As a Greens MP, the recognition and equal treatment of people with diverse genders and sexualities is important to me. In Parliament in 2018 I proudly voted to abolish “forced divorce”, where married trans people could not change their legal gender without getting divorced. In my speech at the time, I urged the Government to do more to recognise LGBT+ people.
In 2021, I sponsored a petition by Maiwar local Esther Vale to reform the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act in order to recognise and protect LGBTQ+ people, including removing surgery requirements to update your gender on a birth certificate and recognising genders other than male or female. In 2022 I also sponsored a petition by local resident Sel to remove transphobic and anti-sex worker provisions in our Anti-Discrimination laws.
I’m incredibly proud to say these petitions were successful and the reforms have now been introduced - but there’s still more to do.
Queer people still face significant barriers to accessing life-saving healthcare, and are at greater risk of poverty, housing insecurity and violence. Our laws are also inadequate to protect LGBTQ+ from discrimination by religious institutions like schools.
I’m really proud to have worked on campaigns alongside the LGBTQ+ community since being elected. If there’s something you’d like to see to improve the safety and livelihoods of queer people, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I’ll see how I can help.