Purple Friday 2025
On 12 December it is Purple Friday and you can show your solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community at Saxion. For example by wearing a purple accent in your outfit. Many educational institutions take part in this day against the bullying of LGBTQIA+ youth. Why is Purple Friday so important and what is happening at Saxion?
In the Netherlands, Purple Friday has existed since 2010, inspired by Spirit Day in the United States: a day against the bullying of LGBTQIA+ youth. Many educational institutions take part. Saxion does too, in Apeldoorn, Deventer and Enschede. For example, our Epy Drost building will once again be lit up in purple this year, on the second Friday of December, in the evening.
Many LGBTQIA+ young people are confronted with bullying and violence because of their sexual orientation. Research by Radboud University and the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis shows that many of these young people are having a hard time. For instance, the number of suicide attempts is five times higher than among heterosexual young people and there is a scientifically proven link between bullying and high suicide rates among LGBTQIA+ youth.
Last year, Saxion staff member Cecille Plomp spoke about the importance of Purple Friday and what this day means to her personally: “We all have the ability to radiate peace and love. There is no shortage of peace and love, you only have to express it. Then it is already there.”