareness towards the issues young Queer folks face, championing inclusivity and leaders within the community as well as challenging damaging social and cultural values that continue to hold back younger queer folks.
Core to the day’s inception was the suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, who took his own life after he was outed as gay by his roommate. In response to this incident, and a spate of others with similar circumstances the same year, co-founders Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams created the day and the organisation along with it to remind young queer folk they are not alone.
A big aim of the day is the draw attention to leaders within LGBTQI communities to whom young people can look for inspiration, celebrating their achievements and helping further awareness. One only needs to look at the list of ambassadors representing this year’s event to see some of the inspirational Queer folk in Australia today.
Wear It Purple Ambassadors
Notable among them are rising pop stars Peach PRC and MAY-A, two Queer-identifying pop artists who have centred their identities in their music, creating relatable and catchy pop tunes that celebrate gender and sexual diversity.
Other big names from the entertainment industry include writer, actor and journalist Benjamin Law, famed for his hit TV show The Family Law, comedian Tom Ballard and former ‘Axis of Awesome’ member and comedian Jordan Raskopoulos.
This year’s line-up of ambassadors also features some young, queer folks, such as drag performer and musician Jackaranda. Another is George Ray, a thirteen-year-old gay rights advocate who wishes to emphasise that being gay is not a choice and that it forms a fundamental part of who they are.
This year’s official Wear It Purple Event is a writing competition in conjunction with Queerstories, encouraging young LGBTQIA+ people under 26 to share their stories. The winners will be flown to Sydney to perform their pieces at the Darling Quarter Theatre on August 23.
Wear It Purple Day is happening on Friday, August 25 and is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate young LGBTQI folks, and their achievements, as well as raise awareness around the numerous challenges they still face.
