LGBTIQA+ community
The City of Kingston proudly supports our LGBTIQA+ community members. We acknowledge and celebrate people of diverse sex characteristics, gender identities and expression, and sexual orientations – including LGBTIQA+ families and relationships.
Rainbow Local Government Pledge
City of Kingston has committed to achieving the Rainbow Local Government Pledge, including:
- obtaining Rainbow Tick accreditation
- establishing an LGBTIQA+ advisory committee
- developing an LGBTIQA+ action plan
- flying the rainbow flag
- participating in the annual Pride March.
Rainbow Tick Accreditation
In 2021, Council resolved to complete the Rainbow Local Government Commitments, one of which was to undertake Rainbow Tick Accreditation to create LGBTIQA+ inclusive and culturally safe spaces for Kingston employees in our work environments and community members accessing our many services.
As a result, key deliverables have been outlined to seek Rainbow Tick Accreditation for our Youth Services.
Key pieces of work include:
- educating our staff in Youth Services and other areas about LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice and awareness
- engaging with our LGBTIQA+ communities regularly to ensure program design and service delivery is LGBTIQA+ inclusive and meets the needs of LGBTIQA+ people
- performing policy and procedure reviews, identifying opportunities to create LGBTIQA+ inclusion for our people and community.
To find out more about Rainbow Tick Accreditation, visit the Rainbow Health Australia website.
Access and Equity Advisory Committee
The Access and Equity Advisory Committee has been established to provide advice to the City of Kingston in relation to access and equity issues within the community.
The Committee works towards a sustainable, equal and more inclusive community with a focus on people with disabilities, cultural diversity, gender equality, family violence, gambling, seniors and LGBTIQA+ communities.
The Committee takes an intersectional approach to help understand how inequality can be compounded by other forms of disadvantage or discrimination that a person may experience based on specific attributes or identities (e.g. cultural identity, gender, sexuality, disability, economic status).
To find out more, visit our committees and networks page.
LGBTIQA+ Action Plan
Council’s Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-25 provides the strategic framework for activities undertaken to improve health and wellbeing in the Kingston community.
Council develops an Annual Health Plan Action Plan that includes numerous actions aimed to improve access and inclusion for the LGBTIQA+ community.
Previous actions have included:
- holding a movie event for young LGBTIQA+ people and their allies to acknowledge International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)
- showing the All Aboard exhibition (featuring entries from the competition to design the 2023 Yarra Trams Pride Tram) at G3 Artspace during Seniors Festival
- delivering Breaking Barriers workshops to sport, foreshore and active recreation clubs to build inclusive practice and help create safe, welcoming and affirming club environments.
Flying the Rainbow Flag
The City of Kingston flies the Rainbow Flag at Kingston City Hall to acknowledge and celebrate LGBTIQA+ dates of significance, including:
- the annual Midsumma Festival (January/February)
- International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) (17 May).
Midsumma Pride March
City of Kingston participates in the annual Midsumma Pride March (held in February) and our contingent continues to grow every year. The City of Kingston is typically represented by Councillors, Senior Executive, employees and community members, alongside friends and families of Kingston.
Our Youth Services and LGBTIQA+ Inclusion
Kingston Youth Services is a free, confidential and non-judgemental service. Our Youth Service staff work with young people (aged 12 – 25) who live, work, study and play in the City of Kingston.
They can help with accessing information, support and referrals on a range of issues, including those experienced by LGBTIQA+ young people.
They develop, promote and run programs, activities, and events while also providing counselling and individual supports.
Young people are encouraged to access specific programs and/or groups relevant to them, such as Queer in Kingston (12 – 17 years) or Pride Connect (18 – 25 years) which provide safe and supportive social spaces for young LGBTIQA+ people.
Our Youth Services team is well underway working towards Rainbow Tick Accreditation by having trained all staff in LGBTIQA+ Inclusive practice and awareness, reviewing their services for LGBTIQA+ inclusion opportunities and engaging with LGBTIQA+ young people in the development of programs and events.
Kingston’s Youth Services is also a member of the Welcome Here Project whereby they promote their environment and programs as LGBTIQA+ welcoming and inclusive. This is made known to young people accessing Kingston’s Youth Services through the display of the Welcome Here sticker and charter on site and through the standard of service and cultural safety delivered by staff.
To find out more about Kingston’s Youth Services, or to get involved, visit their webpage.
A Note on Language
LGBTIQA+ includes but is not limited to people who identify as/are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual or aromantic and more (+).
While we strive to be inclusive and mindful in the way we use language, we also understand that we may not always be able to achieve this. We acknowledge that:
- inclusive language is evolving and dynamic. As our lived experiences change, so does the language we use to describe ourselves.
- the labels we use may not cover the breadth of all people’s lived experiences and we apologise for any unintended negative impact.
- we may not always get it right, but we are committed to being open to change, listening to experiences and continuing to learn to best represent our community and their diversity.