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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-20 Daily Xml
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Question Time

WEAR IT PURPLE DAY

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion. Will the minister advise the house about the initiative of the Wirreanda High School students' voice group on Wear It Purple Day?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:46): I would like to thank the honourable member for his most important question and his ongoing interest in this area. On Wear It Purple Day, Friday 7 September, I visited Wirreanda High School to meet the Student Voice Group.

Accompanied by the member for Reynell, Gay Thompson, I spoke with student representatives, teachers and principal, Mr Tony Lunniss. Just as Wear It Purple Day encourages young people to be proud of who they are, I am immensely proud of these young people for making such a public statement. Having young people come out and say that they are not going to tolerate the derogatory use of the word 'gay' is an incredibly powerful thing to do.

Students at Wirreanda High School have taken a pledge to stop using comments such as 'That's so gay.' Comments such as 'That's so gay' are often used in a derogatory way to describe something as inferior or not that good—and not, as in my day, to refer to something to do with Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand. Young people, particularly those who are same-sex attracted or who are exploring their sexual identity, are entitled to the same level of respect and support as any other student. By perpetuating the use of the word 'gay' in a derogatory sense, that sense of respect is diminished.

I spoke with students Ben, Jess, Aaron and Alex from the Student Voice Group who had heard about Wear It Purple Day and wanted to raise awareness of bullying issues and do something that would create a culture of tolerance and support for all young people at their high school and across the wider community. More than 800 students at Wirreanda High School were provided with information about the initiative before they were encouraged to take the pledge.

After taking the pledge, the students attached their names to a banner which read, 'It's not okay to say it's gay.' Students undertaking the pledge were rewarded with a cupcake reinforcing their positive behaviour. That method always works for me. If someone gives me a cupcake, that does reinforce positive behaviour. To evoke the spirit of inclusion, the hundreds of cupcakes required were baked by parents, teachers and students and of course were topped with purple icing.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: As long as it's made of chickpeas, Brussels sprouts and lemons.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I cannot speak to what the icing was made of. The Hon. Mr Lucas thinks it is lemons and chickpeas. There might have been some lemons in it but I think it was largely sugar. Many of the students also chose to wear a purple ribbon in support of Wear It Purple Day—itself an initiative in support of young LGBTIQ people. The activities at Wirreanda High were similar to initiatives that took place at Unley High School last year in support of young people trying to work out their sexuality.

I would like to commend the students and staff at Wirreanda High School for their initiative, the courage they have shown to support and respect students at their school and their efforts to promote and encourage the right that all young people have—and in fact that we all have—which is to feel proud of who they are.

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