Macquarie’s Wallumattagal Campus will be coloured mauve, violet, indigo, and every shade of purple in between, on Friday August 26, in celebration of diversity.

The annual Wear It Purple Day will manifest on campus in a fun run (or roll, amble, walk) from 1.30pm. This Colour the Campus Challenge will be a loud and proud community demonstration to young LGBTQ+ people that there is hope, that people support and accept them, and they have every right to be proud of who they are.

The theme in 2022 is ‘Still me, still human,’ a statement that seeks to go beyond labels and focus on what we are at heart, human.

Professor Mariella Herberstein, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, has signed up for the 2km fully accessible challenge.

“Events that celebrate and highlight the diversity of our staff and student community are very important for Macquarie University to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. This year, I will be wearing purple on August 26 for rainbow young people and the beautiful diversity they bring to Macquarie,” she said.

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Pictured: Professor Mariella Herberstein, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic with the Student Engagement team

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Vice-Chancellor, Professor S. Bruce Dowton, said, “for many people university life marks a special transition from the family home into wider society. Participating in Wear It Purple reinforces and celebrates the fact Macquarie University is a welcoming, diverse, socially inclusive and safe community where all people are supported to be themselves.”

Bachelor of Clinical Sciences student and MQ QueerCo Exec, Dani Mohnot, said, Macquarie University’s QueerCo community provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ students.

“Inclusivity begins with positive awareness. Wear it Purple day is a wonderful way to instigate more healthy dialogue about Queer identity in general society,” they said.

“People tend to forget that we choose our labels to reflect who we are and what we feel, and instead start to let the label dictate who they are and what they are and aren’t “allowed” to feel. We need to take a step back and remember that at the core of it all we are just people who deserve to be loved and accepted for who we are.”

“Everyone needs to consistently make a conscious effort to be more respectful and understanding of the queer experience,” Dani said.

Associate Professor Michelle Power, MQ Ally Network Co-chair, said it is important to have a day that specifically celebrates LGBTQ+ youth.

“It is a life-period when people may be figuring out their identity, recognising they are unique, and starting to question if they are gay, or perhaps not understanding why they feel different or like they do not belong,” she said.

“For these young people to see that other LGBTQ+ people and allies are with them, is empowering and important for belonging.”

“Wear it Purple Day is also an important day for parents, siblings, and friends of rainbow youth who are part of the MQ community, flagging that we recognise rainbow youth is extremely important for them.”

Professor Sandy O’Sullivan, from the Department of Indigenous Studies said Macquarie staff can take meaningful actions to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion by asking and making use of student pronouns and by knowing where to refer queer students who may need an ally.

“We need to ensure appropriate access to gender-neutral facilities, including for babycare and toilets. We must model queer-inclusive behaviour in the classroom to ensure all genders are included and challenge homophobia, transphobia and other queerphobias when they arise. We have a zero tolerance for this at MQ, make sure students and other staff know that MQ is a safe place,” they said.

Register here for the Colour the Campus Challenge to be part of Wear it Purple Day at Wallumattagal Campus.

Check out the Wear It Purple 2022 Resources for Macquarie Staff prepared by the Macquarie Ally Network.

The LGBTQ+ acronym is designed to be inclusive and to represent the tremendous diversity of people who are same or similar gender attracted and transgender. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others. The addition of the ‘plus’ is important and used to signify all gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the other five initials. Other acronym variations include LGBTQIA+ (adding intersex and asexual).