Greetings!

Silence doesn’t protect. Silence kills.

When young LGBTQ+ people grow up surrounded by silence about sexuality and gender, it doesn’t create safety — it creates shame. The absence of words sends its own brutal message: you don’t exist, you shouldn’t exist, or who you are must be hidden.

Invisibility is not neutrality. It isolates, it erases, and it convinces young people that their lives are less valuable. When their identities are never acknowledged, or worse, deliberately ignored, queer youth are left to battle feelings of worthlessness and rejection in isolation. That loneliness can become unbearable. Invisibility creates a vacuum, and vacuums are always filled. If supportive voices are silent, harmful ones become louder — voices that tell them they need to change, hide, or “fix” who they are.



The consequences are devastating. Research shows LGBTQ+ youth are far more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, and suicide than their peers. Too often, the root cause is not their sexuality or gender identity as such, but the crushing weight of silence and invisibility imposed by families, schools, faith communities, and society. When no one speaks, the silence shouts: you are not wanted here.

That’s why Wear It Purple Day is so vital. It’s not just about wearing a colour — it’s about breaking the silence that harms and replacing invisibility with visibility. It’s about saying out loud what every queer young person deserves to hear: You are seen. You are valued. You belong.

When we choose to be visible allies, when we challenge silence with words of affirmation, when we create spaces where identities are named and celebrated, we are doing more than being kind. We are saving lives.

It’s time to change the stats and reduce the harm.

💜At Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International (ABBI), our mission is to end the silence and shatter the invisibility that continues to harm LGBTQ+ youth. By providing resources, training, and dialogue, we help create environments where every young person can thrive. To learn more or support our work, visit www.abbi.org.au

Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Founder & CEO, Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International

www.abbi.org.au