On Thursday, the RMIT University Student Union (RUSU) hosted a Pride Parade through Bowen St and a Pride event in the Alumni Courtyard to celebrate Wear It Purple Day.
This was RMIT’s first Pride Parade and involved 80 marchers, made up of both students and staff, according to event organisers.
Wear It Purple Day is an annual LGBTQI+ awareness event and was held on August 30 this year.
RUSU’s Queer Officer Matt said that the event is important because “people do care about showing pride on campus”.
“It's not just a place where people study, it is a place where people come together and are here for community, so it’s important that we show that,” Matt said.
During the parade, a rainbow Pride flag was raised at the south end of Bowen St, to cheers from the marchers.
The festivities continued at the Alumni Courtyard, which featured a DJ, bar, food truck, and market stalls.
One booth was occupied by queer health organisation, Thorne Harbour Health.
Thorne Harbour representative, Michael, said that the event gave them an opportunity to “connect with their community” and reach out to young LGBTQI+ people.
“Young people are navigating their own identities and mental health issues and … connecting them with appropriate community services is really important,” Michael said.
Visibility is a key aim of Wear It Purple Day, and RUSU Queer Officer Vivian says this day is “one of the biggest opportunities we’ve had to be really visible on campus”.
“We’re part of this uni, we’re here and we’re not going away,” Vivian said between handing out fliers for a queer mixer.
This was RUSU’s third pride event this week, as two others were held at the Bundoora and Brunswick campuses respectively.
RMIT students can access the City Campus Queer Lounge from Monday to Friday between 9am - 6pm or reach out via email to rusu.queer@rmit.edu.au.
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