Gender & Sexuality
Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same.
Gender identity refers to the way in which a person understands, identifies or expresses their masculine or feminine characteristics within a particular sociocultural context. This may or may not be aligned with the person’s assigned sex at birth. Some people may identify as one gender in one setting and a different gender in another.
Sexual orientation is the nature of a person’s basic sexual and/or romantic attraction to other people.
Gender & sexuality resources
- Minus18 are champions for LGBTIQ+ youth Australia-wide. Check out their website for a multitude of resources explaining gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Intersex Human Rights Australia Ltd is a national body by and for people with intersex variations. They promote the human rights, self-determination and bodily autonomy of intersex people in Australia, and provide many resource links on their website.
- ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people and their parents. Check out their website for information on gender and sexuality
- The Australian Human Rights Commission AHRC is an independent third party which investigates complaints about discrimination and human rights breaches. For more information, go to the AHRC website.
Other organisations:
- Rainbow Health Victoria Supporting LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing
- ACON is Australia’s largest health organisation specialising in community health, inclusion and HIV responses for people of diverse sexualities and genders. Established in 1985, ACON works to create opportunities for people to live their healthiest lives.
Resources
Good Shephard – LGBTIQA+ Inclusive practice & data guide
Vincent care- Gender & sexuality inclusive practice guide
Practice considerations for making an LGBTIQA+-inclusive family violence refuge
Opening Doors: Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services
Rainbow Health Victoria Supporting LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing
Top tips for inclusive responses to LGBTIQA+ people experiencing family violence
Tip sheet to help practitioners responding to family violence provide LGBTIQA+ inclusive support Prepared with Switchboard and Safe and Equal.
Inclusive Practice Training Zoe Belle Gender Collective training helps organisations and individual practitioners provide accessible and inclusive services for trans and gender diverse (TGD) people and their families in Victoria.
Misgendering + Pronouns A guide to using inclusive language when speaking languages other than English
Inclusive communication with LGBTIQ+ clients This guide outlines why inclusive communication matters and what works to ensure inclusive communication, and supports practitioners to use this evidence in their decision making when working.
LGBTIQA+ glossary of common terms This resource sheet provides a glossary of terms for practitioners and service providers to help them to better understand the terminology and to use inclusive language in service provision.
Proud Parent A collection of references to help in creating safe spaces at home and school
Minus 18 have worked with YGender to produce an online starter pack to help support trans people around you, called Trans 101
Pride in Diversity is one of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, launched in February 2010 as the national not-for-profit employer support program for all aspects of LGBTI inclusion. The program provides advice, guidance and expertise to Australian employers nationally. Pride in Diversity supports member organisations in their pursuit of best practice, LGBTI cultural inclusivity and the attraction and retention of talent through the adoption of progressive inclusive policy, practice and behaviours. Read more about Pride Inclusion Programs Pride in Diversity offers a series of publications that are available in PDF format to their members via their members-only portal, and hard copies can be purchased via their online shop
Titles include:
- LGBTI Domestic & Family Violence – A guide to best practice for workplace policy
- Employers’ Guide to Intersex Inclusion
- Count Me In Mini Ally Guide
The Australian Sex Discrimination Act 1984 makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. The AHRC’s Face the Facts resource sheets offer accurate and easy to understand information on this and other key areas of the Commission’s work.