Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022–32

Premier

We're proud to be a state that celebrates and embraces diversity, and where human rights are always defended and protected. Victoria has a long history of progress and improvement - and we're a state that embraces the differences that help to make us stronger. But despite how far history has come, and the many wins LGBTIQ+ Victorians have achieved - it's clear that not everyone feels completely safe, supported and equal in this state.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians continue to face disproportionately higher levels of poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and attempts, homelessness, harassment and abuse, and an increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

Our government has worked tirelessly to remove discrimination from our laws and strengthen the rights of individuals at work and in the community. And we will always support and promote LGBTIQ+ organisations, leaders and events.

But we know that this work is far from over, and so much more still needs to be done.

Pride in our future: Victoria's LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022-32 strives to create a more inclusive and cohesive state, where LGBTIQ+ Victorians can enjoy the same opportunities as any other Victorian.

It places human rights at its core - and over the next 10 years, it will help to drive change across every arm of the Victorian Government.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians will be supported to lead, build and create the strategy that supports them best.

This strategy will help make our state a safer, more equal, and more welcoming place for everyone.

Because in Victoria, equality is not negotiable.

And it never will be.

The Hon. Daniel Andrews MP
Premier of Victoria

Minister for Equality

As Victoria's first Minister for Equality, I have had the privilege of meeting many of the proud and diverse people who make up Victoria's LGBTIQ+ communities.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians have shared with me their lives, vibrant cultures, passion for community and love for their friends and families. Many have also shared with me the challenges they have faced and continue to face, simply by being who they are. They speak of the sting of rejection or hurt from loved ones who should support them. They talk about the difficulty of accessing services or living under laws that don’t include them.

Being LGBTIQ+ is just one part of who people are. These challenges can be even more difficult when people are also dealing with stigma or discrimination for other parts of who they are. This includes their cultural identity, disability or where they live.

Amid these challenges, LGBTIQ+ advocates have shown remarkable strength by driving change to improve the lives of all LGBTIQ+ Victorians.

Our government has been so proud to build on the legacy of LGBTIQ+ advocates by working with LGBTIQ+ communities to make our state more inclusive.

Establishing the Equality portfolio has helped spearhead important reforms. We have banned harmful conversion practices, opened Australia's first purpose-built pride centre and worked with regional communities to build inclusion.

While we have made great progress over the past six years, there is still a lot to do.

Pride in our future: Victoria's LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022-32 is the direct result of LGBTIQ+ Victorians telling us what that work should look like over the next 10 years. You told us, and we listened.

Over the next decade, the LGBTIQ+ strategy will rally every part of the Victorian Government to do its bit in achieving LGBTIQ+ human rights. It recognises that we can only achieve equality by affirming all the parts that make up who people are.

I am so grateful to the many Victorians, from all backgrounds, who helped shape this strategy into a powerful roadmap.

We won't stop until equality is achieved.

Martin Foley MP
Minister for Equality

Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities

Victoria is leading the way in advancing the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, and as the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities, I am proud to ensure community voices are at the heart of our work.

Since the office was established in 2015, the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities has been an accepted and trusted voice for LGBTIQ+ Victorians, advocating to strengthen pride and equality for our communities. During this time, a significant amount of work has been done in transforming the LGBTIQ+ landscape, for Victoria to truly become the Equality State.

But there is still more to do.

In partnership with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s Equality portfolio, the Office of the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities will continue to play a key role, providing advice to government on the needs and priorities of LGBTIQ+ people and the organisations that serve our communities.

As the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities, I see organisations and their champions meeting our people where they are. Organisations are setting the benchmark for the rest of Australia and the world, through listening to community needs and challenges and working alongside them to co-design responses.

Pride in our future: Victoria's LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022-2032 strengthens our commitment to achieve the most significant growth for LGBTIQ+ people in Victorian history.

When we talk about LGBTIQ+ people, it's much more than a group of letters.

Each person reflected in those letters has a different experience. And each can also be Aboriginal, or a person of colour, or disabled, or have faith, or have faced other experiences that form part of their identity. Intersectionality doesn't fit neatly into a box. For many of us, our intersectional identities add up to who we are. Intersectionality is how we live our lives.

This strategy also provides a significant opportunity for mainstream organisations and government departments and agencies to play their part, enabling LGBTIQ+ people to flourish without barriers.

I look forward to working with areas across Victoria to implement this strategy, in a way that meaningfully meets the needs of LGBTIQ+ people and their diverse communities.

I am proud to work and partner with the Victorian Government to work towards our goal of our LGBTIQ+ communities flourishing openly and safely.

Together we must act to advance the pride in our future.

Todd Fernando
Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities

Victoria’s first whole-of-government LGBTIQ+ strategy, Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ strategy 2022-32, provides the vision and plan to drive equality and inclusion for Victoria’s diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities within all aspects of government work over the next decade.

LGBTIQ+ people and their allies have long fought for legal changes through grassroots campaigns to promote acceptance and understanding. Their tireless work – and recent progress – means Victorian LGBTIQ+ people, communities and organisations enjoy more freedoms and acceptance than as little as five years ago.

Over the past decade our understanding of LGBTIQ+ communities and diversity has grown. People who were on the margins of rainbow communities are now enjoying more inclusion. Like all Victorians, LGBTIQ+ people are diverse in multiple ways. This includes their culture, education, ability, where they live, ethnicity and faith. The understanding of LGBTIQ+ communities and diversity will continue to evolve and be enriched in the years to come.

