Show your virtual support for Wear It Purple Day

While we can’t all get together on campus to celebrate Wear It Purple Day this year, UQ is encouraging all alumni, staff and students to show their virtual support for the LGBTQIA+ community – no matter where you are.

The message it simple: you have the right to be proud of who you are and who you love – your LGBTQIA+ identity does not change that.

And all you have to do is wear purple if you agree.

Wear it Purple Day will be held on Friday 28 August. UQ celebrations will be held online this year, with executive and senior staff members – along with representatives from the UQ Ally Network – leading the way by posting purple selfies and virtual messages of support.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deborah Terry AO said the University is fortunate to have an inclusive and wonderfully diverse learning community.

“We want everyone who comes to our campuses, including our LGBTQIA+ students and staff, to feel supported and safe to express themselves freely,” she said.

“We want you to be proud of who you are and always bring your authentic self to UQ."

Watch the video of UQ staff showing their virtual support for the LGBTQIA+ community ahead of Wear It Purple Day 2020.

UQ’s Associate Director of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion, Dr Dee Gibbon, said Wear It Purple Day was one of her favourite days on the Diversity and Inclusion calendar.

“Usually, we see the campus awash with purple. This year, we’re hoping to light up social media networks in support of LGBTQIA+ youth."

Wear It Purple was founded in 2010 in response to global stories of real teenagers, many of whom took their own lives following bullying and harassment because of a lack of acceptance of their sexuality or gender identity.

In fact, Australian statistics reveal that LGBTQIA+ youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their similar-aged peers, and twice as likely to engage in self-injury. LGBTQIA+ people aged 16 to 24 have a higher rate of being diagnosed with a mental disorder than older LGBTQIA+ people.

UQ Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) and Ally Executive Champion, Professor Doune Macdonald, said Wear It Purple Day was particularly important to acknowledge those challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ youth.

“I have seen too many UQ students cut adrift from their families and friends because of their sexuality. It’s wrong,” she said.

“Wear It Purple Day is a positive reminder that UQ is a welcoming, safe and supportive environment where everyone can thrive.”

Be part of a movement that has the potential to save thousands of lives and wear purple on Friday 28 August. Show your support online by posting a photo of yourself wearing purple on social media with the hashtag #wearitpurpleuq, or donate to Wear It Purple.

You can also register for a webinar on Wear It Purple Day called Growing Up Queer in Australia, presented by the UQ Ally action committee.