LGBTQIA+
At the November and December 2020 Council meetings, Council endorsed the establishment of an LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group and the development of a LGBTQIA+ Plan.
LGBTQIA+ Plan
The City of Perth Council adopted the LGBTQIA+ Plan 2021-2024 at the October 2021 Ordinary Council Meeting.
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About the LGBTQIA+ Plan
The three-year plan will focus on the City of Perth’s role as a service provider, partner and facilitator in increasing the visibility, social inclusion and health and wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The plan outlines actions in seven key areas:
- Safety
- Education
- Homelessness
- Healthcare
- Organisational Capability
- Welcoming and Accessible Services and
- Visibility.
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Community Consultation
More than 500 consultations occurred between March and April to better understand the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community in Perth, as well as the Council's role as a local government in improving the wellbeing of the community. We have heard hundreds of voices and many stories.
The Stakeholder Engagement Outcomes Report outlines what we’ve learnt from the community and demonstrates that there are opportunities to improve the safety, visibility, social inclusion, health and wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ community in the city.
In response to the community feedback, the City of Perth has developed a three-year draft plan, dedicated to improving the experience of LGBTQIA+ people in the city. The draft plan was endorsed by Council at the 27 July 2021 Council Meeting.
The draft plan was open for community review during August.
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Documents
Resources
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Articles
Meet Kate: LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group Volunteer (10 May 2021)
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia 2021 (13 May 2021)
Celebrating Wear It Purple Day with Avery Wright (24 Aug 2021)
Learn more about Bisexual Visibility Day with Duc Dau (20 Sept 2021)
Learn more about Asexual Awareness Week with Cyan from headspace (22 Oct 2021)
Learn more about Intersex Awareness Day with Michelle from Intersex Peer Support Australia (22 Oct 2021)
City of Perth Council adopt three-year LGBTQIA Plan (27 Oct 2021)
How to be an LGBTQIA+ ally beyond Pride Month (5 Nov 2021)
City of Perth supports Pride WA (26 Nov 2021)
Pride flag hangs proudly outside Council House (14 Dec 2021)
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Guides
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History
1971: One of Australia’s first gay rights activist groups, Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), established.
1973: Australian Medical Association removes homosexuality from its list of illnesses and disorders.
1974: Homosexual Counselling and Information Service of WA was established. Following several name changes over the years (Gay Counselling Service of WA , Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service of WA, Gay and Lesbian Community Services of WA) the service is now known as Living Proud.
1975: Connections Nightclub opens and eventually becomes the longest running LGBTQIA+ nightclub in the southern hemisphere.
1983: AIDS Council forms in WA following the first recorded Australian death from HIV/AIDS.
1984: Sex Discrimination Act 1984 passes which prohibits discrimination based on sex, marital or relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status, among other things.
1989: First march for rights held, with the “89ers” marching to the steps of Parliament House.
1990: WA decriminalises consensual sex between two males.
1997: Giz Watson, first openly out lesbian parliamentarian elected to WA Legislative Council.
1998: Brian Grieg, first openly out LGBTQIA+ Federal Senator, representing Western Australia.
2002: Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay Law Reform) Act 2002 passes in WA, the first significant passage of legislation protecting and supporting the rights of LGBTIQA+ people in WA. This Act:
- Equalises the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sex acts;
- Allows recognition of same-sex couples de facto status;
- Allows same-sex couples to adopt;
- Allows same-sex couples to access assistive reproductive technology and both names can be added to the birth certificate; and
- Makes it unlawful to discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation in the areas of employment, education, accommodation and the provision of goods, services and facilities.
2008: WA abolishes the gay panic defence.
2011: Federal Government passes passport legislation allowing for an 'x' gender option, and the ability for transgender people to select their gender without medical intervention.
2013: Federal Government legislates an amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act making it unlawful to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Religious schools and hospitals are exempt.
2017: Australia votes ‘yes’ to make same-sex marriage legal, with 61.6% in favour. 71.5% of the Perth Federal Electorate votes ‘yes’.
2018: WA passes a bill expunging historical homosexual convictions. Premier Mark McGowan formally apologises to the LGBTQIA+ community for the anti-homosexuality laws of the past.