We have made great progress towards creating a fairer Victoria for LGBTIQ+ communities and understanding LGBTIQ+ diversity. But LGBTIQ+ people continue to face unacceptable levels of discrimination and inequality in their everyday lives.

Discrimination and inequality have real effects for the one in 20 Victorians who openly identify as LGBTIQ+¹. For example, they face greater social, health, wellbeing and economic challenges than the general population.

At the extreme, 73.2 per cent of LGBTQ+ Victorians have thought about taking their own life and 28.1 per cent have attempted suicide². This experience is even more common among those who have been harassed or abused. This cannot go unaddressed.

Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities – in all their diversity – show strength and resilience even while facing systemic, widespread and ongoing prejudice. These communities overlap with each other and across many aspects of people’s lived experience.

We spoke with and listened to LGBTIQ+ leaders, organisational representatives, advocates and individuals. Their experiences and voices lay at the heart of the LGBTIQ+ strategy. Within government, we have a duty to lead in making the laws, policies and services of our state safe. These must be inclusive and equal for everyone, including LGBTIQ+ Victorians.

This strategy aims to prevent the varied forms of discrimination and inequality LGBTIQ+ people experience, and move Victoria towards celebration of our vibrant LGBTIQ+ communities. It sets a pathway for how we will work in partnership with all communities to improve the lives of LGBTIQ+ Victorians. This includes recognising all their overlapping identities and experiences.

Realising the 10-year vision of the LGBTIQ+ strategy will take leadership, commitment and perseverance. The Victorian Government will drive the LGBTIQ+ strategy. But every Victorian has a role to play in achieving the Equality State by making Victoria a safe and welcoming place for all LGBTIQ+ people.

We developed the LGBTIQ+ strategy vision with LGBTIQ+ communities. It will guide the reforms, actions and roll out of the strategy over its 10-year timeframe.

References

[1] Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) 2020, The health and wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer population in Victoria: findings from the Victorian Population Health Survey 2017, State of Victoria, Melbourne.

[2] Hill AO, et al. 2021b, Private lives 3: the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people in Victoria: Victoria summary report, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

LGBTIQ+ voices are at the heart of Victoria’s first LGBTIQ+ strategy. These voices are central as we design programs and deliver on our commitments.

Capturing the views, hopes and wishes of Victoria’s diverse LGBTIQ+ communities is central to understanding how government can respond to the challenges facing LGBTIQ+ people, communities and organisations. Our consultation highlighted the various ways government can work in partnership with LGBTIQ+ communities to achieve greater equality.

We thank all the Victorians who shared their personal experiences and stories during consultation by attending a workshop, making a submission or completing a survey. Victorians made these contributions during a time of heightened stress for communities, as we contended with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

We must also acknowledge the support of Victoria’s Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities in bringing together LGBTIQ+ Victorians. The former Commissioner, Ro Allen, attended all 41 targeted community workshops.

Through the generous contributions of LGBTIQ+ Victorians, their families, advocates, allies and the broader community, we came up with seven themes for improving the lives of LGBTIQ+ communities:

• protecting human rights and access to justice
• intersectionality and inclusion
• representation and participation
• LGBTIQ+ inclusive and accessible services and community
• connecting within and between LGBTIQ+ communities
• data, research and evidence
• targets, monitoring and reporting.

Key consultation statistics

• 1,600+ contributions from people and organisations, some more than once
• 1,280 Engage Victoria survey responses
• 41 online workshops
• 97 written submissions:
  • 42 submissions from non-government organisations
  • 22 submissions from individuals
  • 16 submissions from LGBTIQ+ community organisations
  • 15 submissions from government organisations (including local councils)
  • two submissions from groups affiliated with universities

LGBTIQ+ people and their families should enjoy lives free of stigma, discrimination and violence. They have rights to safety, inclusion and agency. They should experience equal outcomes through equal access to resources, opportunities and influence across the full spectrum of rights enjoyed by Victorians.

Rights relevant to LGBTIQ+ people and their families include the civil and political rights protected in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. There is also a broader range of economic, social and cultural rights.

Feedback highlighted the need to better understand intersectionality and the overlapping forms of discrimination that many LGBTIQ+ people face. Discrimination takes several forms such as subtle stereotyping, lack of protections within the law and obvious harassment and violence. Many LGBTIQ+ people also experience forms of prejudice like racism, ableism and classism. This is on top of and combined with prejudice based on their gender, sexuality or sex characteristics.

Recognising intersectionality is vital to ensuring LGBTIQ+ communities can celebrate diversity and contribute to improving all LGBTIQ+ lives. Building on existing Victorian Government approaches will be critical. This includes recent work that takes an intersectional approach to family violence, gender equality and mental health services. By connecting services and embedding inclusion in our work, we can ensure better experiences that recognise a person’s diverse identities.

‘My diverse identities are a barrier to employment. I have to separate out my disability from being LGBTIQ+. You have to put your cards out on the table before you even begin. It’s really difficult.’
Workshop participant, disability consultation

In our consultations, participants noted the importance of LGBTIQ+ people taking part at all levels of decision making. This includes within government, the community and private sectors, and in delivering programs and supports intended for them.

‘We need everyday LGBTIQ+ people represented in a positive way as role models.’
Workshop participant, rural and regional consultation

A key part of LGBTIQ+ representation is the broad principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’, a term with its origins in disability activism. This calls for including and supporting the diversity of LGBTIQ+ people in the design, delivery and review of government policies, services and programs.

