Out Gay Sydney MP Alex Greenwich To Introduce LGBT Equality Bill In NSW Parliament
Image: Sydney Independent Alex Greenwich. Image: Facebook
Out gay Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich on Thursday notified NSW Parliament about his intention to introduce an omnibus LGBTQI Equality Bill.
In the works for over 18 months, Greenwich had before the state elections said that his support for the government would be based upon their backing for his Equality legislation.
“Proud and historic day for me today, as I give notice of the LGBTIQA+ Equality Bill. This bill has been the result of 18 months of consultation and drafting and I’m looking forward to working with my parliamentary colleagues to modernise our laws and advance equality for LGBTQIA+ people in NSW,” Greenwich said in a social media post.
“New South Wales has some of the strongest LGBTIQA+ communities in the country, is home to Mardi Gras, and hosted the international Sydney WorldPride event, yet we are behind other states and territories when it comes to LGBTIQA+ rights,” Greenwich said in a statement.
“We have the most restrictive laws in the country for transgender people trying to get accurate identity documents, surgeries on intersex infants proceed without a framework for consent, and harmful LGBTQ conversion practices are permitted.”
The Sydney MP said he will work with the Chris Minns Labor government and his Parliamentary colleagues to further the LGBTQI law reforms.
NSW Has Failed To Progress To Full LGBTQI Equality
National LGBTQI advocacy group Equality Australia called on NSW Parliament to support the law reforms that will help NSW catch up with other states and “remove legal discrimination” against LGBTQI persons.
“NSW is the state where the trailblazing 78ers bravely stepped out of the bars and into the streets in protest for the first Sydney Mardi Gras but we have failed to progress full equality for LGBTIQ+ people and right now we are falling behind the rest of the nation,” Brown said.
“LGBTQA+ conversion practices remain legal in NSW and religious schools and other organisations can still discriminate against LGBTQ+ students, teachers and people accessing services.”
Three Separate Bills To Be Introduced In NSW Parliament
“Intersex people still don’t have a say about medical procedures performed on their bodies and NSW is one of the last remaining states where trans and gender diverse people face cruel and unnecessary barriers when accessing ID documents that recognise them for who they are,” said Brown.
Greenwich’s proposed equality legislation has three separate bills, that include a ban on conversion practices, allowing trans and non-binary people over the age of 16 to update their gender on state identification without undergoing surgery, and protecting intersex people from unnecessary medical interventions without their consent.