2019: WA Legislative Council passes Gender Reassignment Amendment Bill 2018, which removed a requirement for a person to be single in order to be eligible for a gender recognition certificate (which is needed to alter the record of someone's sex on their birth certificate), ending the 'forced divorce' of couples.
2019: WA's first LGBTQI health strategy (WA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI) Health Strategy 2019 – 2024) is released.
2021: City of Perth establishes LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group, the first of its kind at local government level in WA.
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Podcasts
LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group
An Advisory Group has been established to guide the City in its growth as a diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation which represents all members of the community. The Group will provide a forum for consultation, feedback and discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in the City of Perth.
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Meet the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group
All members of the Advisory Group identify as LGBTQIA+ or an *ally.
Avery Wright (she/her)
Avery, originally from South Africa, is in the final year of her Arts degree at UWA and works as a disability support worker.She is a Pride Officer at UWA Student Guild where her department works with a committee, the UWA LGBTQIA+ working group, and community groups (particularly local healthcare providers) to organise events and provide resources for LGBTQIA+ students on campus. She is also a member of Rainbow Labor.
Braden Hill (he/him)
Braden is a Nyoongar (Wardandi) man from the south-west of Western Australia and is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Equity and Indigenous) and Head of Kurongkurl Katitjin at ECU’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research. His current portfolio responsibilities include leading ECU’s commitment to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement and Equity and Diversity, including initiatives in LGBTQIA+ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He is also a key part of the steering group leading on ECU’s new Perth campus. Braden is also on the board of Pride Cup, a national non-profit committed to LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport.
Caro Duca (they/them)
Caro is the Program Manager for Lotterywest ‘Dream Plan Do’ Program at Community Arts Network, which gives a platform for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) community groups to showcase their stories and experiences with the support of funding and structured mentoring. They are also on WAAPA’s Equity and Opportunity Working group. Caro’s work includes The Out Cast (a collaboration with Dykes on Bikes WA), Teatro Latinx (an inclusive space for Perth-based Latin Americans of all genders and sexualities) and the upcoming Queer Latinx Film Festival (spring 2021).
Clint Woolly (he/him/they/them)
Clint has lived in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand prior to calling Perth home. Clint is of PNG, Fijian, NZ Maori and NZ British descent and speaks and understands several languages. He has extensive experience working on various boards and committees and founded Rainbow Papua New Guinea, an online and social platform for LGBTQIA+ Papua New Guineans. Clint works at Bankwest on the website team and champions digital accessibility. They're also on the Inclusion @ Bankwest committee promoting the importance and value of meeting the needs of people with disability.
Curtis Ward (he/him)
Curtis is the current President on the board of Pride WA and has been a speaker at several panel discussions regarding equity and inclusion. He is a lawyer specialising in family law and has advocated on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community in his work with the Law Society of WA. Curtis drafted a law reform submission on behalf of the Law Society of Western Australia to expunge historic homosexual convictions, which was subsequently enacted in 2017. Curtis is a City of Perth resident.
David Goncalves (he/him)
David has been involved in activism since 1999. He was involved in advocating for Gay & Lesbian Law Reform in WA, helped establish Curtin University’s Queer Department in his role as Student Guild Vice-President, was one of the lead WA organisers for the Marriage Equality campaign during 2009-2012 as the convenor of Gay and Lesbian Equality WA and is a former Rainbow Labor President. He currently helps organise STEM-based academic and education events and conferences throughout the world. David is a City of Perth resident.
Hunter Gurevich (he/him)
Hunter is the Chair of TransFolk of WA, an organisation supporting trans and gender diverse people, and has completed a thesis on Queer Theory. As a medical student, Hunter is working with his medical school to improve their practices around LGBTQIA+ teaching and medical education. Hunter foresees his whole medical career to be deeply interconnected with providing services to LGBTQIA+ people that suits their needs and improves health outcomes to match the broader community.
