Wear it Purple
Community Matters
Harper Hopkins
Year 11
On Friday 30th August we celebrated Wear It Purple day, a day that acknowledges the important issue of mental health in queer youth.
The origins of this day evolved from a concerning trend in mental health data amongst queer students. Due to a lack of acceptance around queer identities, queer youth are more susceptible to bullying and harassment, often resulting in increased rates of depression and anxiety. Hence, we observe this day to combat discrimination on the basis of identity, with the goal to reduce rates of mental illness in queer students.
This year's theme, Your Passion, Your Pride, aims to illuminate queer people in various careers in order to create diverse role models for students. The colour purple is worn to signify unity and solidarity with the queer community, and our sea of purple on Friday helped us show our support as we stood alongside our LGBTQIA+ friends and peers.
On Friday, purple wristbands were available to wear, and it was wonderful to see everyone doing their best to accessorise with purple. We held lawn games, including finska and croquet, and we had a great number of students dance along to some tunes in the Pride Parade!
Ultimately, the day was a success, and we raised another $1535.00 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, meaning we are well on our way to our goal of $10,000 by the end of the year.