Dear colleagues,
In Newcastle Anglican, we expect people to treat others with dignity and respect. This includes our workers and the people we support. We want a safe environment and a safe culture. We expect that people will not feel harassed in any way.
In Newcastle Anglican, we want people to have healthy self-confidence and self-respect. This is part of flourishing.
In our society, the sad reality is that many people do not feel good about themselves. Often, they do not feel safe. There are many reasons for this. For some, it is the experience of having their boundaries disrespected. For others, it is because they do not feel able to be open about who they are.
One way we can make a difference for others is to become their ally. If they are feeling pressured or vulnerable, they know they can count on us to be in their corner. If they are taking a risk to share their struggles, they know we support them.
There are groups of Australians who still do not feel comfortable being themselves. Many in the LGBTIQA+ community tell us that it often feels unsafe to do so. This is especially true in religious settings.
Newcastle Anglican wants to be part of positive change. This is one reason why we get involved in Wear It Purple Day. It is a day when we show that we are allies. We want future generations to experience a safer and more welcoming environment than we may have known.
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▪ Others treat us well. ▪ People do not confront us with pictures, comments, or banter which is disrespectful or demeaning. ▪ We can be open about who we are including in our dreams and our struggles. ▪ We are touched by the people we want to touch us, and not by others. ▪ We are comfortable with who looks at us, how they do it, and what they say about us. ▪ We like the conversations we are having and feel we have consented to conversations that turn to more personal things. ▪ We agree and understand what is expected of us. ▪ We spend personal and private time with people of our choosing. ▪ People respect and honour our boundaries, including our boundaries around live or virtual personal conversations, friendship, dates, and intimacy. |
It is important to us that our schools celebrate Wear It Purple Day. From a young age, people learn who they are and what it means to express their identity. We want this to be a safe experience and we create safety with allyship. Everything done in our schools is age-appropriate and respectful. We are teaching our young people about self-awareness, trust, respect, and openness.
I recognise that Wear It Purple Day is a challenge for some religious people, even though I do not feel that challenge. Some religious people worry that they are being asked to embrace ways of life which are not for them.
Many religious people learnt specific ways of understanding bodies, and sex and identity. They experience their way of life as different to the community around and often challenged. Religious people, generally, will be slower to explore relationship compatibility through sex. Many will not do so.
I hope that we can all see Wear It Purple Day as a way of empowering people to be true to themselves. It is about encouraging open, honest, and respectful conversations. It also recognises and celebrates difference.
Significant research has shown that the more we are open about healthy, consensual, mutual, supportive relationships, the safer our community is for everyone.
Wear It Purple Day invites us to allyship. We acknowledge that questions of identity, relationships, and sex can be complex.
It is an opportunity to celebrate that every person is God’s beloved and bears his image. We are a gift to them and them to us.
We create wonderful community when we treat each other with deep respect. We can be there for one another when the complexities of life touch us.
+Peter