The Rainbow Alliance

By Connor McGucken, Year 12 student

The Geelong College Rainbow Alliance is a student-run group aiming to promote inclusivity. Since being founded in the middle of 2018, the GCRA has strived to uphold and promote The Geelong College value of “Community with Diversity”.

The predominant focus of our efforts is the promotion of LGBTQIA+ issues faced both in the school environment and the greater community. Thanks to the unwavering support of staff and through fortnightly meetings with our student members, the group has developed ways to celebrate and further bolster the school’s commitment to its values, as well as raising awareness for LGBT causes.

To actualise this goal, our group has worked with other school groups, such as the Geelong Grammar “Stand Out” group, so that we can build a greater network of support for LGBTQIA+ students in the Geelong area. Looking to the future, the GCRA will endeavour to foster more connections with other like-minded school groups, eventually helping to form a broad network throughout our region, with a focus on safety, support and inclusivity.

With the hard work of students and assistance of teachers, the GCRA has worked to promote diversity through the coordination of a variety of activities. Thus far we have put together inclusive and positive-message speeches at assemblies, placed posters around the school and coordinated celebrations of Wear it Purple Day, when each

The Geelong College Rainbow Alliance formed in 2018 with the aim of promoting diversity and inclusivity.

student was invited to wear purple accessories throughout the day to show support for LGBT members. Each House room was also decorated purple for the celebration. The GCRA planned activities for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) which took place in Week 4 of Term 2. This included a workshop with the Year 8 students to discuss the values of inclusivity and how to create a safe space for all students. The workshop helped to not only improve interactions between campuses, but also to begin creating conversations around awareness and diversity. In working with the Year 8s, as well as raising awareness around IDAHOBIT day in Senior School, and other events throughout the year, we hope to continue to uphold our commitment to providing a safe space for every student.