Like all Victorians, LGBTIQ+ people take part in community life and use services. People called for high-quality, inclusive and accessible services that meet the diverse needs of LGBTIQ+ people, families and communities.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians may seek care from a health provider, support from a legal service, contribute to their workplace, play in a local sports club, use a housing service and take part in a school community. These settings – for example sports clubs and cultural groups – are important locations for building LGBTIQ+ connection and inclusion and celebrating community strengths. But LGBTIQ+ people may face more barriers than other Victorians when accessing those settings.

We need to look at barriers and discrimination in community settings like in the workplace, schools, community activities and when using services. Not all settings are welcoming for LGBTIQ+ people. For LGBTIQ+ people on the margins, access can be even more difficult because of homelessness, unemployment, level of literacy or living in a regional area.

‘Inclusion shouldn’t be a box-ticking process. It should be an ongoing commitment.’
Workshop participant, youth consultation

Stopping discrimination is critical: the single strongest and most consistent predictor of poor mental health and wellbeing among LGBTIQ+ communities is experiences of abuse, harassment or assault¹.

In some cases, targeted and inclusive services or specialist skills catering to LGBTIQ+ needs are absent. Where specialist health services do exist, people endure longer wait times due to high demand and limited capacity. There is also an opportunity to reinforce the crucial role of peer-led workforces in both specialist LGBTIQ+ services and programs in mainstream settings.

References

[1] Abelson J, et al. 2006, ‘Factors associated with ‘feeling suicidal’: the role of sexual identity’, Journal of Homosexuality, 51, 59–80
Bariola E, et al. 2016, ‘Gender-specific health implications of minority stress among lesbians and gay men’, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40(6), 506–512
Dolan IJ, et al. 2020, ‘Misgendering and experiences of stigma in health care settings for transgender people’, Medical Journal of Australia, 212(4), 150–151
Strauss P, et al. 2020, ‘Mental health issues and complex experiences of abuse among trans and gender diverse young people: findings from Trans Pathways’, LGBT Health, 7(3), 128–136

Community is where people and families come together to connect, practise culture and create language. Community means different things for different people. And people shift between different communities based on things like their culture, faith and family, as well as gender, sexuality and sex characteristics.

For many LGBTIQ+ people, community settings protect against isolation and help describe and celebrate their history and experience. They are places where they can develop, advocate and plan for better futures. Community events, institutions and organisations are vital for many LGBTIQ+ people.

‘You see us, but you don’t hear us. Hopefully in 10 years you can hear more about us.’
Workshop participant, Pasifika consultation

Being a part of the LGBTIQ+ community delivers widespread benefits to LGBTIQ+ people, including better health. People mentioned opportunities to increase the accessibility of LGBTIQ+ spaces to ensure people of all cultures, genders, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities and abilities can feel safe and welcome.

Evidence of LGBTIQ+ experiences is building. But we need more work that looks at the gaps in getting reliable, accurate and consistent data across all LGBTIQ+ groups and their families. People advocated for improved collection and better sharing of high-quality data about LGBTIQ+ Victorians. Data collection should include best practice methods of collecting data that is appropriate and includes how LGBTIQ+ people identify.

‘There’s a huge diversity in LGBTIQ+ communities and we need a more nuanced approach.’
Workshop participant, mental health services consultation

Consultations highlighted the importance of ensuring we roll out, embed and evaluate quality assurance measures and targets. Monitoring and reporting systems help to ensure accountability and continuous improvement, and inform meaningful investment in the future.

People asked for a specific focus on LGBTIQ+ inclusion at the local community level. Local councils, education settings with professional teaching standards, and government statutory bodies must better consider LGBTIQ+ inclusion within the scope of their roles.

As we look to the future of LGBTIQ+ equality in Victoria, it is important to know where we have come from and what progress we have made.

Aboriginal LGBTIQ+ Victorians have lived on these lands for more than 60,000 years. While we look at recent progress, it is crucial to recognise the thousands of years of LGBTIQ+ Aboriginal history that has come before this.

Over the past five decades, we have seen significant shifts towards LGBTIQ+ equality, particularly in the past 20 years. These changes reflect decades of campaigning by LGBTIQ+ older people and emerging leaders, activists, allies and advocates. They also show a government commitment to equality that has seen Victoria referred to as the Equality State. More recent reforms recognise inequalities across the diversity of LGBTIQ+ cohorts and groups.

Understanding LGBTIQ+ progress in Victoria gives a glimpse into the history of LGBTIQ+ repression and ongoing struggles for equality. Discrimination was often enshrined in the state’s law and institutions. The LGBTIQ+ strategy is the logical next step in advancing LGBTIQ+ equality in Victoria, ensuring a coordinated response across the Victorian Government.

‘We need to pay full respect to our elders – acknowledging their pioneering work in our communities, leading the way.’
Workshop participant, LGBTIQ+ elders consultation

The Victorian Government commits to improving the lives of all LGBTIQ+ people and communities. This includes ensuring the systems, policies and services we provide and fund are accessible and inclusive.

The LGBTIQ+ strategy provides the vision and pathway to drive the long-term and systemic change we need. Through consultations with Victorians, we have developed four priority areas within which to organise the actions we commit to in this strategy.

These priority areas are not specific to one area of government but sit across all Victorian Government responsibilities. The Victorian Government controls ways to drive and embed change in each area. The recognition that the LGBTIQ+ strategy needs to reflect the diverse experiences of all LGBTIQ+ Victorians underpins the priority areas.

