International Policy
As a member of the global LGBTIQ+ movement, Equality Australia supports our overseas counterparts, especially in the Pacific and Asia.
Progress on LGBTIQ+ equality is possible. Recently we’ve seen decriminalisation of homosexuality in the Cook Islands and Singapore, and marriage equality in Thailand.
These steps forward were achieved through the leadership of local LGBTIQ+ people, with support from their local and international allies.
Despite these examples of progress, LGBTIQ+ people in the Asia-Pacific face grave challenges. Countries in this region are home to some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws.
21 Asia-Pacific nations criminalise consensual same-sex relations and trans or gender diverse people in 32 countries are unable to update their name and/or gender marker on official documents.
Only a few nations have LGBTIQ+ anti-discrimination protections, meaning people face exclusion and discrimination at schools and workplaces, in hospitals, homes or on the street.
There has also been an increase in anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric and a rollback of equality gains across the region, with political attacks gaining momentum driven by the global anti-gender movement.
Despite this, funding for the movement remains limited.
The Pacific and Asia receive some of the lowest levels of funding of any region, with recent severe funding cuts exacerbating the situation and threatening the existence of many LGBTIQ+ organisations.
As a national organisation in a wealthy country like Australia, we are uniquely placed to achieve positive impact for our global movement and in the often neglected Pacific and Asia regions.
Our priorities:
- Increasing Australian government funding and advocacy for LGBTIQ+ rights, in partnership with Global Philanthropy Project
- Building support for LGBTIQ+ issues among Australian human rights and aid organisations working overseas
- Amplifying the priorities of the Pacific and Asian LGBTIQ+ movement in global and regional institutions
- Engaging with the Australian public to build understanding of international LGBTIQ+ issues, and of how Australia and Australians can contribute
- Undertaking research and monitoring and documenting the LGBTIQ+ rights situation in countries around the region, where needed by our local counterparts
How we work:
- We support our local counterparts, who understand their own contexts and know how best to make progress.
- We seek to align the approaches of other actors, such as international aid agencies, behind the leadership of local LGBTIQ+ movements.
- Our Australian government advocacy is delivered in partnership with LGBTIQ+ peak organisations at regional level in the Pacific and Asia.
Partnering with Pride: The case for Australian action on equality in our region.
In 2023 Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong announced Australia’s first ever dedicated strategy and fund for international LGBTIQ+ equality.
The government’s announcement followed the launch of the Partnering with Pride report, produced by Equality Australia, the Global Philanthropy Project (GPP) and a coalition of Asia and Pacific regional partner organisations. our region.
