Wear It Purple Day 2024 - recognised and counted?

Today is Wear It Purple Day, and a time to celebrate, respect and acknowledge all in the rainbow community. In particular, it’s about celebrating LGBTIQA+ people openly and visibly achieving their dreams in sport, art, science and more.

My focus for this article had originally been quite different. Yet with recent news, that LGBTIQA+ people, myself included, not being recognised in the 2026 census, I feel this Wear It Purple Day we need to come together with our pride, and combined passion to create:

1.??? awareness as to why being recognised in the census is so important

2.??? a call to action

3.??? some noise

4.??? change from now and into the future.

When I reflect on my sexuality and gender journey’s, I recognise that I was somewhat “lucky”. During my sexuality journey, I had family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances who had travelled similar paths before me. And while my gender journey was not quite as easy, I am grateful to one particular colleague who was also non-binary, and to Birrunga Café and Gallery for having a space where I felt safe to meet with my colleague, and be myself. It was with their support, and the support and stories from others in the community, that I got through ‘the worst parts’. Yet, even now, I still question:

• Who will I be surrounded by today?
• Do I feel the need to affirm or hide my gender when I’m around ‘them’ (generally through what I wear), or can I just wear whatever I feel comfortable in today (and aligns with how I want to express myself)?
• Will I be ‘outing’ myself today depending how I express myself and do I feel safe to do so?
• Is my gender identity agender, non-binary, gender diverse, or another?
• If my gender expression is gender diverse, then does that make my gender identity also, gender diverse?

These and many more, are just some of the questions and loops that have and continue through my brain. But I have some support, both in my connections and the means to obtain support should I need it.

Yet for many LGBTIQA+ people, these supports are limited or non-existent. Imagine working out that you aren’t who you believed you were and:

• feeling utterly and completely alone
• feeling like you don’t matter and aren’t counted as a person or gender
• having to wait months to get in to see a funded mental health professional, and this after you get the referral
• having to wait months in between mental health appointments
• having regular suicidal and negative thoughts
• seeing and hearing negative societal perceptions and behaviours around sexuality and gender
• and much more.

This is the reality for many people in the community. And if we aren’t counted in the 2026 census, then how can key issues for our community be funded and resolved. How can we get the support we need and how can we create a society where are accepted for who we are and our needs recognised?

So, this Wear It Purple Day I ask you to do one or a couple of the following:

• Share this or similar posts and articles to create awareness
• Sign the Equality Australia ‘Count Us In’ petition
• Create a safe space for others to share their stories
• Be a voice for those without one.