ROdown Blog
Wear it Purple and it's importance
Today (Friday 2 September), I will proudly be wearing purple along with tens of thousands of others as a part of Wear It Purple day for 2011.
The day is an important one for me; it's a reminder for me that we need to stand up and say that homophobia and youth suicide for the younger members of our LGBTI community is unjustified.
I am a person who was regularly victimised because of my sexuality. Being the 'recipient' of verbal and physical abuse during my high school years was sadly a part of my day to day life. It made me feel so insignificantly small, like my voice was not meant to be heard and that my presence didn't matter. No one should ever have to feel like that. Ever.
Thankfully, I now no longer do. Finding that I wasn't alone, that what I was thinking and feeling was perfectly natural, and that it wasn't right for me to be the victim of such abuse was a liberating experience. I have gone from a person who couldn't feel more helpless, to a person who stands up for my peers to say that 'this is unacceptable'.
Awareness needs to be brought about the fact that one in two young people will experience homophobia, that young people in our community are six times more likely to attempt suicide than our heterosexual peers, and that the risks of mental ill health for the younger members of the LGBTI community are that much higher.
To the founders of Wear It Purple (Katherine and Scott), I can't thank you enough for establishing Wear It Purple day to bring this important matter to mainstream attention (I even got my new boss to wear a purple tie today!) Together, we all can make a difference. Days like today are a significant part of that journey.
To find out more about Wear It Purple day, go to http://www.wearitpurple.org/
ReachOut.com has a section of its website dedicated to sexuality and coming out. For stories, factsheets and videos go to http://au.reachout.com/find/issues/sexuality-coming-out
If you feel as if you immediately need to speak to someone, call Lifeline on 131114 or Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800.
Post by Chris, ReachOut.com Youth Ambassador
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