Darwin Pride Festival – committee election

Darwin Pride Festival Darwin Pride Festival is organising a refreshed committee for 2015. The Pride Festival has a long history of delivering high quality fun and inclusive events in Darwin that celebrate the LGBTIQ community. If you want to get involved now or during the year, get in touch or attend its upcoming meeting.

Latest OUT NT Newsletter: New year, new territory

Newsletter 3 header v0.1

Latest OUT NT Newsletter, please subscribe and share. Some highlights:

  • Darwin’s first Mardi Gras float at full capacity & Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser
  • Darwin Pride Festival upcoming community meeting
  • Rainbow Territory: reflecting on achievement and planning for action

Link to newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bcogbj

Transgenderism in the Northern Territory Online Survey: Summary of Results

To date, little to no research has been conducted on the health and wellbeing status of transgender Northern Territorians. Research which has been conducted on the health and wellbeing status of transgender Australians rarely, if ever, includes Northern Territorians.

In mid-2014, Dr Stephen Kerry, a researcher at Charles Darwin University, conducted an online survey as part of the first phase of a research project on the health and wellbeing of transgender Northern Territorians.

In total 9 people completed the survey. The following outlines some of the key features of their responses.

Continue reading “Transgenderism in the Northern Territory Online Survey: Summary of Results”

Equality rally at NT parliament draws over 40 attendees in thunder and lightning

Approximately 40 LGBTIQ peoples and their allies gathered on the steps of Parliament House in Darwin today to promote awareness and raise visibility of the ongoing inequalities experienced by LGBTIQ peoples entrenched in Northern Territory law organised by newly formed community group Rainbow Territory.

Despite the thunder and torrential downpour, the steps of Parliament House were awash with Rainbow flags, festivities and cakes. This was a welcome sight to visiting politicians who dropped by for a slice of cake and conversation with rally attendees.

Rainbow Territory spokesperson, Daniel Alderman said that while homophobic, transphobia and other forms of violence against LGBTIQ peoples, at present, have lost the intensity they once had violence remains an ongoing issue and threat in the Territory.

“LGBTIQ peoples like other people of difference continue to be subjected to verbal and at times physical abuse. This is further acerbated by the inadequate understanding and fair consideration of homophobia by the Northern Territory police”

Jane Black, Rainbow Territory member considered the many domains of inequalities entrenched in Northern Territory law.

“At present the Northern Territory law discriminates against LGBTIQ peoples in over six places. Rainbow Territory and the LGBTIQ people and their allies here in the Territory will continue to advocate for legal change within the Northern Territory until equality in the law is established”

“We will continue to be here families, friends, partners, pets in tow to advocate for change. Our rainbows, cakes a presence serve as a constant reminder that LGTIQ people are an important part of the territory and are thus as deserving of equality in the law as any other member of the community”

Rainbow Territory is an unfunded Northern Territory community group that advocate for the human rights of Northern Territorians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (‘LGBTIQ’). Rainbow Territory since its formation in September 2014 have developed www.outnt.info an online platform for community development, consulted with the Human Rights Commissioner, and provided recommendations pertaining to the Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Plan.

Equality Rally 25 November 2014

Rainbow Territory is holding an equality rally, and invites the LGBTQI community and its supporters to join. Please bring a rug to sit on, rainbow paraphernalia and a plate to share… and an umbrella just in case.

Time: 5-7pm
Day: Tuesday 25 November
Where: Speaker’s Green, Parliament House, Darwin
What: Speakers, cake stall, giant rainbow flag, DIY Rainbow, launch of outnt.info website, launch of community survey

The OUT NT website provides NT relevant LGBTQI news, events, community resources, an outline of discrimination laws, and links to report homophobia.

The community survey is an opportunity for LGBTQI people in the NT to tell Rainbow Territory what is important to them. This will inform Rainbow Territory’s work in 2015.

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/734877299899967/?fref=ts

Formed in September 2014, Rainbow Territory is an unfunded Northern Territory community group that advocates for the human rights of Northern Territorians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer.

Purpose of the website initiative

In order to improve community connection and visibility, a website sub committee was formed within Rainbow Territory. The main objective being to build a website that provides information to Territorians, and allows people to self organise. It also provides a platform for Rainbow Territory to inform NT and beyond about what is happening and what is on the agenda for change.