Kate Buckle (she/her/they/them)Kate is a Fire Engineer and originally from Brisbane. Upon moving to Perth, she found there was no LGBTQIA+ network at Arup and successfully applied for the position as the LGBTQIA+ portfolio lead on the Regional Executive Diversity & Inclusion committee. This role was expanded to establish a Diversity & Inclusion committee for the Perth office where Kate led all inclusion portfolios, including LGBTQIA+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Gender, Disability and Culture. She is now looking to extend her influence beyond the workplace.Kate is a City of Perth resident.Katherine Sherrie (she/her)As a student at University of Sydney, Katherine was a founding committee member and eventual President of Sydney University Shades, the largest LGBTQIA+ student group in the Southern Hemisphere. She has also been a speaker at an Out For Australia event in Perth and has previously lived in Texas where she has gained an understanding of equity issues through the lack of employment protections for LGBTQIA+ people in Texas. She currently works in marketing and was recognised as a Future Leader in the 2020 Australian Marketing Institute Awards.Katherine is a City of Perth resident.Kedy Kristal (she/her)Kedy is the A/CEO for the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing, the state peak body for domestic and family violence (DFV), sexual assault and women’s health services. She has worked in this sector for over 35 years.Kedy is Chair of the Standing Shoulder to Shoulder Charity (supporting LGBTQIA+ people who have experience DFV) and sits on the Sexual Health Quarters LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group. She is also a board member of: GRAI (GLBTI Rights in Ageing); Women’s Hall of Fame; Centre for Refugees; Asylum Seekers and Detainees (CARAD) and; the Royal Association of Justices WA.Paul-Alain (van Lieshout) Hunt (he/him)Paul is a specialist business journalist, with a background in LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Paul has served in leadership positions within the community since 2010. As a former President of Pride WA, and founder of All Things Queer radio, Paul has advocated for marriage equality and LGBTQIA+ rights for over a decade. He was instrumental in securing funding for a variety of not for profits over recent months.Paul is a City of Perth resident.
Perth Inner City Youth Service (PICYS) represented by (shared seat) Dani Wright Toussaint (they/them) Andrew Hall* (he/him)
PICYS operates three primary services focused on homelessness, mental health and inclusion activities in the community for young people who reside and/or frequent the City of Perth. They have an Intentional Focus to engage 1:2 young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and 1:3 who identify as Trans or Gender Diverse. PICYS will be co-represented by Dani, who has been a Director of the National LGBTI Health Alliance, a board member of Living Proud LGBTI Community Services of WA and the Coordinator of the Freedom Centre for young LGBTQIA+ people. They are currently a Specialist LGBTI Youth Support Worker at PICYS and a volunteer support group facilitator of Trans Folk WA, Dani will share the position with Andrew, an LGBTQIA+ ally. Andrew has worked in the community and youth services space for over 35 years. He is an Executive Officer at PICYS, a Board Director at Rainbow Community House, a Board Director at WANSLEA, and Chair of OASIS Lotteries House Inc.
Sarah Feldman (she/her)
Sarah is a Jewish lesbian who immigrated to Perth three years ago from the United States. She lives in the Perth CBD with her Australian wife. Sarah has been invested in LGBTQIA+ rights and activism since her days at university, where she co-founded a Gay Straight Alliance for her fellow students. They successfully campaigned to change multiple university policies around gender discrimination and facilitated student attendance to national LGBTQIA+ conferences.
Steve Wellard (he/him)
Steve works for General Electric (now Wabtec Corp) where he was the WA Leader of their LGBTI Employee group and is currently one of the APAC Region representatives on Wabtec Corporations LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group. He is active in the LGBTQIA+ sports community as a former member of the Perth White Pointers Waterpolo Team, current member of the Rainbow Warriors Swim Team and committee member of the Perth Frontrunners. Steve is a City of Perth ratepayer and Chair of West Perth Local.
Will Knox (they/them)
Will is a Bachelor of Communications graduate and part time architecture student currently working at Murdoch University. At Murdoch, they co-facilitated the ALLY Program, a non-mandatory workplace training initiative to help staff and students understand the perspectives and challenges faced by the wider-LGBTQIA+ community. They are part of the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee for Murdoch University and have worked as a Student Advisor under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) focusing on supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Will is a City of Perth resident.
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Documents
