At The Benevolent Society, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, valued and empowered to be their authentic selves.
This Wear It Purple Day (Friday 28 August), we're proud to stand alongside LGBTQIA+ young people, celebrating their resilience, achievements and contributions while raising awareness of the challenges many still face.
The day is an opportunity for all of us to demonstrate our commitment to inclusion, respect and belonging, and to show young people that they are seen, supported and accepted.
Our commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community extends beyond a single day of recognition.
Through our Carer Gateway services, Benevolent helps create welcoming spaces for young LGBTQIA+ carers to build meaningful community connections through peer support sessions. This forms part of our broader commitment to ensuring diverse communities can access services that are inclusive, affirming and responsive to their needs.
Support that starts with trust
For Young Carer Coordinator Emily Keevers, Wear It Purple Day is both a celebration of LGBTQIA+ young people and a reminder to create services where they feel valued, respected and able to be themselves.
“When a young person knows their identity will be respected throughout their experience with a service, they can feel safer, build trust and engage more confidently with the support available,” Emily said. “For young carers who may not feel comfortable expressing their identity at school, at home or in other social settings, an affirming service can be a meaningful space where they are acknowledged as their authentic selves.”
Emily’s work includes coordinating services, delivering peer support events and connecting with young carers in the community. She sees inclusive practice as something that should be embedded across every interaction — from the language staff use to the way activities are designed — so young people do not have to explain or defend who they are before receiving support.
This approach can give them greater confidence to focus on their wellbeing, personal goals and caring responsibilities.
“One of the things I enjoy most about my work is having the opportunity to get involved in community events where LGBTQIA+ identities and presentations are celebrated, to demonstrate to any potential young carers that our service values, affirms, and celebrates them for who they are,” added Emily.
Connection and belonging
Peer Support Coordinator Matina Kremisis sees the power of connection through the groups, workshops and events she helps facilitate. Her work focuses on creating experiences that are enjoyable and build carers’ confidence, skills and a sense of community.
“Some of the most rewarding moments are when people realise they are not alone,” Matina said. “Participants can arrive feeling quiet and cautious, but as they open up and find common ground, strangers become allies and carers feel understood by people with similar experiences.”
By bringing carers together in welcoming, low-pressure settings, these activities offer more than a break from daily responsibilities. They create opportunities to exchange experiences, learn practical skills and form relationships that can continue beyond a single session. For LGBTQIA+ young carers, seeing their identity reflected and affirmed within the group can strengthen their confidence, connection and sense of belonging.
Wear It Purple Day also has personal significance for Matina, whose young nephews identify as queer. “I want young LGBTQIA+ people to grow up feeling represented, protected from judgement and free to be unapologetically themselves,” she said.
As we wear purple this August, we celebrate the strength and diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and reaffirm our commitment to creating a society where everyone can thrive, be themselves and feel a genuine sense of belonging.
Carers can register for the Rainbow Carer Conversations Online Group here, and can find more information about additional Carer Gateway events here.
For more information on The Benevolent Society, visit the website or call 1800 236 762. To find out more about Carer Gateway call 1800 422 737.