Abbie Jane (she/her) founded the Rainbow Shoelace Project in 2022 when she was just 12 years old and living in the remote town of Broken Hill. What started with Abbie giving away free rainbow beads for people to wear on their shoelaces to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community is now a global movement, with more than 300,000 packets of beads given away in Australia.
In 2023, Abbie attended World Pride in Sydney to represent the Rainbow Shoelace Project, was awarded the Regional Entrepreneur of the Year at the Teens in Business Awards. Abbie has presented at the Pride in Practice conference in 2023 (when she was 14 years old) and 2024 (aged 15).
Abbie has travelled around NSW attending PRIDE festivals to hand out free beads and has been a guest speaker for a number of businesses. In 2024, Abbie was named “One to Watch” at the NSW Women of the Year Awards and she was awarded the Young Achiever Award in the ACON Honour Awards for outstanding achievements in campaigning for rainbow inclusion and equality.
Now 15, Abbie is a change-maker and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Her ability to cultivate support for issues that affect her community and passion for driving change make her a real force for the future.