The actions we take as the Victorian Government are only one part of the ecosystem that affects the life of an individual from the LGBTIQ+ community. This ecosystem includes:

• LGBTIQ+ communities
• LGBTIQ+ organisations and their projects
• government and non-government organisations
• the broader Victorian population.

The Victorian Government holds many of the levers to drive LGBTIQ+ equality in Victoria. But we all have a role to play – including the broader Victorian community.

The actions undertaken as part of the LGBTIQ+ strategy aim to drive a range of immediate and longer term outcomes to improve the lives of LGBTIQ+ Victorians. We will develop an outcomes framework to track the impact of our actions and how they are delivering against our priority areas and the strategy’s vision.

LGBTIQ+ strategy framework

Vision

All Victorians feel safe, are healthy, have equal human rights and can live wholly and freely.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians experience the benefits of full participation in economic, educational, political, community and social areas at all stages of life.

Victoria leads the way in LGBTIQ+ equality, celebrating culture, community and taking sustained, enduring and measurable action.

Priority areas

Areas of reform that organise our actions to realise the vision.

• Priority area 1: Equal rights and freedoms
• Priority area 2: Equitable, inclusive, and accessible services
• Priority area 3: Visibility to inform decision making
• Priority area 4: Safe, strong and sustainable communities

Victorian Government actions

Actions we will deliver to realise the priority areas.

Outcomes framework

How we will know if our actions are having a positive impact.
Key impacts we want to see under each priority area.
Developed over the life of the strategy to track LGBTIQ+ outcomes.

Strengthening existing legal protections for LGBTIQ+ Victorians and ensuring we create laws with an equity lens will benefit all community members. Laws free from discrimination that reflect who we are, are critical to creating a safe and inclusive community. They will help lay the foundations for an equal society.

The law matters

The law plays an important role in a range of areas of public life for LGBTIQ+ communities, as it does for all communities. All people in Victoria have the human rights detailed in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, including the right to recognition and equality under the law. But not all Victorian law treats LGBTIQ+ people the same as other Victorians.

‘While we tolerate laws that discriminate, we tolerate discrimination.’
Workshop participant, LGBTIQ+ Taskforce and Justice Working Group consultation

Not having equal rights or not making laws that ensure equal rights means LGBTIQ+ people can’t live with confidence that they get the same protections and opportunities as other people. For many in the LGBTIQ+ community, Victorian laws and legal institutions continue to be sources of trauma. This might be due to past wrongdoings, present inequalities or through a lack of recognition and inclusion.

We will look at relevant laws where previous policy decisions or unintended consequences have meant that LGBTIQ+ people have not received fair treatment. We will also ensure new laws are responsive to LGBTIQ+ experiences and potential impacts on LGBTIQ+ communities.

The law affects LGBTIQ+ people in different ways

For many in the LGBTIQ+ community, Victorian laws and legal institutions continue to be sources of trauma. This might be due to past wrongdoings, present inequalities or through a lack of recognition and inclusion. We also recognise that for Aboriginal people, Aboriginal lore, passed down through generations, is important to community life and setting social expectations.

It is important to understand that LGBTIQ+ experiences are not all the same. Many LGBTIQ+ people face intersecting and other inequalities under the law. An LGBTIQ+ person may also face racial or gendered discrimination under the law on top of discrimination based on their LGBTIQ+ identity. For example, although Aboriginal LGBTIQ+ people may have greater LGBTIQ+ equality under Victorian law in recent years, the journey towards Treaty is ongoing to seek to address past wrongs.

The work already underway

We have already started this important legal reform work including:

• banning harmful LGBTQ+ change and suppression (conversion) practices
• allowing couples to adopt a child regardless of their sexuality or gender identity
• removing legal barriers for trans, gender diverse and intersex Victorians for birth certificates to reflect their gender identity
• narrowing and removing religious exceptions to discrimination.

The (I) am Equal: Future directions for Victoria’s Intersex community paper outlines a vision to uphold the human rights of people with intersex variations so they can achieve the best health and wellbeing outcomes. This includes developing a scheme to end deferrable and unnecessary medical interventions on people with an intersex variation without their personal consent.

‘We want to not have to talk about this stuff anymore.’
Workshop participant, people with an intersex variation consultation

The Government will deliver on its commitment to narrow religious exceptions under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 to better protect LGBTIQ+ students, teachers and staff. We will action our response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections. This included recommendations to extend anti-vilification protections to gender identity, sexual orientation and sex characteristics.

Applying an equity point of view

To realise the ambition of this priority area, we will look at relevant laws where previous policy decisions or unintended consequences have meant that LGBTIQ+ people have not received fair treatment. This will involve considering the impact laws have when being viewed from the perspective of gender, sexuality, sex characteristics and culture to help address all forms of discrimination that LGBTIQ+ people face. As we get to work on legal reforms, consulting with community will be critical.

We will also ensure new laws include LGBTIQ+ experiences and potential impacts on LGBTIQ+ communities. This will include developing an LGBTIQ+ justice action plan to guide the work of the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Supporting legal changes

To have its intended impact, we will need to help pave the way for new laws. This includes reforms to build public understanding and awareness.

For example, under the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021, government funding supports the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to set up its civil response scheme. We are already working with faith-based groups and diverse communities to ensure resources are in place to help communities support survivors. Including change and suppression practices as an example of family violence under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 and of harassment in the Personal Safety Intervention Orders Act 2010 will strengthen the civil response scheme.

