The Equality Project to give diverse queer Australians a seat at the table
Image: The team behind the Equality Project. Image: Adrian Tuazon-McCheyne
A new national organisation called plans to bring together queer advocates and advocacy groups that are often disparate in the struggle towards LGBTI equality.
Launched in Melbourne last night, the initiative is headed by Jason Tuazon-McCheyne with a diverse working group of 25 that encompasses the broad range of intersectional identities and experiences that help to form Australia鈥檚 rainbow community.
聽Acting as a gateway for groups and individuals across the country to come together and create a world in which LGBTI people are full citizens, the project鈥檚 first major endeavour will be to host a national conference in January 2018.
The biennial Better Together conference will take place a couple of days before Midsumma Carnival and will see the country鈥檚 diverse queer community come together to engage and better understand each other鈥檚 experiences and how the community can work together to achieve substantial change.
Tuazon-McCheyne said there are so many brilliant people doing great work yet most don鈥檛 know each other.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not winning arguments in the public sphere at the moment 鈥� whether it鈥檚 Safe Schools, marriage, or trans right,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all going down quickly and our political environment鈥檚 not good.
鈥淭hrough the Better Together conference we want to bring visibility, education, and relationship formations to LGBTI people and their communities.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have a strong indigenous, feminist, religion-positive, and multicultural event that鈥檚 also inclusive of the deaf community and people with disability.
鈥淚 think if we can get 1,000 people together over the two days something very special will happen.鈥�
Tuazon-McCheyne added that all the diverse members of the LGBTI community are better together.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not full citizens, none of us, and the aim of this project is to imagine a world that affirms and embraces LGBTI people as full citizens – imagine that,鈥� he said.
A member of the working group, Jacob Thomas, said they were in as soon as the idea of jumping on board was raised with them.
鈥淭he project acknowledges that the intersectionality of experience and identity in Australia is incredibly rich and wonderful,鈥� they said.
鈥淏ut what comes with these intersecting identities is recognising as individuals we may deal with minority stress in one context, but we may also be dealing with it in a myriad of other spaces.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to engage someone we can鈥檛 start from a white, privileged, cis, gay male and gaytriarchal perspective. More like 鈥� you guys can come to us and it鈥檒l be fine.鈥�
When it comes to the conference, Thomas said the greatest value will be in the knowledge imparted on the wider and more diverse community.
鈥淲e know absolutely brilliant campaigners, activists, and individuals that have done solid things for our community on a state and national level,鈥� they said.
鈥淏ut I want to make sure the Equality Project gives that learning and skill set to other people so they can take it with them on whatever projects they鈥檙e working on.鈥�
The Better Together 2018 conference will be held in the Melbourne Town Hall between January 10 – 13. You can purchase early bird tickets registration to the conference for the next two weeks.
To find out more and to register visit:
