Hundreds of Tasmanians refused to let thunder and rain dampen their rainbow spirits today at the annual TasPride march through Hobart.
With equal marriage now a reality in Australia, there was much to celebrate but as the rally heard from LGBTI young people and advocates today, discrimination, misunderstanding and exclusion remain a daily reality.
The Greens have developed a $5 million plan to help foster a truly inclusive Tasmania for LGBTI people, with funding for a public awareness campaign and increased mental health services in regional areas.
With LGBTI people up to 75% more likely to suffer depression or anxiety and almost half of all transgender people attempting suicide at some point in their lives, we will also re-establish the LGBTI specific suicide prevention strategy which was launched by a Greens' Minister in 2013 then de-funded by the Liberals in 2014.
Scrapping the strategy was inexcusable. This program can quite literally save lives and we are committed to its re-establishment.
The Greens will also move to ban cruel and harmful 'conversion therapies which have been condemned by the Australian Psychological Society and the United Nations, and are illegal in the U.S.
We will also again move to ensure loving couples are not forced to divorce when one is transgender and applies to change their birth certificate, as they are currently under state law. The Hodgman Liberals refused to support our push to change this nasty law in Parliament earlier this year so, we'll be back in the next term.
As part of our plan, we'll also increase funding into evidence based sexual health education in schools, to ensure young LGBTI students receive the knowledge and support they need to make informed choices.
On behalf of every LGBTI Tasmanian, we hope all parties follow the Greens' lead and, at this election, put forward the kind of policies that will make a real difference across the Tasmanian
