#PurpleMySchool campaign making education safer for LGBTI students
22 September 2015
Launched in June 2015, the PurpleMySchool campaign is quickly making an impact on the lives of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students across the Asia-Pacific region.
The campaign, which is a joint initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ‘Being LGBTI in Asia’, encourages peers, teachers and parents to become allies of LGBTI students to ensure educational settings are free from bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Supporters are encouraged to wear, draw or make something purple and submit photos to the campaign website or share on social media using the hashtag #PurpleMySchool.
The campaign is an outcome of the Asia-Pacific Consultation on School Bullying on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression organized by UNESCO and UNDP in Bangkok on 15–17 June 2015, and supports ongoing efforts to address bullying in schools across the region.
To-date the campaign has garnered more than 600 ‘actions of support’ on its Campaign.com website and more than 2,600 likes on its Facebook page.
“In far too many settings in Asia-Pacific, LGBTI learners suffer exclusion, harassment and discrimination including bullying from other students and even school staff,” said Justine Sass, Regional HIV and AIDS Adviser for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. “PurpleMySchool is uniting communities to fulfil the right of all children to education in safe and secure learning environments. Just as discrimination based on race, sex, colour, disability or religion is unacceptable, so is discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.”
Early on in the campaign a student named Chloe from Regional Science High School for Region VI in the Philippines made a contribution that is indicative of the positive responses received thus far. Chloe shared photos taken at her school of students and teachers dressed in purple and holding up a PurpleMySchool banner. A caption accompanying the photos read: “My entire school came together to support the campaign! I truly have the best schoolmates.”
“The focus of the PurpleMySchool campaign on reducing inequality and exclusion faced by LGBTI people resonates very strongly with UNDP’s mission in Asia and the Pacific,” said Edmund Settle, Policy Advisor, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub. “The campaign has great potential to be an effective tool to promote inclusion, which in turn can help to empower LGBTI youth as key players in the region’s development.”
In addition to individual shows of support, schools and universities are jumping on board to support the campaign in a variety of creative ways, including: Harbin Medical University, China; Tagore International School in New Delhi, India; Dagon University and East Yangon University in Yangon, Myanmar; DMMA College of Southern Philippines in Davao City, St. Peters College in Iligan City, Samar State University and Quezon City High School, Philippines; Canadian International School, Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted and Nguyenviethong High School in Cantho City, Viet Nam.
Recently, UNESCO and Plan International Thailand jointly organized a school visit to Pibool Uppatham School in Bangkok, Thailand featuring well known transgender activist and international model, Sarina Thai. Sarina introduced the PurpleMySchool campaign, which compliments a larger school anti-bullying and violence reduction project being implemented by Path2Health Foundation and Mplus. Somsak Swaengkarn, the school’s principal welcomed the PurpleMySchool campaign, recognizing the importance of opening up a dialogue on LGBTI issues.
“When I learned of this initiative, I immediately expressed interest to take part,” said Somsak Swaengkarn. “There are students who have experienced bullying to the extent that some want to leave school or move to a different school. We thought it was important to know how to help these students more effectively and respond to their needs.”
“Many students will keep bullying problems a secret,” said Thanatcha Somkid, a grade eight and nine teacher as well as a student counselor at Pibool Uppatham School. “They are unsure about who they can consult with. We’re happy to see anti-bullying education projects focusing on LGBTI issues like this come to our school. It will surely help improve the situation.”
Campaign partners, UNESCO, UNDP and ‘Being LGBTI in Asia’, have also been active in spearheading campaign events across the region, including in Cambodia, Indonesia, China, India and Myanmar.
On 24 July 2015, UNESCO Cambodia promoted PurpleMySchool at a meeting with the Cambodia Center for Human Rights, Cam ASEAN Youth Future and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to share the outcomes of the Asia-Pacific Consultation on School Bullying on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression. Cam ASEAN Youth Future also organized a football match to raise awareness for the PurpleMySchool Campaign.
In Indonesia, to celebrate International Youth Day, 12 August 2015, UNDP supported three youth organizations — the Independent Youth Alliance, Sudah Dong and Into the Light — to convene activities for the PurpleMySchool campaign at the Selamat Datang Monument in downtown Jakarta. More than 40 youth participants wore purple outfits and distributed leaflets, stickers, candies, and balloons to passersby, inviting people to join the campaign.
On 27 July 2015, UNESCO and UNDP China staff introduced the campaign to some 30 participants at the Youth Sexuality Educators Forum held in Beijing. Pictures were taken and uploaded on social media channels in support of the campaign.
At Harbin Medical University on 12 September 2015, student club Tongxingshe (同行社) organized an advocacy activity on campus in support of PurpleMySchool. Members of the club gave out posters and leaflets with information on sexual and gender diversity and the PurpleMySchool campaign. They also engaged with other fellow students by organizing a Q&A, drawing purple on people’s faces and tying purple scarfs. By the end of the event, many students had expressed their support for LGBTI students on campus.
“We like purple. Not only because it is a beautiful colour, but also because it represents diversity and acceptance,” said a member of Tongxingshe. “We would like to make the change ourselves, and encourage others to make a difference as well. Let us all go purple with pride, and create a harmonious and safe campus.”
UNESCO is also currently formulating plans to build upon progress made in Tamil Nadu, one of the first states in India to champion the rights of the transgender community, by engaging with activists on a series of advocacy activities at prominent educational institutions.
On 4 August 2015, UNESCO, in collaboration with the Youth Development Program of the Myanmar Medical Association, promoted the PurpleMySchool campaign at a Knowledge Fair at Dagon University in Yangon. Entertaining games and a quiz were used to engage students attending the fair with information about the campaign, as well as to share knowledge about HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health.
Supporters of the campaign were also present in Hanoi, Vietnam during this year’s Viet Pride, which took place from 30 July to 2 August 2015.
UNESCO and UNDP thank all of those helping to promote the PurpleMySchool campaign by organizing events on their campuses and submitting pictures to the campaign website. If you would like to organize a PurpleMySchool event at your school, contact us at: PurpleMySchool@unesco.org
PurpleMySchool is a joint initiative of UNESCO, UNDP and ‘Being LGBTI in Asia’. It is supported by the Government of the Netherlands, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok and USAID Regional Development Mission Asia. The campaign runs until Human Rights Day, 10 December 2015, after which the best photos will be included in a publication about school bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to be launched at the 2016 International Meeting of Ministers of Education in Paris, France.
For more information watch the campaign video in English, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese:
Or visit:
- PurpleMySchool website: http://www.campaign.com/PurpleMySchool
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurpleMySchool
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PurpleMySchool
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PurpleMySchool
