The ACT Government has released a draft bill outlining plans to end non-consenting medical interventions on intersex children. The legislation was developed after consultations with experts and lived experience participants, and ongoing advocacy from intersex and LGBTQIA+ organisations. The Variations in Sex Characteristics (Restricted Medical Treatment) Bill 2022 sets out new processes to be applied when medical […]
LGBTIQ+ advocates and conversion therapy survivors have welcomed the ACT’s ban on conversion practices, which passed the Legislative Assembly yesterday. The ACT has become the second Australian jurisdiction to address the issue, following Queensland’s legislation earlier this month. Spokesperson for LGBTIQ+ advocacy group just.equal and Canberra resident, Ivan Hinton-Teoh, said the ACT’s legislation is ‘far […]
Equality advocates are calling on the Australian Government to speak out against moves in Indonesia to criminalise homosexuality. A proposal before the Indonesian Parliament will see LGBTIQ people sent to “rehabilitation camps”, with the children of those who do not turn themselves in being taken away. Just.equal spokesperson, Ivan Hinton-Teoh, said Australia should be asking Indonesia […]
just.equal has urged LGBTIQ Australians and their families and allies to contribute to any of the many verified bushfire relief funds that have been established to support the Australian community in this unprecedented crisis. The advocacy group is promoting bushfire relief funds to its large social media following and database, beginning with this post. Co-founder, […]
Two gay journalists from Saudi Arabia who were seeking asylum in Australia have been released from detention after pressure on the Morrison Government. Sultan and Nassar* had been held by the Australian government for several months after claiming asylum. The two men fled Saudi Arabia in October claiming that they had been outed by the government […]
The federal government inquiry into religious freedom has come under fire once again, with news that submissions will be kept secret from the Australian public. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office today revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that the panel would not publish the submissions – which are ordinarily freely available to the public. “Submissions […]
Several high-profile LGBTI equality advocates have written to all federal members asking that no extra provisions allowing discrimination be included in the Marriage Act in return for the right of same-sex couples to marry. The letter comes as Senator James Paterson unveils a marriage amendment bill that will override state anti-discrimination laws so that same-sex […]
Equality advocates are calling on members of the Liberal party who support marriage equality to cross the floor and vote for reform. The outcry comes just after the Liberal party decided to retain their position to hold a plebiscite on marriage equality, after much speculation about a possible free vote on a newly crafted bill […]
The reaction to the private members bill for marriage equality, put forward by Western Australian Senator Dean Smith, has been mixed. The proposal, which is based on the outcomes of a senate inquiry into the issue, allows protections for churches, and establishes a new category of ‘religious civil celebrant’. While also changing the marriage act to […]
Marriage equality advocates have noted that a national survey showing a dramatic increase in support for LGBTI+ equality shows that a plebiscite on marriage equality is unnecessary. The annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey conducted by the University of Melbourne was release this week, showing support for equal rights for same-sex […]
