“I have a ‘coming out’ story that most people can relate to,” says Naomi Wilson.

An Upstream Completion Manager at nbn, Naomi describes herself – “in no certain order” – as a Ngarabal Aboriginal woman, lesbian, mother, partner, sister, daughter and people leader.

“My family were not very supportive, and it’s taken a very long time for them to accept me and my partner of 18 years.”

Growing up, Naomi felt isolated.

“In my teens, I was alone … I had limited opportunity to meet other ‘rainbow people’, to build my network, develop my skills and contribute to my community.

“I had no access to safe spaces or supportive environments away from bullies or those that didn’t or wouldn’t understand.”

It’s these early chapters, marked by adversity, that have led Naomi to another important role in life.

An international movement, Wear it Purple “strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people”.

It does this by focusing on four key areas – awareness, opportunity, environment and collaboration – including through its annual Wear it Purple Day.

“Wear it Purple Day is important because it shows young LGBTIQ+ people across Australia that they are seen, that they are respected and that they are safe to be their true, authentic selves,” says President and Director of Wear it Purple, Ross Wetherbee. 

Wear it Purple was founded a decade ago in response to worldwide stories of rainbow young people taking their own lives due to bullying and harassment.

It’s estimated that 75 per cent of LGBTIQ+ young people will be the victims of bullying because of their sexuality, with 80 per cent experiencing this bullying in school.

This also means that LGBTIQ+ young people are up to five times more likely to experience anxiety and up to 12 times more likely to experience depression.

Just like Naomi, for nbn Project Officer Nikki Haami-Jones, it’s personal.

“As a mother and aunty of young people who identify as part of the LGBTIQA community, it’s important for me to raise awareness in every community because our young people’s diversity does not begin or end in just the LGBTIQA community.”

This year, nbn will once again celebrate Wear it Purple Day with a series of activities aligned with the theme for 2020: We are the change.

“At nbn, we place a priority on building an inclusive and supportive environment where we can all feel welcome to bring our whole selves to work,” says Brad Whitcomb, Chief Customer Officer at nbn and Executive Sponsor for nbn™ Pride.

“Wear it Purple is a great organisation that seeks to promote this message and to support and empower young people to bring their whole selves to everything that they do.”

So, why is it important for companies like nbn to get involved in Wear it Purple?

“It’s important for companies to show support because young LGBTIQ+ people are going to be entering the workforce in the next few years, and they are starting to think about the type of careers they want to have,” says Ross.

“When organisations support days like Wear it Purple Day, it shares a strong message to our next generation of young leaders that there are safe and inclusive organisations where they don’t have to hide.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Brad.

“It is important for companies like nbn to get involved in Wear it Purple Day for two reasons; first, we know that young LGBTI people are subject to bullying at a disproportionally high rate, the majority of which occurs online.

“So, as an internet service provider, we feel it is important to be involved in Wear it Purple Day, which seeks to promote inclusivity.”