Updated 12th March 2024
OUR BLOOD IS SAFE - LIFEBLOOD NEEDS TO KNOW
Australia was the first nation to remove a lifetime ban on blood donation for gay and bisexual men, and trans women (GBmTw) who have sex with men, in favour of a 12-month abstinence deferral period, which was subsequently reduced to a 3-month deferral. Australia, however, has since fallen behind like-minded countries. The UK, US, and Canada have removed deferral periods based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In these countries, all prospective donors are screened with the same questions, a process referred to as Individual Risk Assessment (IRA).
Read more about our campaign and sign our petition here...
Past actions:
Updated April 18th 2024
The 2021 Census excluded LGBTIQA+ people. This will perpetuate the invisibility of a significant part of the population.
Just.Equal presented this community statement to the Parliament. The ABS has since committed to counting LGBTIQA+ people in the Census.
The addition of three simple questions will solve that, allowing problems like stigma, discrimination and lack of services to be better addressed.
The petition is no longer active but can be viewed here for information.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILL
After tireless advocacy and lobbying by groups including Just.Equal, this draft law was withdrawn.
Just-Equal Australia supports the notion of ensuring religious freedom, but we oppose any legislation that seeks to enshrine religious privilege.
Legislation to protect people of faith from discrimination should be a shield and not a sword.
However, the Bill which has been drafted, re-drafted and is still under consideration by the federal government offers people of faith extraordinary privilege to discriminate against those they don’t like.
This will overwhelmingly be to the disadvantage of LGBTI people, but also to women, people with disability, unmarried couples, people from minority faiths and more.
It is the biggest attack on anti-discrimination protections in our nation’s history and it grew out of religious opposition to marriage equality in 2017.
Freedom of religion does not mean having the right to discriminate against others in the name of religion.
Just-Equal has been educating the public and lobbying federal MPs on the nasty elements in the Bill and urging them to vote against it.
In September 2021, we sent a 12 page brochure to every MP and senator spelling out the four (4) main areas of harm that would be caused if the Bill passed. We continue to lobby MPs against this Bill.
Read our brochure here
Updated 18th April 2024
Save Clara's OAM
This petition has been presented.
Dr Clara Soo has written to the Governor General surrendering her OAM after discovering Margaret Court is set to be elevated further than her AO to Australia's highest honour. Clara is outraged that the Honour's Council would promote such a divisive campaigner against the inclusion and equal access to law.
Please sign our petition calling on the Governor General to review the standards and processes of the Council so that we reserve our greatest honour for Australian role models for us all. Dr Clara Soo shouldn't have to return her Order of Australia.
Sign here.
If you have previously received an honour you may want to sign our Open Letter, here.
Updated 18th April 2024
We want to see LGBTQ+ conversion practices made unlawful in Tasmania
This petition was presented. Just.Equal continues to work with Tasmanian advocates to ensure the state adopts gold-standard legislation against conversion practices.
We have an opportunity to contribute to the campaign to make it so. We know:
- Conversion practices continue to occur in Tasmania.
- These practices create profound distress, trauma and harm to those they are inflicted on, and have resulted in self-loathing, self-harm and suicide.
- A new law against conversion practices will have a positive impact on preventing these practices and the ideology behind them.
Sign here and, if you're Tasmanian, make sure you include your address so we can show the TLRI how many Tasmanians support this reform.
Updated 18th April 2024
Only 1% of Australians say protecting religious freedom is a priority* yet Australia's parliament looks set to rush new laws through.
This petition has was presented
Despite a review led by Philip Ruddock finding no threat to religious freedom in Australia the Morrison Government plans to introduce a "religious freedom" law that may allow legal discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people.
Tell the Government that everyone's rights should be protected, not just some.
Updated 18th April 2024
Protect our kids and teachers against a new push to subject some Australians to the prejudice of others
This petition was presented.
Click here.
With your help a gay Saudi couple was released from Australian Immigration detention after seeking asylum in Australia! Immigration Minister Coleman released these men so they could, justly, have their claim of asylum processed without being further victimised by unnecessarily harsh and slow processes.
It's important to remember these men were detained in the Australian immigration system for months, unnecessarily, and many other LGBTIQ asylum seekers continue to face the same reality. We are very grateful to the phenomenal, tireless work of our campaign partners Human Rights For All.
You helped us secure their release, thank you! 
SUCCESS! We called on Brunei to respect human rights for all, including LGBTIQ people, by challenging the Australian Government to make a stand for human rights in the region. The Australian Foreign Affairs Minister made a public appeal to the Brunei Government which, along with international pressure, saw the latest initiative to further persecute LGBTIQ in Brunei stall. We must remain vigilant on this one.
We launched a petition to accompany our submission to the upcoming religious "freedom" review to protect against the erosion of gains made in 2017. We want to give Australia a strong voice in opposing any roll back of discrimination law and calls for an Australian Charter of Rights.
Granting legal privileges to discriminate on the grounds of religion potentially disadvantage minority faiths, women and interracial couples, as well as LGBTIQ people, so our petition is open to everyone to sign.
Here's a copy of the completed petition. Thanks to the thousands of Australians who have signed it.
Our submission to the religious freedom review is available here.
Our initial media release for the petition.
With the postal vote now behind us opponents are now planning to install unprecedented religious privileges within any proposed amendment to the Marriage Act and now, more than ever, we need supporters of equality to reflect the will of a clear majority of Australians.
Now is a critical moment to remind our MPs and Senators that it's not equality if it's designed to treat LGBTI citizens less than other Australians.
This initiative is a partnership with PFLAG Australia.
Go to www.equal.org.au/equalmeansequal & demand equality!
Not only does 73% of Australians want a parliamentary free vote NOW, but over 1 million Coalition voters have said they're less likely to vote for the coalition if they haven't achieved marriage equality by the next election. This is HUGE
!
We need to get this polling to coalition MPs and Senators who are the key to this reform. We need them to act and we need them to act NOW. Send this polling to them today.
Go to www.demandafreevote.com.au & demand a free vote!
Share your story. It could create change.
The strongest argument for positive change has always been the lived experiences of LGBTIQ Australians and our allies. Your stories should always be at the centre of our campaigns.
Help by sharing your experience. Click here.