IDAHOBIT Day 2024
The International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination, commemorated on May 17th, marks the day that homosexuality was removed from WHO’s classification of diseases. Leading up to this day, the Inclusion At Mac.Rob (IAM) student committee created an informative Connect lesson; with introductory trivia for Middle School and a lesson for Senior School aimed at fostering reflection and discussion. Students were left with an understanding of the progress we’ve made, and a renewed drive to put into action the progress we’ve yet to make.
IDAHOBIT officially kicked off in the morning with lovely volunteers offering rainbow ribbons to students entering the school. Before class, the hit song, HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan, blared over the announcement speakers, energising students for the exciting day ahead.
Bake Stall
One of the events, in collaboration with Social Justice, was the fundraising bake stall; with proceeds going to Minus18. It was a huge hit with students swarming the tables so fast our volunteers could barely keep up! The various, delectable rainbow treats were brought in by classes 11A, 11B; and members of the IAM committee. Everything was gone by the end of the day, it was truly a sweet finish to IDAHOBIT week!
Arts and Crafts
IAM’s lunchtime Arts and Crafts were a tranquil space to let students’ (and teachers’) creativity run free as they got to knotting and braiding various threads and beads, crafting beautiful bracelets and jewellery. The overall chill vibes were accompanied by IAM’s very own playlist of iconic hits featuring songs like Sofia by Clairo, …Baby One More Time by Britney Spears and Girls Like Me Don’t Cry (Remix) by Thủy ft. MIN.
Jeopardy
The final event running at lunch was IDAHOBIT-themed Jeopardy, which was resoundingly popular. Six teams from all Year Levels competed for their place on the podium; answering challenging queer trivia on various topics, from history to popular media. Scores of spectators filled the room, cheering the contestants on. Queer Jeopardy created a space which brought together learning, discovery, fun and community building. The high levels of enthusiasm and competitive energy buzzed through the space; making IDAHOBIT 2024 a day to remember. A special congratulations to the Year 12 team for winning Jeopardy overall! They were awarded the first place prize of bouldering double passes to BlocHaus.
Thank you to everyone in IAM who created and facilitated these events, and to Ms. Pride, Mr. Hendricks, Diya, and Lysh for the hard work behind-the-scenes planning of IDAHOBIT. Thank you also to BlocHaus Port Melbourne for kindly sponsoring us. Finally, we’d like to express our immense gratitude to everyone who competed, participated in, and showed up to our events. This would not have been possible without your support. Keep an eye out for IAM’s other events happening later this year!
Shannon, Ameena, Sophia and Tivona | Inclusion Representatives