LGBTIQ+ advocates disappointed with Labor conference outcomes
Rights advocates say Labor’s national conference has improved its LGBTIQ platform but failed to include key reforms, relegating them to the status of resolutions. The draft national platform submitted to Labor’s national conference at the end of March erased many of the LGBTIQ commitments from previous platforms. After lobbying from just.equal and Rainbow Labor it […]
Shelley Argent shares she has been diagnosed with acute leukemia
Shelley Argent, one of Australia’s most dedicated fighters for LGBTIQ+ rights, has shared that she has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Argent shared her diagnosis on social media saying the prognosis was not positive. “Age and other factors rule out effective treatment. Realistically, I may or may not be here at Christmas. Of course, I […]
Protestors demand apology from Tasmanian Coroner
Tasmanian LGBTIQ advocates have written to Premier, Peter Gutwein, seeking his intervention after a Supreme Court decision refusing Ben Jago the opportunity to take a discrimination case about the failure of the Coroner to recognise him as his late partner’s next of kin. Equality Tasmania has written to the Premier asking for an apology to […]
Advocates call for all victims to be remembered in new Holocaust museums
National LGBTIQ+ advocacy group just.equal have written to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg following the announcement of a new Holocaust museum in Tasmania. Frydenberg spoke at Hobart Synagogue earlier this week reveal the plans, speaking on the horrors of the Nazi regime. “This is an example of what we can do, to ensure future generations say ‘never […]
Tasmanian church makes “no apologies” for conversion therapy
Tasmania’s current inquiry on LGBTQIA+ conversion practices in the state has drawn attention to the ongoing provision of the harmful “therapies” in religious institutions. In a public submission to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute, a church leader from Launceston has proudly admitted to engaging in attempts to alter the sexuality or gender identity (SOGI) of […]
Dragons application could see Israel Folau brought into NRL
An application from a New South Wales rugby team could see Israel Folau return to the NRL after being embroiled in a legal battle with Rugby Australia over his views on homosexuality which saw him sacked from the code in 2019. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, St George Illawarra (The Dragons) have applied to the […]
New rules for blood donation start on 31st January, but is it still discriminatory?
From January 31st gay men will be able to donate blood after a three month celibacy period rather than twelve, but advocates say the celibacy period should be abolished altogether and replaced with screening for individual risk. The Red Cross Blood Service, Lifeblood, has now confirmed on its LGBTIQ donor webpage that from January 31st […]
New ABS guidelines welcomed but LGBTIQ+ still absent from Census
National LGBTIQ+ advocates have welcomed the new guidelines from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) regarding data collection on sex, gender, sexual orientation and variations of sex characteristics. Formerly named the Sex and Gender Standard, the new document expands the scope to include Sex, Gender, Variation of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables. LGBTIQ+ Health […]
Rodney Croome – Australia’s gay blood ban has to go
Opinion: Rodney Croome 2020 was the year Australia fell behind other countries on blood equality. In April, the Trump administration announced a reduction in the celibacy period for gay men wanting to donate from twelve months to three. President-elect, Joe Biden, then trumped that with a commitment to abolish the ban altogether. Meanwhile, two gay-unfriendly […]
Calls for Australia to follow UK lead on gay, bi & trans blood donation ban
National LGBTIQ+ advocacy group just.equal has ramped up their campaign to end the ban on gay, bi and trans folks donating blood here in Australia, following a recent decision out of the UK. This week the UK Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs made the recommendation that all donors be assessed […]
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