QLD sets up LGBTI panel
A consultative panel will be set up to help the Queensland Government better respond to LGBTI issues.
Community Services Minister Karen Struthers has put out a call for four members of the community to join the 10-member panel which will hold a roundtable discussion in 2012.
鈥淭he Bligh Government is committed to ensuring LGBTI people have a bright future in Queensland,鈥� Struthers said in a statement.
鈥淭he LGBTI roundtable ensures government better responds to the needs of all people including LGBTI communities.
鈥淲e need representation from all reaches of the diverse LGBTI community on our roundtable – all sexual orientations, all ages and all backgrounds.
鈥淎 great deal of valuable work has already been done by the roundtable, including identifying ways to reduce suicide and self-harm in LGBTI communities.鈥�
Struthers encouraged applications from people who identify as bisexual or intersex, as well as applications from young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
鈥淭his is an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people,鈥� she said.
The move comes just weeks after the Bligh Government passed legislation to allow same-sex couples of enter into civil union partnerships in the state.
INFO: Nominations close on Friday, February 17 2012. Application packages can be downloaded from
Good to see intersex being added to this now, although I do hope that the Minister understands that intersex is by its very nature a range of biological variations in sex and not an “identity”, although it can also be an identity to some intersex people.
Intersex is not a matter of identity politics and any attempt to force into that mould should be strongly resisted – intersex people have never managed to gain any degree of equality, human rights or protection against discrimination under the identity politics banner.