LGBT Teen Abbie Kelly Is Bringing The Rainbow Shoelace Project To Sydney WorldPride

Anyone who’s seen The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, remembers the mining town where Mitzi does “a lap of the Broken Hill main drag, in Drag.” Almost 30 years on there’s even more colour stomping the ‘main drag’ thanks to the work of one tireless LGBTQI teenager. 

The Rainbow Shoelace Project started as a few Pride Flag beads on 13-year-old Abbie Kelly’s shoelaces. On her first day of High School, to avoid bullying, she took them off, but thanks to some encouragement from friends, she put them back on and now, they’re going global.

In March 2022 she started giving out packs so that fellow LGBTQIA+ locals and their allies could show support, today, the Rainbow Shoelace Project has donated 70,000 packs of beads representing various LGBTQIA+ flags to fans all over the world.

Fighting Homophobia And Bullying

“You normally see rainbows when you’re looking up, and when you’re experiencing homophobia and bullying you tend to look down and by looking down and seeing those little rainbow beads on someone’s shoelaces it can just change your life, it can change the way you see the world”

To meet an LGBTQI teen who has achieved so much is impressive, but this isn’t even Abbie’s first rodeo. Aged just eight years old, she donated her hair through the charity Variety to be turned into wigs for children living with cancer. In 2021, she raised over $20,000 for the cancer charity Love Your Sister with Crazy Sock Day fundraisers at local schools. And, she has just been named an NSW Hidden Treasure, an award recognising women who volunteer in rural communities. 

Abbie’s mum Sophie is her biggest supporter and funds the project with help from donations. Sophie says she’s proud of her daughter’s achievements, but most of all she is proud of Abbie’s tenacity.

“She gets bullied, and she still rocks up to school every day… that’s so much bravery. I don’t know if I’d be that brave, that’s what I’m proud of.”

The Rainbow Shoelace Project

Abbie’s quick to point out that “Everything that people see of me, is just a reflection on her as a person… I wish everyone could have a mum like my mum, if it’s about who you are, then she’ll support it… this helps other people, but it’s also helped me so much”

The Rainbow Shoelace Project represents community, creating a subtle visible indication – if you know where to look – that you’re not alone. For LGBTQI youth in rural areas like Abbie’s hometown of Broken Hill, it’s a signal of safety.

It’s impossible to measure the project’s impact on visibility and the ongoing fight for equality, but DMs from grateful fans all over the world make it tangible.

“I see people all the time who I didn’t even know were allies wearing beads.” It isn’t always positive, but “the good reactions are worth it.”

Sophie always checks in to make sure Abbie knows she can stop if it gets too much, but she says she’d rather “keep the project going, and go through all the bad reactions than stop the project and have to have other people deal with those bad reactions.”

Travelling To Sydney WorldPride

 Abbie’s “dream is to keep it free” but as the Rainbow Shoelace Project grows, finding funding and support will be a necessity. While the many hours of packing are mainly done by their amazing “posse of volunteers”, they’re still writing addresses by hand, organising and purchasing all of the supplies, “I don’t think there’s ever a day off.”

Fellow youth activist Lucas Lane, whose company Glossy Boys sells nail polish for boys and men, has been a long-time collaborator.

Lucas and his mum Breanna understand the challenge of youth entrepreneurship, and when they heard about the fundraiser to get the Rainbow Shoelace Project to Sydney World Pride, Glossy Boys generously stepped in to save the day, sponsoring the “once in a lifetime” trip.

The community just keeps growing, with public support from local LGBTQI icons like Joel Creasy and Christian Hull, and a recent video by the ABC racking up thousands of views. Demand is skyrocketing, with orders climbing from around 10 packs a day to a whopping 500 packs every day this month so far.

Fighting For Equality

When asked about her future, Abbie says she feels responsible to keep volunteering, fundraising and fighting for equality, “when you do something but feel like you’re not enough, and feel like you should be doing more, just seeing how much it helps people… makes me feel so much better.”

With the Rainbow Shoelace Project planning to incorporate as a registered not-for-profit, they’ll be able to apply for grants and support to keep it sustainable.

Abbie doesn’t want the LGBTQIA+ community to have to pay for their own visibility, especially young people, so she’s calling on corporations to put their money where their mouth is, “don’t just sponsor WorldPride… what are you going to do the rest of the year?”