Wear it Purple Day 2024

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70-104 Ballarat Rd, Footscray, VIC 3011, AU
View map below

Free

Wear it Purple is a week of staff and student events to celebrate and increase visibility of Wear it Purple Day, an annual LGBTIQIA+ awareness day. This year's theme is Your Passion, Your Pride.

Wear it Purple was co-founded by Katherine Hudson and Scott Williams in 2010 and has since developed into an international movement. New generations of rainbow young people continue to be dedicated to promoting the expression of support and acceptance to LGBTIQIA+ young people.

Wear it purple day is an annual LGBTIQ+ awareness day where supporters wear purple to celebrate inclusion of rainbow young people. The focus is to give pride, empower and advocate equality of well-being for rainbow young people, and create supportive, safe and inclusive environments.

Wear it Purple Day principles

Advocate for and empower rainbow young people.
Celebrate and promote the value of diversity and inclusion in all community setting.
Raise awareness about sexuality, sex and gender identity and challenge harmful social cultures.
Champion rainbow role-models to help young people establish the confidence to be who they are.

Get involved & show your support

VU encourages students and staff to be part of a movement that has the potential to save thousands of lives.

Find out what's happening across our campuses.

A woman in a mask stands at the VU Queer Collective stall.

: To mark Wear it Purple Day this August, staff and students from the LGBTIQA+ community are invited to contribute creative works to share your stories, poems, artworks and any form of creative expression that resonates with the theme of “Your Passion, Your Pride”.
Family members and active allies are also welcome to submit messages of support. You can choose to remain anonymous or provide your name and pronouns.
The works will be collated and shared with the VU community. Please submit works in the form below or contact [email protected]
Let us know if you require any adjustments to how you submit.
Submissions are due 18 August.
Submit
: When: Thursday 22 August, 1–2pm
Where: Victorian Pride Centre – meet in main foyer
Join a member of the Victoria Pride Centre team as they take you on a tour of the Pride Centre, which incorporates spaces that are not normally open to the public. Learn about the building’s design, the resident organisations inside the Pride Centre including Minus 18, Joy Media and TGV to name a few. Find out about the bookable event and work spaces, while also having an opportunity to explore the Pride Gallery.
79-81 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda, VIC 3182
Email [email protected] to register
: When: Monday 26th August 9.30–10am
Where: Footscray Park Building P courtyard in front of Respect mural
Dress in purple and join staff and students for a special Wear it Purple VU photo. Visibly show solidarity to the rainbow community.
: When: Monday 26th August 10–11am
Where: VU Bar Footscray Park, Building M, Level 0
You're invited to join a safe, informal community of parents, carers and family members of the LGBTIQA+ community, who meet monthly to share experiences and make supportive connections.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
: When: Tuesday 27 August, 11am–1pm
Where: Building P Courtyard, Footscray Park
Celebrate Wear It Purple at Footscray Park campus with:
fairy bread station provided by VU Queer Collective
Pride network pop up
make your very own tie-dye socks
grab a fairy floss
photo booth with VU Diamond
come try pickleball (pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, using a paddle and plastic ball with holes)
come try table tennis
visit our pronoun wall in Building M, ground level.
No registration required.
: Change your Zoom background to show your support for Wear it Purple! 
Images open in a new tab at the right size to use as a background. Then you can right click the image to save it to your computer. 
Download the VU Wear it Purple Zoom background by clicking on the image: 
: Are you an LGBTQIA+ student who is looking to connect with peers and make the most out of university life? The Queer Collective is here to help! We run regular catch-ups, craft afternoons and events throughout the year to provide support, connection and a safe space for out LGBTQIA+ students.
If you are a current VU student who is interested in belonging to a community of like-minded people or being on the executive committee, sign up today!
Join VU Queer Collective
: The Pride Network is composed of staff who identify as part of, or are allies for, LGBTIQA+ and gender diverse community. Pride network members meet regularly to organise events and opportunities that increase the visibility of the community.
Executive Director, Institute for Health & Sport Professor Alex Parker is the Executive Sponsor of the Pride Network and is a strong advocate for LGBTIQA+ inclusion at VU.
For further information about the Pride network, staff can email:  [email protected]
: Pride rooms and community spaces are located across VU campuses:
City Campus, VU City Tower, level 7, room CT707
Footscray Nicholson Campus, building T, room 130, available 8.30am–9pm
Footscray Park Campus, building M, room 122
St Albans Campus, building 4N, room 115.
A number of all-gender facilities are available to staff and students across VU campuses. All staff, students and visitors have the right to use toilets and other facilities appropriate to them.
All gender facilities (PDF, 146.05 KB)
: We support trans and gender diverse staff, students and their peers, to ensure full participation in the work and study environment, enabling access to appropriate assistance.
Gender affirmation is a personal process where a trans or gender-diverse person implements steps to live as their defined or affirmed gender identity, rather than the gender assigned to them at birth.
Transition may involve social, medical/surgical and/or legal steps that affirm a person’s gender.
Social affirmation, which can involve a number of changes to the way you identify outwardly. This may include changing names and pronouns, trying new clothing and hairstyles, using your voice differently, and tucking and binding body parts to name a few. Social affirmation may involve trying new or different clothing. All staff are supported to dress in a way which best reflects their gender identity, including transgender, gender diverse and non-binary staff. In the workplace, professional dress standards apply to staff, regardless of gender.
Medical affirmation, which involves medical interventions such as hormones or surgery.
Legal affirmation, which can involve changing your legal gender marker and name in official documents and records to live as your defined gender(s).
For further information or support on gender affirmation, contact:  [email protected] .
: Wear it Purple Day is a national event in Australia dedicated to celebrating and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. It aims to promote safe, inclusive, and empowering environments through a variety of activities and events that encourage participation and raise awareness about the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Donate to Wear It Purple
: This rich, educational resource has been co-designed by LGBTQIA+ staff and students from VU.
VU students can access the training via the Learning Hub section of VU Collaborate: LGBTQIA+ Awareness Training
VU staff can access our training via VU Develop Understanding & celebrating LGBTQIA+ identities: A guide for staff

Learn more

Check out the LGBTQIA+ LibGuide for books, articles, videos and more.
Watch videos for parents of LGBTIQA+ children.
Read about being a trans and gender diverse ally (requires login when off campus).
Read about misgendering & pronouns in languages other than English.