The Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay community are encouraged to don something purple in support of Wear it Purple Day on Friday, August 26 in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer, intersex and asexual [LGBTQIA+] community.
Victoria University [VU] Queer Collective president Mickey Deppeler (zi/zir) said the VU community would be getting involved in the celebrations with bake sales, a selfie competition, a purple photobooth and pronoun badges some of the activities available.
“We are more focused on making pronouns more visible, as we know that misgendering has negative effects,” zi said.
Mickey said the university’s queer community had “grown substantially” over the past four years.
Zi said zi was undertaking a Master in Exercise Physiology towards completing a PhD on transgender rights in sports and sports education.
Former Seaholme resident, creator and LGBTQIA+ advocate Rudy Rigg (they/them) said they were also looking forward to celebrating Wear It Purple Day.
“It puts the focus on the youth and allow them to take pause and have a day,” they said.
The host of Tiktok series TransAthletica and Rainbow History Class, Rudy said the support for these series has been “overwhelming” and hoped this would spur on further shifts.
“We need more funding for research,” they said.
TransAthelica looked at Rudy’s challenges in entering into the sport of badminton, while highlighting the stories of transgender athletes and the barriers they face.
Details: www.wearitpurple.org
Matthew Sims
