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 LGBTIQA+ Victorians have achieved - it's clear that not everyone feels completely safe, supported and equal in this state.
LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ strategy 2022-32 strives to create a more inclusive and cohesive state, where LGBTIQA+ 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.
LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ communities.
LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ 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, LGBTIQA+ advocates have shown remarkable strength by driving change to improve the lives of all LGBTIQA+ Victorians.
Our government has been so proud to build on the legacy of LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ strategy will rally every part of the Victorian Government to do its bit in achieving LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ Communities
Victoria is leading the way in advancing the rights of LGBTIQA+ people, and as the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ Communities has been an accepted and trusted voice for LGBTIQA+ Victorians, advocating to strengthen pride and equality for our communities. During this time, a significant amount of work has been done in transforming the LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ Communities will continue to play a key role, providing advice to government on the needs and priorities of LGBTIQA+ people and the organisations that serve our communities.
As the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ strategy 2022-2032 strengthens our commitment to achieve the most significant growth for LGBTIQA+ people in Victorian history.
When we talk about LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ 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 LGBTIQA+ people and their diverse communities.
I am proud to work and partner with the Victorian Government to work towards our goal of our LGBTIQA+ communities flourishing openly and safely.
Together we must act to advance the pride in our future.
Todd Fernando
Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities
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