Signs of impact

To know we are on the right track to achieving equal rights and freedoms for LGBTIQ+ Victorians, this priority area will see actions that support LGBTIQ+ communities to feel safe in their everyday lives.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians will know and understand their rights and have safe avenues to resolve issues when they arise. LGBTIQ+ Victorians will have autonomy over their bodies and the law will reflect and protect their gender and sexuality. By achieving these things, we can help drive down LGBTIQ+ experiences of discrimination from 34.2 per cent¹. This statistic compares with 15.6 per cent of the general Victorian population².

References

[1] Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) 2020, The health and wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer population in Victoria: findings from the Victorian Population Health Survey 2017, State of Victoria, Melbourne.

[2] Ibid.

Services should be approachable, welcoming, safe and inclusive for all Victorians throughout their journey and when moving between services. LGBTIQ+ people must be able to access the services that meet their needs. Their experience through Victorian Government services should result in improved life outcomes.

Services shape our lives

Like all Victorians, LGBTIQ+ Victorians use a broad range of government services. These include our health and wellbeing, mental health, justice, child protection, family violence, sexual assault, housing and education systems. We also know that LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to use a mainstream service accredited as LGBTIQ+ inclusive or LGBTIQ+ specialist services¹.

'I should be able to be myself and be comfortable in any locality - in any situation.'
Workshop participant, deaf consultation

It is critical that we remove barriers to access, including anticipated discrimination, and improve inclusiveness across all sectors and in all areas of government service delivery. An example is for people with an intersex variation who, due to an earlier negative medical experience, may be less likely to use services later in life for fear of lack of understanding.

Designing with inclusivity in mind

We need to consider all Victorian communities, in their diversity, when designing the policies, services and programs they use. Commissioning, designing and delivering with LGBTIQ+ inclusiveness, safety and accessibility in mind will improve the experience LGBTIQ+ Victorians have when using government services.

Some of the ways to improve LGBTIQ+ experiences include ensuring access to:

• inclusive housing and homelessness services
• LGBTIQ+ suitable health care
• safety in the justice, family violence, sexual assault and child protection systems.

Access also means providing LGBTIQ+ people with information and supports to use different services.

A focus on Aboriginal self-determination, intersectionality, inclusion, lived experience and co-design will need to be standard to create LGBTIQ+ friendly services. For example, LGBTIQ+ services should be culturally suitable for Aboriginal and multicultural communities. Likewise, Aboriginal and multicultural communities’ services should be LGBTIQ+ inclusive.

The most successful programs are those that include the expertise and lived experience of community within design and delivery. The Royal Commission into Family Violence and the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System have recognised this important need. These royal commissions recommended redesigning both systems with diverse communities’ voices and lived experience in mind, including LGBTIQ+ communities.

Building workforce capability

'Peer-based, peer-led responses by people with lived experience are incredibly important.'
Workshop participant, HIV+ consultation

The people delivering services will be key enablers to creating inclusive services, where the needs of LGBTIQ+ people are understood, respected, considered and embedded in service delivery. For example, the victimisation of LGBTIQ+ people occurs in the broader community and within families. We can only deal with these kind of prejudice-motivated actions and threats to safety if our systems and the people delivering them can recognise the services LGBTIQ+ people require.

We will align this work with the work already being done under the Victorian Government’s Building from strength: 10-Year Industry Plan for Family Violence Prevention and Response. The Industry Plan aims to build the capability of all workforces – including those working with LGBTIQ+ Victorians – to help prevent and respond to family violence.

The work already underway

We are already carrying out a range of important work to improve government services for LGBTIQ+ communities. We will need to continue and build on this work to realise the LGBTIQ+ strategy. Rainbow Tick accreditation and other targeted LGBTIQ+ inclusion initiatives are great examples of how we can build services that are safe, inclusive and affirming for LGBTIQ+ Victorians.

Safe Schools ensures Victorian schools are safe and inclusive environments for all students, including LGBTIQ+ students. This is a great example of how we can prevent discrimination that harms LGBTIQ+ people’s mental health before it takes place. Under this strategy, we will continue and extend on Safe Schools to drive safe and positive learning environments by updating resources and we will build more inclusive TAFEs and Learn Locals.

Within the justice system, recent policies better support and care for people in prison who are trans, gender diverse or have an intersex variation. Telehealth access to gender services, including the Monash Health and Gender Clinic, is also provided for trans, gender diverse and non-binary people in prison.

Bringing LGBTIQ+ voices to government reform

There are opportunities to use existing strategies and reforms and those in development to make sure we design and implement them with LGBTIQ+ voices.

We have developed the state’s Second action plan 2018–2021 under Free from Violence: Victoria’s strategy to prevent family violence and all forms of violence against women. Greater understanding into LGBTIQ+ experiences of family violence and what works to prevent it informed this action plan.

As Victoria delivers its next state disability plan, taking an intersectional view will ensure we hear and consider the voices of LGBTIQ+ people with disability across government policies, programs and services.

The Victoria Police LGBTI inclusion strategy and action plan 2018–2021 is putting into action Victoria Police’s intention to create an inclusive organisation that respects everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. The Victoria Police Gender Equality and Inclusion Command will also achieve gender equality and recognises the non-binary nature of gender.

