Headspace Dubbo has called on the community to don their best purple outfits to empower local LGBTIQA+ people during Wear it Purple Day.
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The Wear it Purple movement began in 2010 and calls on communities to recognise and respect sexual identity and diversity.
The hope is the visual effect of locals in purple would demonstrate the support for diversity in Dubbo.
“The theme this year is ‘empower together’ so we’ve got our friends from health and community services and groups to create awareness for people to wear purple to show support of the LGBTIQA+ community,” Headspace Dubbo Community and Youth Engagement coordinator Amy Mines said.
“When the whole nation are doing these national days of significance, your voice is a little bit louder.”
Dubbo Primary and Community Health Registered Nurse Clancy Barett said the event helped promote acceptance across the community.
“To show kids and their families there are people that identify in different ways and acceptance is key."
He said acceptance would help prevent and reduce the “astronomically higher risk” LGBTIQA+ persons face in terms of mental and sexual health problems and other disparities.
Central Western Rainbow Alliance member Kevin Jones said the day promoted the legacy, present and future of empowering LGTBIQA+ persons.
“The first one, legacy is about those who have come before us, who have built that platform we now know as pride, and Wear it Purple is a big part of that because it says to an individual, ‘I’m a safe person, I respect you, accept you and can help you’.
“The second reason is the present, the people here and now, us in this room and everyone in the community, it’s about what we do in terms of building connections and unity within the LGBTIQA+ community but also the wider community.
“The future is about those that are yet to come, this sort of work is important because we are paving the way for young people to feel accepted and belonging in their community.
“For too long people have felt like they had to move away, had to do something different or be someone different. This is a really significant day that marks you can be yourself, where you live and we’ll accept you, we care for you, you fit in, you belong.”