WHAT ARE THE DOROTHIES?
The Dorothies are Tasmania’s premier award for LGBTIQ+ inclusivity.
The awards were named after the Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon who grew up on Tasmania's west coast and went on to become a leading figure in the Uniting Church and one of Australia's most respected lesbians. The name also echoes the old term "Friend of Dorothy", used by gay people to refer to each other and taken from the Wizard of Oz.
Each year a theme or sector is nominated to be the focus of the awards.
The awards showcase best practice and inspire organisations and service deliverers to excel in providing a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians.
The 2024 Dorothies theme is
‘Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusion in Government Agencies"
2023 DOROTHIES
Working It Out held its annual International Day of Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) event in Hobart 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 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+ Inclusive Practice in Local Government
The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Nic Street, spoke about the importance of inclusion and acceptance in all areas of government and congratulated the winners of this year’s awards for the work they were doing.
The winners were:
City of Hobart for the Pioneering Change category. This award is for the role they have played over a considerable period of time in engaging with LGBTIQ+ communities and showing visible and public support when it matters.
Central Coast Council for the Most Inspiring category. This award recognises the significant change that has been seen in the northwest, from hosting anti-gay rallies in the 1990’s to publicly making amends and apologising to the community for these past events.
The Best Practice award was won by Kingborough Council and recognised their efforts in undertaking a holistic process, beginning with educating themselves and engaging the community, to developing and implementing a specific LGBTIQ+ action plan for the municipality.
The category of next year’s awards: ‘Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusion in Government Agencies’
PREVIOUS WINNERS
| YEAR | THEME | WINNER/S |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusivity in Local Government | City of Hobart (Pioneering Change category); Central Coast Council (Most Inspiring Category); Kingborough Council (The Best Practice Award) |
| 2022 | Excellence in LGBTIQ+ Inclusivity in Sport | LGBTIQ+ Sporting Organisations: Hobart Out Tennis, Queer Sporting Alliance (Joint Winners) Mainstream Organisations: Convict City Rollers (Winner) Arrogone Archers (Encouragement Award) |
| 2021 | Inclusive practices in Educational institutions | Tertiary: University of Tasmania Ally Network College: Hellyer College High School: Burnie High School and Kingston High School Primary: Taroona High School Encouragement Awards: UTAS Pride Society and Huonville High School PHE team |
| 2019 | Inclusive practice in emergency services | Tasmania Police |
| 2018 | Inclusive practice in faith-based organisations | Baptcare Tasmania |
| 2017 | Inclusive practice in mental health services | WellWays Tasmania |
| 2016 | Inclusive practice in Aged Care providers | Uniting AgeWell, Glenview Community Services |
| 2015 | Inclusive practice in medical services and practices | Sexual Health Services, Dr Geoffrey Bradshaw |
| 2014 | Inclusive practice in school communities | Ulverstone Hight School, Gagebrook Primary School, Rose Bay High School and Don College |
| 2013 | Inclusive practice in the workplace | Women’s Health Centre (small); Glenview Community Services (large) |