Building on existing work to improve systems

There is an important focus on people with an intersex variation in the LGBTIQ+ strategy, particularly in the health system. Building on work to date, we will develop resources to raise awareness of intersex variations. We will target these to:

• parents, children and families
• health professionals
• service providers
• community members.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System highlighted that we need to do more to support LGBTIQ+ mental health and wellbeing needs. LGBTIQ+ specialist services like the LGBTIQ+ family counselling service and Rainbow Door are solid foundations to expand on and learn from. All community interactions are an opportunity to ensure inclusion, respect and safety.

Signs of impact

We will know we are on track for success in building equal, inclusive and accessible services against this priority area when LGBTIQ+ people have improved health and wellbeing.

LGBTIQ+ people will access the services they need when they need them and their experience will be positive. Services they access will reflect their diverse perspectives and needs.

A key sign will be that LGBTIQ+ people feel treated with dignity and respect when using government services. By achieving these things, we want to see a reduction in the number of LGBTIQ+ people attempting suicide in the past 12 months. We want to see it fall from the current 5.2 per cent of LGBTIQ+ adults² and 9.4 per cent of young LGBTQ+ Victorians³.

References

[1] Hill AO, et al. 2020, Private lives 3: the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people in Australia, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Hill AO, et al. 2021c, Writing themselves in 4: the health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia. Victoria summary report, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

Improving LGBTIQ+ data collection to build evidence will enable us to get a better picture of how LGBTIQ+ Victorians experience all parts of their lives. By building this picture we can better identify needs, understand how services are performing and know where we need more investment to support LGBTIQ+ people.

Identifying needs

The Victorian Government and the service-delivery organisations it funds collect data to understand community need. By improving LGBTIQ+ data collection, we will better understand who is using our services and where there are gaps. Better data will also help LGBTIQ+ communities improve LGBTIQ+ led services and inform decision making on community priorities.

Driving visibility and accountability with inclusive data

We can achieve greater visibility of LGBTIQ+ communities and their needs through improving how we collect and distribute data that is broken down into separate components. This data needs to have demographic information, health and wellbeing needs, service access and outcome information. It should also capture data on key communities such as people with intersex variations for whom there is a lack of information on treatment and care in Victoria.

'If we don't have data, we don't exist'.
Workshop participant, mental health services consultation

Collecting data is only useful if we understand how to analyse and use it to improve outcomes. Being transparent with data will ensure we hold government and funded programs and services to account and can show they are meeting the needs of all Victorians.

Data collection must also include suitable and inclusive options that reflect how LGBTIQ+ people choose to identify. It must help pinpoint LGBTIQ+ needs that can feed into better practice, services and research. Datasets also need to be accessible, useful and link to each other to ensure effectiveness.

Connecting with priority area 2, it is important that staff are trained, comfortable and capable to ask the right questions in the safest way. This includes communicating how data will be used to inform and improve services, and ensuring data is always stored securely while maintaining confidentiality.

The work already underway

Changing the way we collect, analyse and report on LGBTIQ+ data is a complex yet important piece of the puzzle in ensuring LGBTIQ+ visibility. We recognise that systems, processes and standards across the Victorian Government differ and that we need significant reform work to bring them up to standard.

We are starting to improve LGBTIQ+ data in our systems. The recently launched Prevention of Family Violence Data Platform is an example. This platform draws together data from various LGBTIQ+ surveys to help focus on LGBTIQ+ family violence and its causes.

The Department of Health’s standards include the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics’ data standards on gender, sexuality and sex characteristics. Adopting best practice standards between systems will help build consistency and, in turn, a better picture of LGBTIQ+ people.

Achieving consistency

Recognising the important role data can have in improving services, Victoria will continue to drive consistent and improved LGBTIQ+ data. Our example will lead the way for other states, territories and organisations to keep improving their own systems.

We will help improve LGBTIQ+ data standards and capability in Victoria. This will in turn help improve the experience of LGBTIQ+ Victorians using non-Victorian Government services.

Using research

We will continue to build the evidence base for designing better targeted and inclusive programs. For example, a research-based framework for designing tailored LGBTIQ+ homelessness services informs the LGBTIQ+ Homelessness Program. This leads to better targeting of services and better outcomes for vulnerable service users.

Making data collection inclusive

Inclusive communication when collecting and reporting data is vital to LGBTIQ+ people feeling safe and willing to share their personal information. We will introduce LGBTIQ+ data standards across the Victorian Government and develop guidance materials for collecting, analysing and reporting on data by government and funded services.

Seeking representative input

Government community advisory groups like the LGBTIQ+ Taskforce will continue to play a role in offering first-hand community and service-user advice to improve data. It will also be important to work with other advisory groups to build a better understanding of LGBTIQ+ intersecting experiences. These include the Victorian Youth Congress and newly established Anti-Racism Taskforce.

'…it would be good to have queer Indigenous people controlling the collection and interpretation of data about Aboriginal LGBTIQ+ people. Self-determination is critical for queer Indigenous people'.
Workshop participant, Aboriginal consultation

Signs of impact

All LGBTIQ+ communities will have access to data they can use to show clear evidence for need. This will help us know we are having an impact and building LGBTIQ+ visibility to inform decision making.

We will increase LGBTIQ+ voices and experiences across government, and LGBTIQ+ people will feel comfortable engaging with data channels. LGBTIQ+ people will see an increase in policies and services designed with their needs in mind.

We will track and report the number of Victorian Government departments and agencies employing LGBTIQ+ inclusive data collection in government initiatives, programs and services.

