Complaints

LGBTIQ

Rights Talk: Author and LGBTI Advocate Casey Legler

Olympian, LGBTI advocate, trauma survivor, model, restauranteur and now successful author – it is little wonder Casey Legler described their life as “containing multiple lives” in a wide-ranging discussion with Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins at a Rights Talk event hosted in partnership with King & Wood Mallesons.

Casey read extracts from Godspeed, a poetic and wild memoir of life as a teenage swimmer making a splash at international meets, competing for France in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and subsequently battling addiction and self-harm.

Intersex Awareness Day 2018

Intersex Awareness Day on October 26 was created by the global intersex movement to share personal stories and histories and to promote the rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics.

The United Nations Free & Equal campaign explains ‘intersex people are born with sex characteristics … that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies’.

While there is limited data, researchers estimate as much as 1.7 per cent of the population is born with a variation in sex characteristics.

Project explores rights of Australians born with variations in sex characteristics

The Australian Human Rights Commission is examining how best to protect the human rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics.

The project will learn about the experiences of people born with bodies that do not meet the medical or social norms of male or female bodies and the impact of medical interventions on their wellbeing.

Currently, there are no national guidelines or legislation on the management of people born with variations in sex characteristics in Australia.

Five years of federal protections for LGBTI Australians

Today marks five years of federal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in Australia.

These protections were included in the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 on 1 August 2013 and prohibit discrimination in areas of public life like employment, education, the provision of goods and services, and the administration of federal laws and programs.

They were introduced following years of public advocacy by the LGBTI community, civil society organisations and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Background and terminology

Friday 13 July, 2018

Protecting the human rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics in the context of medical interventions

Background

Terminology

Tuesday 3 July, 2018

The Australian Human Rights Commission recognises that respect for individuality impacts on a person’s self-worth and inherent dignity. The use of inclusive terminology respects individuality and enables visibility of important issues.

The Commission supports the right of people to identify their sexual orientation and gender identity as they choose. The Commission also recognises that terminology is strongly contested, particularly terminology to describe gender identity and intersex variations.

Brotherboys, sistergirls and LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Tuesday 3 July, 2018

Brotherboys, sistergirls and other LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a number of significant and intersecting points of discrimination and marginalisation in Australia.

The Commission’s Resilient Individuals: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex Rights report considered the intersecting issues of racism, homophobia and transphobia faced by these communities. No information was received about intersex issues.

Participants involved in consultations for the report raised some of the following issues:

LGBT older people

Tuesday 3 July, 2018

Older people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or gender diverse or intersex can face particular issues later in life, especially in accessing safe and inclusive aged care services.

The Commission has highlighted some of these concerns in previous reports.*

The Resilient Individuals: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex Rights report raised the following concerns:

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

It was 28 years ago today that homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organization’s list of diseases.

We rightly celebrate that historic moment of progress. But we should also remember that trans and gender diverse experiences, and intersex variations, remain listed as disorders, perpetuating stigma and other barriers to health.

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) recognises the current and historical discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Consultation process

Friday 20 April, 2018

Protecting the human rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics in the context of medical interventions

The Commission is seeking input about personal experiences of medical interventions and suggestions for changes to clinical practices and legal frameworks to best protect human rights.

There are different ways you can be involved: 1) make a written submission to the project, and 2) express interest in participating in a face-to-face consultation.