10 February, 2022 – It’s been a difficult few weeks, particularly for trans young people and queer people of faith, as our lives have once again been the subject of intense media scrutiny and political debate.
But, in promising news, today we’ve had a win.
Together, our efforts have stopped the Religious Discrimination Bill becoming law, and we hope for good.
When our community started talking about the impacts of the Religious Discrimination Bill back in 201 9, it sometimes felt like no one was listening.
Together, we’ve put these issues on the national agenda, and built a powerful movement united by a simple principle – that our laws must protect all of us, equally. LGBTIQ+ people, women, people of faith, multicultural communities and people with disability came together with hundreds of thousands of supporters unions and businessin opposition to laws that would take us backwards.
The Morrison Government today is reported to have shelved its dangerous, divisive Bill indefinitely after five government MPs crossed the floor and joined Labor, the Greens and the crossbench to vote against the Government and in support of trans and gay kids.
It’s uncertain what the future of the Religious Discrimination Bill will be, but for now our community should take heart from this incredible result. Every single one of us, no matter who we are, whom we love or what we believe, deserves to live with dignity and respect.
Today we reflect on how far we’ve come, tomorrow, we’ll continue to work until we are all equal.
From Anna Brown and the team at Equality Australia.