LGBTIQ+ communities are a proud part of the Victorian community. It is critical that we build a society where all people can be themselves and support one another. By creating inclusive communities, we are making sure there is a place for all Victorians to be proud and live their life to its fullest.

Targeting discrimination at its root

'I’m tired of struggling for even just acceptance or tolerance. I want more than that – I want celebration'.
Workshop participant, multicultural consultation

By targeting LGBTIQ+ discrimination, stigma and abuse before it happens, we can remove the influences that we know lead to poorer health and wellbeing outcomes for LGBTIQ+ people. Addressing stigma and discrimination would begin to enable equal access to all parts of society and create a stronger, more cohesive community.

Community improves lives

Community is an important part of many LGBTIQ+ Victorians’ lives. The bonds, friendship and allyship formed within these communities provides a ‘chosen family’ where LGBTIQ+ people can live freely and find acceptance. For LGBTIQ+ people, being a part of community is a valued and positive part of life. It leads to better physical and mental health outcomes¹.

Community can take on a range of forms and may represent Victoria as a whole, LGBTIQ+ specific cohorts, a faith community or a rural and regional township. We each live, work and take part in many community settings. It is important all Victorians can live, celebrate and flourish openly and safely in all forms of community life, which contributes to positive wellbeing.

Building safe spaces

We want to ensure Victoria is a diverse and welcoming place for residents and visitors. That it is a place that continues to attract LGBTIQ+ people from all over the country and world. We need to continue to build safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ people in the workplace, at home and when in the community. We want a Victoria where LGBTIQ+ Victorians are not discriminated against or harassed just for being who they are.

We also want to prevent family violence against LGBTIQ+ Victorians through primary prevention programs that promote respectful, loving and safe relationships. LGBTIQ+ people should be able to identify and seek support for family violence in a way that minimises harm and ensures safety and support.

Public representation

Representations and celebrations of LGBTIQ+ communities across all parts of life will drive understanding, visibility and acceptance. This includes in the media, in public campaigns and in positions of leadership. The Victorian Government, as well as the broader community, businesses, clubs and non-government organisations must provide space for LGBTIQ+ people to contribute and take part in community.

Understanding diverse community-building needs

Acknowledging the diversity and range of community settings is vital to build safe, strong and sustainable communities. A focus on data and research will allow us to better understand the community settings that most need support. Taking an equity view to community building means that less resourced LGBTIQ+ groups and diverse LGBTIQ+ communities can build their leadership capacity and ability to influence.

Public education

We will deliver community-wide education and awareness campaigns to build understanding, acceptance, celebration and visibility of LGBTIQ+ Victorians. We will also influence other public awareness campaigns to make sure they represent LGBTIQ+ Victorians.

We need to continue along the path of social change and increasing community acceptance across the board. But within LGBTIQ+ communities, we must still address other forms of discrimination. Understanding and addressing all forms of family violence against people from LGBTIQ+ communities and their underpinnings in broader discrimination is critical. This includes family-of-origin violence and intimate partner violence.

'I want the ability to walk down the street – to be acknowledged as me, not specifically as transgender, not specifically as LGBTIQ+'.
Workshop participant, elder consultation

We need strategies to understand and tackle how this broader systemic discrimination can play out in violence within communities. They will help us build safer, more welcoming and supportive communities.

It is critical we work across government policy areas to realise this ambition and ensure inclusive actions underpinned by an intersectional approach. These areas include Aboriginal, multicultural, disability, youth and older Victorians.

Regional and rural communities

Rural and regional communities, which have already been a strong focus for Victorian Government LGBTIQ+ equality work, have a unique environment and set of needs. We will build on the success of the LGBTIQ+ Equality Rural and Regional Roadshow and the Rainbow Ready Roadmap to help create safe and inclusive communities. Rural and regional mainstream providers and decision-makers need to work together with local LGBTIQ+ Victorians to promote inclusion.

Physical spaces to be

We need to design physical spaces, especially for trans and gender diverse Victorians, with an inclusive lens. This extends from developing suburban precincts to public transport vehicles and facilities.

Strengthening the LGBTIQ+ sector

'Surviving is a kind of resilience, but we need to move to thriving'.
Workshop participant, LGBTIQ+ Taskforce and Justice Working Group consultation

We will also build the profile and sustainability of LGBTIQ+ organisations, businesses and leaders so they can influence and lead positive change. A critical feature of this is ensuring LGBTIQ+ people have agency and Aboriginal community members can practise self-determination.

Leading by example

The Victorian public sector is an important employer of LGBTIQ+ people. About 4.4 per cent of Victorian public sector employees openly identify as LGBTIQ+². As a subgroup, 6.1 per cent of Victorian public service employees openly identify as LGBTIQ+³.

The Victorian public sector will play a role in setting the standard for inclusive and safe workplaces. The VPSC will act as a central point for all Victorian Government departments’ LGBTIQ+ inclusion and diversity policies and practices.

Signs of impact

To achieve safe, strong and sustainable LGBTIQ+ communities, LGBTIQ+ people will see their identities embraced and celebrated. Understanding of LGBTIQ+ diversity will increase – both in and between LGBTIQ+ communities, and within the broader Victorian community.

LGBTIQ+ Victorians, no matter where they live in the state, will feel safer and more confident to lead and contribute to their communities. The Victorian community support for and knowledge of LGBTIQ+ communities and diversity will grow.

To track progress, we want to see LGBTIQ+ people’s feeling of their value in society increase from the current 41.4 per cent⁴.

