Fight Discrimination With Perspiration, Sweat With Pride 2026 Wants 1,000 Sign-Ups By IDAHOBIT
Rainbow Giving Australia’s Sweat with Pride campaign is two days out from the International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination and chasing one round number: 1,000.
That’s how many sign-ups the team wants locked in by IDAHOBIT on Sunday 17 May, and they’ve already got more than 850 people on the board with over A$20,000 raised before the June challenge has even started.
If you’ve been meaning to put your money where your mouth is on rainbow community funding, this is the weekend to do it.
What IDAHOBIT is and why this year hits different
IDAHOBIT (International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination) is marked on 17 May every year. It commemorates the day in 1990 when the World Health Organization finally removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses, and it’s the global moment for taking stock of where rainbow communities are at.
The numbers from the 2022 Rainbow Resources report aren’t pretty. 41% of LGBTQIA+ community organisations across Australia can’t meet demand for their services. The same report found that rainbow causes collectively receive just five cents from every $100 donated to Australian charities. That’s the funding gap Sweat with Pride is built to plug.
The $21 donation that gets doubled to $42
Here’s the IDAHOBIT-week hook. If you sign up and make a self-donation of $21 between 13 and 21 May, Rainbow Giving Australia will double it to $42. T&Cs apply, but it’s the cleanest way to kick off your fundraising page with momentum before June even arrives.
The challenge itself is a 30-day movement campaign running through Pride Month. You move for 21 minutes a day, however you like: walk, run, wheel, lift, stretch, dance, swim, even just chase the dog around the park. Activity is tracked via Strava and you can climb a community leaderboard solo or with a team.
Each fundraiser also gets to choose a drag queen “trainer” who guides them through the month. Yes, really.
Meet the 2026 Sweat with Pride ambassadors
Three new faces are fronting the campaign this year, and the line-up is genuinely strong.
Mitch Brown (he/him)
Former AFL player and now full-time advocate. In 2025, Mitch became the first bisexual man in AFL history, past or present, to come out publicly. The move sparked a much-needed national conversation about representation, belonging and what healthier masculinity looks like in elite Australian sport.
He was also the cover model of DNA #311 Man Of The Year issue.
“Sport and movement have always been a huge part of my life, not just for physical health, but for connection, confidence, and feeling part of something bigger. That’s why getting involved in Sweat with Pride is a no-brainer. Everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported being active and participating in sport exactly as they are. I’m proud to be part of it, and I hope lots of people jump in with us.” — Mitch Brown, 2026 Sweat with Pride Ambassador
Kath Ebbs (they/them)
Queer non-binary actor, presenter, writer and content creator with more than 100,000 Instagram followers. In 2022, Kath made Australian TV history playing Asher on Neighbours, the first non-binary character ever to appear on an Aussie soap. They’ve partnered with Nike, Bonds, The Iconic and SBS, and they co-created and star in their own TikTok web series Self Care.
Lou Keck (she/her)
Speaker, facilitator and culture strategist, and former CEO of The Reach Foundation. Lou brings both leadership chops and lived experience to the ambassador role, with a particular focus on mental wellbeing and the role of movement in protecting it.
“Sweat with Pride feels really special because it combines so many things I care about: community, inclusion, pride, health, and having fun while making a difference. I’m getting involved because the cause matters, and I’d love to see more people join us, whether you’re super sporty or just keen to get moving for something meaningful.” — Lou Keck, 2026 Sweat with Pride Ambassador
The big workplaces already in
Nine, Qantas, Macquarie Group and Hays Recruitment have all registered teams for June. If your office is still trying to figure out a Pride Month activation that doesn’t feel like rainbow-washing, this is the one.
Every participant gets a free Pride pin just for signing up, and the internal comms toolkit (email copy, social assets, registration walkthrough) is free to download from the Sweat with Pride website.
Em Scott, CEO of Rainbow Giving Australia, summed up the mood: “It’s fantastic to see community members, workplaces, gyms, and chosen families signing up for Sweat with Pride. Despite a challenging climate, we’re building a movement that puts the fun in fundraising while delivering real impact for rainbow communities.”
Free Sydney launch event this Saturday in Newtown
Sydney crew, this one’s for you. Rainbow Giving Australia is hosting a free Sweat with Pride community launch on Saturday 16 May from 10:30am to 12pm at the Inner West Pride Centre, directly opposite Newtown Station on Gadigal and Wangal Country.
Expect a live DJ, a line dancing demo, and plenty of room to connect, move and stretch out before the June challenge kicks off. RSVP is free at events.humanitix.com/swp26-community-launch.
Where the money actually goes
Every dollar raised through Sweat with Pride supports Rainbow Giving Australia and delivery partner ACON to fund grassroots LGBTQIA+ programs across the country.
ACON Chief Executive Officer Michael Woodhouse: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Rainbow Giving Australia and Sweat with Pride in 2026. The funds raised by the thousands of you taking part in June will help support ACON’s work delivering grassroots programs, designed by and for LGBTQIA+ people, that strengthen the health, connection and wellbeing of our community.”
A portion of funds also flows to organisations like Pride Cup, which keeps community sport clubs in regional Australia inclusive at no cost to the clubs themselves, via a Rainbow Giving Australia Amplify Pride Grant.
For context, the 2025 pilot of the challenge raised over A$160,000 from more than 1,700 participants. The 2026 numbers are tracking to clear that comfortably.
How to sign up in five steps
- Head to sweatwithpride.org.au and register solo or as a team.
- Pick your drag queen trainer and set a fundraising goal.
- Make your $21 self-donation between 13 and 21 May to have it doubled to $42 (T&Cs apply).
- Move for 21 minutes a day from 1 to 30 June, your way.
- Track via Strava and climb the leaderboard.
Follow @sweatwithpride_au on Instagram for daily updates, drag queen trainer reveals, and leaderboard drama.
Meridian was founded in 1983 as the ACT AIDS Action Committee in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region. It rebranded as Meridian in 2020 and has broadened its remit to support the wider LGBTIQA+ community across the ACT.
What’s in the survey
Private Lives 4 is the fourth iteration of Australia’s longest-running national survey of LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing. It covers mental and physical health, identity, healthcare access, employment, relationships, ageing, alcohol and other drug use, community connection, and experiences of discrimination and intimate partner violence. The survey is anonymous and online, with dedicated question sets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+ people, trans and gender diverse respondents, people with innate variations of sex characteristics, and people with disabilities.
The findings will feed directly into the federal government’s National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025-2035, the document that will determine how funding and services for the community are designed for the next decade.
“The information we gather from the study will help to inform better policies, programs and services for the LGBTIQA+ community,” said Professor Adam Bourne, Director of ARCSHS and the survey’s principal investigator.
How to take part
You can take Private Lives 4 if you are aged 18 or over, currently living in Australia, and identify as LGBTIQA+. The survey is open until 1 July 2026.
Take Private Lives 4 directly on the ARCSHS page at La Trobe University.
For Meridian’s local LGBTIQA+ and HIV services, visit meridianact.org.au. Meridian CEO Joshua Anlezark is available for media interview through Meridian’s contacts.
