Purple .... Just A Colour?

Hate crime towards gay and transgender people is on the rise across Britain, with thousands of people suffering abuse every year and in some cities, attacks motivated by sexual prejudice are up by as much as 170 per cent annually.

The rise in homophobic crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland went from 4,805 offenses in 2009 to 4,883 in 2010. Campaigners say the figures are just the "tip of the iceberg" as research suggests three out of four people are still too afraid to report these crimes.

Take for example the story of Matthew Shephard:

Matthew was a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming.  He wanted to become a diplomat or work in politics and in his spare time enjoyed camping, fishing and skiing. At around midnight on the 6th October 1998, Matthew was taken from a bar by two other men to a deserted field about a mile from Laramie.  Once there, these men tied him to a fence, beat him with a pistol, tortured him and left him for dead. A young cyclist found Matthew eighteen hours later. Matthew had severe head injuries and remained in a coma until his death at 12.53 am on October 12, 1998.

Matthew’s case illustrates one extreme but there are numerous other ways hate crimes and bullying exist in our society today, people can be bullied at work or by the institutions they work for, people can be denied housing and employment on the grounds of their sexuality or perceived sexuality and kids in the playground through the phrase ‘you’re so gay’ around and often times has nothing to do with the Childs sexuality but is seen as the worst slur you can inflict on someone.  

Wear it Purple Day exists to combat homophobia, bullying and hate crimes against LGBT people.  By wearing an item of purple clothing today you can show that you believe that such treatment as illustrated in the story of Matthew Shephard  is wrong and should not be taking place in our cities and on our streets . I fully recognize that among the readers of this blog there is a wide variety of opinion in relation to issues surrounding the LGBT community but surely today we can all agree that Homophobia is wrong and so is bulling of LGBT people and hate crimes against members of that community should not be allowed to go unreported and even happen in the first place.  

I thought I would leave you with a poem by Jenny Joseph which I remember reading at secondary school and when I heard it first it made me think about my Auntie Madeline and some how seems fitting today..... 

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

When I am old I will wear purple, why not wear it today?