Wear It Purple Day is coming up on 28 August! This year's theme is 'We are the change'. Whether you're a health professional, community member, LGBTIQ+ person or ally, we can all play our part in supporting and celebrating LGBTIQ+ young Australians. 

Wear It Purple is annual day dedicated to celebrating LGBTIQ+ young people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender / trans, intersex, and queer or questioning, plus everyone in between!). It is also about fostering supportive, safe, empowering, and inclusive environments for LGBTIQ+ young people.

When compared with the general population, LGBTIQ+ people face disproportionately higher rates of mental health issues and suicide, often because of the stigma, stereotyping, and bullying they face in society. Some LGBTIQ+ people avoid accessing mainstream health services for fear of being discriminated against.

In order for LGBTIQ+ young people to feel safe in accessing health services, it is crucial that these services are visibly and actively inclusive of diverse sexualities, genders, and bodies.

Have you thought about:

1. Adding rainbow and trans flags to your practice / service? Learn about the many pride flags here.

2. Increasing staff knowledge of LGBTIQ+ identities, sexualities, and bodies? Visit pridetraining.org.au to find out about LGBTIQ+ education for health professionals.

3. Whether your forms are inclusive of people who identity as lesbian, gay or bisexual? Learn more with this guide to LGBTIQ-inclusive data collection.

4. Whether your forms provide gender options beyond female / male? See this trans and gender diverse inclusion guide for information on diverse genders and bodies. 

5. Whether you make assumptions about people's partners and gender identities through gendered language? See this inclusive language guide for information on using neutral language.

Remember to wear a purple item on 28 August and show your support on social media using the campaign materials!

Do you know an LGBTIQ+ person in need of support? QLife is available on 1800 184 527 or at qlife.org.au.

Community, Mental health, Resources, Suicide prevention, Vulnerable groups