A direct line to their peers is starting to have an impact on the lives of a cohort of students at Warrnambool College.
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The school held a special, if slightly late, assembly for IDAHOBIT Day on Monday May 20, 2024.
IDAHOBIT Day was on Friday May 17 but clashed with other school commitments.
The school brought in a guest speaker, Warrnambool hospitality identity Riley McCutcheon, who addressed an assembly.
Warrnambool College Rainbow Club members Monty Irving and Reign Marshall also made an address.
The message from the students was based around respect, both given and received.
"One of the biggest things that can allow queer individuals to live happily now is treating others as people rather than our identities," Reign said.
"Queer people are as much of a person as others, the only difference is how we identify.
"Even if someone doesn't particularly accept or understand the queer community, treating everyone with respect is best."
IDAHOBIT day was first held in 2005 with May 17 chosen because it marked the World Health Organisation, decision in 1990 to no longer classify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
In his speech, Monty pointed out the community was becoming more accepting.
"People have become more supportive and understanding," Monty said.
"Being supportive can seem hard and difficult but it's actually really easy."
Monty said something as simple as fellow students and staff making conscious efforts to use students' affirmed names and pronouns was a strong show of support.
Monty and Reign spoke to The Standard, along with fellow Rainbow Club members Winter Turner, Sanura Iervasi, Izabelle Simms and Aria Kershaw, after the assembly.
The group agreed education was a powerful tool in bridging the gap of acceptance of the LQBTQIA+ community.
"Knowledge is power" was a popular phrase among the group.
The group members said there was a calmer approach to the process of people identifying them correctly.
They said people were now able to correct their mistakes with less fuss, something they said could have a huge positive impact on their lives.
Warrnambool College's Rainbow Club has up to 30 students, mainly from years seven to 10.
