Content warning: discussion of discrimination and harassment towards LGBTIQA+ community. 

Background

Councils and youth organisations are experiencing an increase in targeted attacks against LGBTIQA+ events from small, but vocal, parts of the community.

These incidents are impacting council meetings, and more importantly, are intentionally disrupting LGBTIQA+ events across Victoria, ultimately aiming to suppress the voices and expression of LGBTIQA+ people in our communities.

LGBTIQA+ young people deserve safe spaces where they can connect with their community, celebrate their pride, and showcase positive representations of LGBTIQA+ identities. When LGBTIQA+ events are cancelled, young people’s mental health and wellbeing is negatively impacted as the opportunity for community connection is taken from them.

So far, the Victorian Government hasn’t provided any clear solutions to address the impact of growing discrimination against LGBTIQA+ communities has on event cancellations. Councils and organisations have had to come up with their own processes, and make sure that LGBTIQA+ young people can continue to access spaces where they can express and celebrate themselves safe from harm.

While you need to consider risks when planning events, it’s important to note the positive impact connecting with community has on LGBTIQA+ people's mental health and wellbeing. Opportunities to advocate for LGBTIQA+ issues, connect with older generations of LGBTIQA+ people, and a sense of belonging are all associated with resilience and wellbeing in LGBTIQA+ adults.1

Below are some ideas and resources to help you stay safe and continue to support the LGBTIQA+ community during this time. These were collected at a recent Youth Participation Practice Network (YPPN) meeting which included young people.

How to protect the welfare of LGBTIQA+ young people

  • Share limited information about the event through safe channels. You may be able to promote information about what the event is, and have a call to action for people to contact your organisation for more information. This way you can monitor who is registering for the event.  

  • Don’t disclose event locations publicly – only share this with ticketholders 24-48 hours before the event. 

  • Ensure registration forms for events have relevant attendee contact information. You can contact registrations which may seem suspicious or not relevant to your event (e.g. an adult registered for a youth event).   

  • Turn off comments on LGBTIQA+ focused social media posts to minimise exposure to hate speech, especially if your staff have limited capacity to monitor comments. 

  • Consider the significance of an event to the participants before cancelling. Prioritise and don’t compromise the safety of young people and workers involved but avoid giving in to pressure caused by outside hate where you can, as event cancellations negatively impact LGBTIQA+ young people’s mental health and wellbeing. 

  • Consider avoiding explicitly advertising events as LGBTIQA+ so they don’t appear first when people look for them in search engines. 

  • Where you have consent from the young people involved, notify parents or carers if your organisation or event has received threats or harassment. 

Practical ways to support your workplace

  • Create an internal record of phone numbers and other contact information of those calling to harass and leave hateful messages. Consider giving each number a risk rating and make the list available to all employees. You can also contact local police to help monitor your comments sections which protects workers from exposure to discrimination, and will keep police informed of any potential threats to your event.  

  • Consider informing local Police with key details of the event. Many LGBTIQA+ community members have a challenging relationship and history with law enforcement so consider where and how to best inform and include them. LGBTIQA+ Liaison Officers (LLOs) can be contacted to attend events in plain clothes or uniform- remember to inform attendees about police presence and what the role of the police will be.  

  • Develop a risk assessment plan with and for young people, staff and volunteers for all LGBTIQA+ events. Use these plans if contacting police with concerns/security requests. 

  • Inform all participating services for your event of the risk assessment plan. Remember decisions about when and how to procced with an LGBTIQA+ event are best made by all parties concerned and not just one agency or external organisation, regardless of how well meaning it may appear. 

  • Ensure your organisation has an effective Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) in place which is accessible to all staff. Prioritise EAPs that support LGBTIQA+ people and allies and provides coaching and debriefing, for example the Pride EAP. Staff can also ask that their employer’s existing EAP gives them the option of having an LGBTIQA+ experienced counsellor.

  • Offer additional support, supervision and counselling for all employees and teams. Consider organising opportunities for check-ins before events and a debrief with all staff after events. 

#CountUsIn

Without accurate data on the population of LGBTIQA+ in Australia, the rainbow community will continue to be underfunded and under resourced, resulting in fewer inclusive events and services. Equality Australia are calling on the Australian Government to #CountUsin the 2026 Census, by including questions about LGBTIQ+ identity.  

Read more and sign the petition. 

Resources

  • The Healthy Equal Youth (HEY) initiative, coordinated by YACVic brings together a network of partner organisations, known as the HEY Partners who provide peer support, referrals, community visibility, celebration and education. Our Vision is that LGBTIQA+ young people in Victoria have their rights upheld, and they are safe, empowered and celebrated. 

  • Rainbow Ready roadmap from the Victorian Government provides resources for ensuring LGBTIQA+ inclusion when planning programs and events. 

  • Alltogether Now runs training that helps you identify suspicious communications from hate groups and gives you ideas for how to respond to young people seeking support. 

  • Writing Themselves In 4 report from La Trobe University is the largest national study exploring the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ young people in Australia. It outlines the impact of stigma and discrimination, and provides information on places LGBTIQA+ young people can turn to in times of need. 

Places to go for support

References

  1. Bourne, A. Writing Themselves in 4: Victoria Summary Report. Victoria (AU): Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University; 2020.