References

[1] Hill AO, et al. 2020, Private lives 3: the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people in Australia, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

[2] Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) 2020, The state of the public sector in Victoria: 2018–2019, State of Victoria, Melbourne.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) 2020, The health and wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer population in Victoria: findings from the Victorian Population Health Survey 2017, State of Victoria, Melbourne.

We have the vision and the reforms to deliver the LGBTIQ+ strategy and improve the lives of LGBTIQ+ Victorians. To get us there, we will work with communities to deliver on actions and keep them informed as we progress this important roadmap for change.

Roles and responsibilities

The Minister for Equality will lead the LGBTIQ+ strategy. Victorian Government ministers and their departments will work together to deliver whole-of-government actions, as well as those actions falling under their department.

The Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities will play a critical role engaging with community and representing community perspectives as we develop and deliver actions. The Commissioner will report back to community.

The Victorian Government’s LGBTIQ+ Taskforce includes LGBTIQ+ community representatives. The Taskforce will provide community advice and oversight for delivering actions and tracking outcomes.

Community

LGBTIQ+ communities’ voices and involvement are critical to the success of the strategy. We will embed their voices and contributions in the design and delivery of reforms. We will provide opportunities for community to lead the change they want to see for themselves.

Tracking outcomes

Knowing how we are tracking, where we are having an impact and where we can improve our approach is vital to realising the LGBTIQ+ strategy. We also want to build a better picture of LGBTIQ+ communities in Victoria that can feed into policy and service design.

To do this, under priority area 3 we will develop an outcomes framework. The outcomes framework will tap into existing government outcomes measures and build new data points that reflect LGBTIQ+ outcomes.

Reporting on progress

We will report each year across the strategy’s 10-year lifetime on the delivery of actions under each priority area. We will develop a dedicated LGBTIQ+ strategy webpage to keep Victorians updated on our progress, including between annual reporting periods. As it matures, the outcomes framework will provide valuable insights to report back to community.

Brotherboy and sistergirl: Aboriginal communities use these terms to describe transgender people and their relationships as a way of validating and strengthening their gender identities and relationships. Non-trans but non-conforming Aboriginal people may also use these terms. For example, both lesbian and heterosexual Aboriginal women may refer to themselves as ‘sistergirls’, ‘sisters’ or ‘tiddas’, which is an Aboriginal English term for the word ‘sisters’. Gay Aboriginal men may also refer to themselves as sisters.

Cisgender: Refers to a person whose gender corresponds with their biological sex.

Community-led: This refers to organisations, projects, programs or services led by LGBTIQ+ communities on behalf of and for LGBTIQ+ people.

Equality: This principle is about ensuring every LGBTIQ+ person has an equal chance to make the most of their lives and talents. It means that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or how they identify.

Equity: This principle builds on equality and is about ensuring just and fair inclusion for all LGBTIQ+ people and communities. An equitable society is one where everyone can take part and prosper. The goals of equity are to create conditions that allow all people to reach their full potential. These conditions must recognise that experiences, inequalities and outcomes are not the same across communities.

Gender: Part of how you understand who you are and how you interact with other people. Many people understand their gender as being a man or woman. Some people understand their gender as a mix of these or neither. A person’s gender and their expression of their gender can be shown in different ways, such as through behaviour or physical appearance.

Gender diverse: An umbrella term for a range of genders expressed in different ways. Gender diverse people use many terms to describe themselves. Language in this area is dynamic, particularly among young people, who are more likely to describe themselves as non-binary.

Inclusion: Empowering access to opportunities, dealing with structural inequalities, tackling unconscious bias to have equal access to all parts of society.

Intersectionality: This is an approach to understanding how social meanings related to the way we categorise and identify can overlap and interconnect. This creates different layers and types of discrimination or disadvantage for either an individual or group. Categories include gender, sexual orientation, sex characteristics, ethnicity, language, faith, class, socio-economic status, ability and age.

LGBTIQ+ organisations: This includes organisations, communities or businesses that are community-led. This can mean LGBTIQ+ people run them, steer their boards, or that they are known in community for offering services for LGBTIQ+ people. They are not the same as non-government organisations or mainstream services that may have completed Rainbow Tick accreditation or similar to ensure they are LGBTIQ+ inclusive.

Outcomes framework: A system to track the impact of the LGBTIQ+ strategy’s actions over time. This system will use key data to track how Victorian LGBTIQ+ outcomes change, basing it on the Victorian Outcomes Reform Statement.

People with intersex variations: An umbrella term for people born with natural variations to sex characteristics. This includes physical features relating to sex including genitalia and other sexual and reproductive parts of the person’s anatomy. It might also refer to the person’s chromosomes, hormones and secondary physical features emerging as a result of puberty. Some people with intersex variations describe themselves according to their specific intersex variation or use other context-dependent language. For example, someone may say they have Klinefelter (a common variation). Most people with intersex variations are cisgender and identify as male or female.

Sex: A person’s biological sex characteristics. We have previously understood the term ‘sex’ as either female or male.

Sex characteristics: A person’s physical features relating to sex. This includes genitalia and other sexual and reproductive parts of the person’s anatomy. It also includes the person’s chromosomes, hormones and secondary physical features emerging as a result of puberty.

Sexuality or sexual orientation: A person’s romantic or sexual attraction to others. A person’s gender does not mean they have certain sex characteristics or a particular sexuality, or vice versa.

Trans (short for transgender) person: Someone whose gender does not only align with the one assigned at birth. Not all trans people will use this term to describe themselves.