The March Towards Equality Continues
Image: Image: Facebook
By Alex Greenwich
Together, let’s make 2023 the year to remove all remaining discrimination of LGBTIQA+ communities and achieve holistic equality.
We are welcoming the world to New South Wales for Sydney WorldPride, and with a state election just 3 weeks after the closing ceremony we have never had a better platform for progress.
Over the last 40 years, we have broken down many barriers for LGBTIQA+ people to create a brighter future for younger generations. But not all barriers have been removed with discrimination still embedded in a number of laws.
The recently released NSW Government LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy demonstrates the health and mental health impacts discrimination continues to have on our communities.
A Comprehensive Equality Bill
This is not acceptable and I will introduce an “Equality Bill” – a comprehensive omnibus bill to address all legislative barriers to LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing.
I plan to incorporate in the one bill legislation to ensure access to gender affirming state documentation, a model for consent in medical procedures on people with intersex variations, removal of targeted discrimination including in schools, and a ban conversion practices.
Protects The Dignity of Trans and Gender Diverse People
In addition, my recent community consultation on the Equality Bill will now see it Protect the dignity of trans and gender diverse people in body searches, decriminalise the sex industry, make government agency forms more inclusive and Protect the rights of children born out of surrogacy.
Blaq, the peak NGO for First Nations LGBTIQA+ people reports that data on their communities is inadequate to ensure that First Nations LGBTIQA+ people are accessing mainstream services or to determine how to establish the most useful targeted services. The bill will also mandate government agencies to report on this data.
It is my hope that the Equality Bill will modernise New South Wales laws to provide full equality for LGBTIQA+ communities.
Let’s make 2023 the year of full LGBTIQA+ equality.
Alex Greenwich is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Sydney since 2012.
