The ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner is responsible for promoting inclusion in the ACT, and handles complaints of unlawful discrimination in sport, including someone being treated unfavourably because of their gender identity, sex and sexuality…
Intersections Stream
As members of our respective communities we are more than two dimensional beings. We have many intersections across sexuality, gender, bodies, relationships, Indigeneity, disability, religion, language and culture, just to name a few.
This stream invites presentations, workshops and activities that explore how these intersections affect our lives, particularly our mental and physical health. It offers a space to share knowledge and practice-based evidence that will help educate and inform in order to improve our services, our communities and ourselves. It also provides us with the opportunity to reveal more about the lived experiences of our communities than the common population-wide studies that make invisible so many aspects of our lives.
Beyond an intersex 101: disorders, bodies and identities
A world-first parliamentary report on intersex health was published in 2013, and in the same year, “intersex status” was added to federal anti-discrimination legislation. As the same time, understanding of intersex health and human rights issues remains low, even within “LGBTI” communities. Nationally, very few people with intersex variations are public about their intersex status, for reasons that include stigma, and legacies of shame and clinical secrecy…
Exploring bodies, genders and relationships within Indigenous Australian communities
Indigenous people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, sistergirl or brotherboy have significantly poorer health outcomes than their peers. This is due to experiences of discrimination and exclusion that impact on their ability to participate fully in their communities, culture, education and employment and increases their risk of poor mental health, drug and alcohol misuse and suicide…
The Invisibility of Sexual and Gender Diversity in ACT Schools
In 2014 SHFPACT embarked on a research project to evaluate the impact of their educational puberty sessions on the Canberra Grammar School Community. In addition to highlighting the efficacy of their puberty program, the research provided insight into areas where action and information are sorely lacking in health education. One particular area is sexual and gender diversity…
‘Developing a Web of Sustainability: Connect, Collaborate, Learn.’ SSCACT’s Best Practice Consortium Model
The ACT has recently joined the Safe Schools Coalition Australia. SSCA is dedicated to making schools safer and more inclusive for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse young people…
“It won’t work here”: The challenges and opportunities delivering Safe Schools Coalition in diverse communities
Safe Schools Coalition Australia is a national program dedicated to supporting gender diversity, sexual diversity, and intersex status in schools. But what happens when these types of difference intersect with diverse languages, cultures, and religions? …