We’re on the verge of a huge win for the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people, that will actually save lives – but we’re at a critical point, and urgently need your help to get this over the line.
Next week, the Victorian Upper House will debate a Bill that would ban damaging LGBTQ+ conversion practices. If this Bill passes, it will protect countless people from enduring practices which seek to suppress or change people’s sexuality or gender identity.
This Bill has the support of the Government, the Greens, the Reason Party and Animal Justice Party – but the Liberal Opposition Leader and key cross bench MPs are yet to declare their hand.
Intel from these parties is telling us that the Australian Christian Lobby has been flooding the inboxes of Liberal and cross bench MPs, telling them to block the Bill.
That’s why we urgently need your help. Will you write now asking them to support the Bill? They need to know that there is widespread community support for this Bill, before it goes to debate next week.
This Bill would protect so many people from conversion practices that causes them to hate who they are and live with lifelong trauma. As conversion practice survivor Leah says;
“This bill will not take away the harmful practices done in the past, nor will it remove the pain that survivors have carried – but it will work to ensure that LGBTIQ people of faith will not continue to suffer the level of increased mental illness and suicidal ideation that results from such practices.”
This really is going to come down to the wire. We need a final push to get this life-saving reform over the line, and we don’t have much time.
Not sure what to say? Here are a few tips:
- Be concise
- Give personal reasons to explain why this issue is important to you
- Always be polite
- You don’t need to add the salutation for the decision makers – it will be added automatically, so you can just start writing your message!
Not in Victoria? You can still help end LGBTQ+ conversion in Australia. Show your support for banning these harmful practices everywhere.
See our breakdown of key points of this bill below.
- Prohibits a wide range of harmful practices informed by the view that sexual orientation and gender identity can or should be changed or suppressed and facilitates education and consent-based facilitation to end those practices
- Enables the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to investigate serious or systemic practices directed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation and gender identity
- Criminalises those practices that result in injury or serious injury, as well as advertising of conversion practices
- Introduces new protections for people born with intersex variations and non-binary people in anti-discrimination laws, and updates existing definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity