Celebrating Wear It Purple Day

Published:16 August 2017

Members of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee get into the spirit of Wear It Purple Day by celebrating CQUni's core value of inclusion.

In line with CQUniversity's core value of inclusion, members of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee were among those celebrating Wear It Purple Day, which falls on Friday, 25 August.

Wear It Purple Day's mission is to foster supportive, safe and accepting environments for rainbow young people; that is, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex or with other related characteristics.

CQUniversity is a place where everyone should be able to be themselves.  It is important for the mental health and well-being of our students and staff to know that this is no place for discrimination.

We want to show a united front and support the work of the CQUniversity Ally Program. We want to make it known that CQUniversity is a safe space and we also realise that it is our diversity that makes us great.

CQUniversity Ally Program Coordinator Dr Gemma Mann says "what some of us may not have known is that some of the highest suicide rates are of LGBTIQ Indigenous Australians, young people, migrants, refugees and people residing in rural and remote areas".

"The average age of first suicide attempts is 16 years of age.  This is due to the fear of 'coming out'," she says.

“CQUniversity cares for all their students and staff and fosters a safe and accepting environment for everyone, no matter their race, religion or their sexual preference or gender. We want everyone in our community to feel safe and supported on their journey while they are here with us at CQUniversity.”