Working It Out held its annual International Day of Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) event in both Hobart and Burnie this year.
IDAHOBIT is an annual reminder of the impact that discrimination, isolation and abuse still has on the lives of LGBTIQ+ people both locally and globally.
Discrimination, isolation and abuse leads to much poorer health and wellbeing outcomes for LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians than the broader population, fewer people participating in sport and fewer people accessing necessary services.
At the other end of the spectrum, the event also celebrated the work that is happening in our community to make this a better world for LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians via ‘the Dorothies’ Awards.
The theme for this year’s awards was: Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusivity in Sport
The Minister for Sport and Recreation, Hon. Nic Street, spoke about the importance of inclusion and acceptance in encouraging all people to stay active and healthy.
He congratulated the winners of this year’s awards for the work they were doing.
As Minister for Local Government, Hon. Nic Street also announced the category of next year’s awards: ‘Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusion in Local Government’.
Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) President, Australian Local Government Association of Australia Vice President and West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl welcomed Working It Out’s announcement.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight work the local government sector is doing to increase diversity and inclusion in the community,” Mayor Holmdahl said.
“Strong and effective councils reflect the diverse communities they serve.
“That’s why we must do all we can to encourage and empower people from diverse backgrounds, genders, and ages to stand for their community in the upcoming local government elections,” she said.