Wear it Purple Day
On ‘Wear it Purple Day’ everyone is encouraged to wear purple-coloured clothing. It is a day to take a stand against bullying and discrimination against young queer people and a day to celebrate queer life. Most importantly, the day is an invitation to Allys of queer people: by wearing purple, they show how many Allys exist everywhere and that nobody has to feel isolated.
‘Wear it Purple Day’ is celebrated every year on the last Friday in August. It was initiated in 2010 by Katherine Hudson and Scott William in response to the high suicide rates among queer adolescents (Youth Action Council 2024). In September 2010, there were a number of suicides of young homosexual people in the US. Homophobia was often the reason for these suicides. The month went down in history as the September Suicides. Not only US society, but also the international community was shocked by the news. It became clear that more awareness and education work was needed, more prevention work and more attention to queerness among young people.
One consequence of this analysis was the ‘Wear it Purple Day’. Public campaigns, workshops and purple clothing are used to draw attention to the lack of visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, intersex, non-binary and other queer children and young people. The movement has now spread beyond the US and is also being taken up in many cities in Germany and elsewhere.
Studies in Germany still show that homophobia and queer hostility are an everyday reality for many people. A recent publication by the Federal Criminal Police Office shows that offences based on ‘sexual orientation’ increased by almost 50% in 2023 compared to the previous year (Bundeskriminalamt 2024). Further studies from recent years show that the suicide attempt rate among LGBTQ young people is higher than that of heterosexual young people (Hochschule Luzern 2019).
‘Wear it Purple Day’ aims to raise awareness of the experiences of discrimination faced by young queer people. At the same time, the day is intended to highlight support structures and contact points for queer people and illustrate how large the queer community is together with its Allys.
Last updated: August 2024
Sources (in German)
Youth Action Council (YAC). Last accessed 22.08.2024.
Bundeskriminalamt (2024): Bundesweite Fallzahlen 2023 Politisch motivierte Kriminalität. Last accessed 22.08.2024.
Hochschule Luzern (2019): Suizidversuche von LGBT-Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen - Einschätzung der Machbarkeit einer qualitativen Untersuchung in der Schweiz. Last accessed 22.08.2024.