Abbie Jane has described her move from Broken Hill to Port Macquarie as "one of the best decisions" she's ever made.
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While the 14-year-old experienced love and support on social media after starting the Rainbow Shoelace Project two years ago, she also experienced vicious and cruel bullying in her small hometown.
Abbie started the Rainbow Shoelace Project when she was about to start high school in Broken Hill.
"That's obviously a very scary time for anyone, but especially a young queer person," Abbie said.
"I felt really alone and scared."
Abbie had been threading rainbow beads onto her shoelaces as a way to express who she was prior to starting high school, but when she started Year 7 she realised not everyone was going to be supportive.
"I thought 'why should I have to take these beads off because of small-minded people?'. If I'm feeling alone, then there are so many other people who also feel alone," Abbie said.
"I wanted to create a way that people could find others like them and feel supported."
The project started very small, with Abbie putting together free packs of beads and sticking them to a noticeboard in Broken Hill.
The initiative then grew, with Abbie soon giving away 100 packs of beads a week. Now the packs can be ordered online and are shipped all over the world.
Since March 2022, more than 230,000 packs of beads have been given away as part of the Rainbow Shoelace Project.
"It makes me emotional because in such a short time people have really loved the idea and have been so supportive," Abbie said.
Finding a supportive community
When the bullying in Broken Hill became too much for Abbie, she made the decision to move to Port Macquarie to live with her aunty, uncle and cousin.
"The Rainbow Shoelace Project is an anti-bullying movement, but because I was the face of it and was advocating for it, I copped horrible homophobia," Abbie said.
"It wasn't just from one group of people, it was so many different groups of people. Boys, girls, everyone."
Abbie has now been living in Port Macquarie for a month and said the move has been positive for her.
"It's one of the best decisions I've ever made," she said.
Surrounded by her family and a supportive school community at St Columba Anglican School, Abbie said she is settling into her life in Port Macquarie.
"People are so much more open minded and I'm so grateful," she said. "I have experienced nothing but positivity and kindness."
Balancing a busy schedule
As well as balancing school and a global project, Abbie is heading off to Mardi Gras in Sydney this weekend.
"With the Rainbow Shoelace Project I've gotten to experience so many beautiful opportunities that have shaped me as a person," she said.
"And this year I get to go to Mardi Gras."
Abbie said it has always been a dream of hers to attend the parade in Sydney.
"I can remember being in Kindergarten and making my mum let me stay up to watch the parade," she said.
Abbie and her mum will be marching in the parade with Emerald City Kickball, an organisation that empowers and connects the LGBTQIA+ community through fun, accessible safe spaces and team sports.
"Now that I get to be included in [Mardi Gras] is a dream come true," Abbie said.
The 14-year-old is also nominated for the NSW Women of the Year Awards in the Ones to Watch category and will be attending the awards in Sydney on March 7.
