We are committed to creating and enhancing our sense of pride, LGBTIQA+ inclusion, safety, and celebration in all of our communities.
LGBTIQA+
Rainbow Pride Advisory Group
Our Rainbow Pride Advisory Group is an opportunity to share your voice on important matters for the Glen Eira rainbow/LGBTIQA+ community. Membership for community members is open, please complete the Expression of Interest Form.
Events
IDAHOBIT Rainbow Round of GEL Netball
We're recognising International Day Against LGBTIQA+ Discrimination (IDAHOBIT) with a Rainbow Round of Glen Eira Leisure (GEL) Netball!
GEL Netball is going rainbow to signal our stance against LGBTQIA+ discrimination. Teams participating in our GEL Netball competition will be provided with our custom-designed "Pride" bibs for their games on Monday 13 May and Wednesday 15 May.
We're also hosting a special IDAHOBIT information activation with Proud2Play and the Queer Sporting Alliance at 7.10pm on Wednesday 15 May.
The information activation is FREE for everyone to attend and will feature interviews with Proud2Play and the Queer Sporting Alliance, mini competitions, raffles, prizes, snacks and opportunities to learn more about our inclusive social sporting leagues. Attendees will also receive a 7-day free trial to GEL's facilities.
Significant dates
| Significant day/week | Description | Date |
| Midsumma Pride March | One of Midsumma Festival's signature events. A march down Fitzroy Street in St Kilda to show our support for the LGBTIQA+ community. | Sunday 4 February 2024 |
| Transgender Day of Visibility | An international celebration of trans pride and awareness. | Sunday 31 March 2024 |
| IDAHOBIT | International Day Against LGBTIQA+ discrimination, to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights, and the awareness of work still needed to combat discrimination. | Friday 17 May 2024 |
| Wear It Purple Day | A day to foster supportive, safe, empowering, and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. | Friday 30 August 2024 |
| International Pronouns Day | A day to raise awareness on the importance of respecting, understanding and correctly using pronouns. | Wednesday 16 October 2024 |
| Transgender Awareness Week | A week to raise awareness and celebrate trans and gender diverse people. | 13–19 November 2024 |
| Transgender Day of Remembrance | An annual day to honour the memory of trans lives lost to acts of transphobia and discrimination | Wednesday 20 November 2024 |
A history of our support
- 2016 — first IDAHOBIT awareness day celebration
- 2017 — first time Glen Eira City Councilmarches in Midsumma festival, publicly supported the YES campaign for Marriage Equality Bill. Glen Eira City Council has been marching in Midsumma Pride March each year following
- 2019 — incorporated unconscious bias awareness training, diversity awareness courses begin
- 2022 — Glen Eira City Council’s Rainbow Pride Advisory Group established
- 2023 — Glen Eira City Council pride mark adopted and displayed on Town Hall. Glen Eira City Council celebrates it’s first Summer Pride at Glen Eira Leisure and Transgender Awareness Week within the community. Gender affirmation and pronouns at work policy adopted within Council.
Pronouns
What are pronouns?
- A word or noun which can be used to identify someone in conversation in place of their name. Some examples include he/him/his, she/her/hers and they/them/theirs.
Why are pronouns important?
- Using someone’s correct pronouns is a way to demonstrate your respect and inclusion of them. It is important to ask people what their pronouns are so that you are not making assumptions and unintentionally misgendering them. For some, the sex they are assigned at birth aligns with their gender identity, for others, this is not the case.
What can I do?
- Sharing your pronouns is a great way to create a safe environment. You can do this through social media platforms, email signatures, or simply by stating your pronouns when introducing yourself to a group of people e.g. My name is Garry and my pronouns are he/him. Wearing a pronoun badge is another great way to let other people know what your pronouns are, a fantastic way to show your support, and symbolises to the world that you are aware of, and open to, people with differing gender identities to that of your own.
Where can I find more information?
- Pronouns.org — resources on personal pronouns
- The Pronoun Lowdown by local author Nevo Zisin
- Trans Hub — What are pronouns?
- Minus 18 — What are pronouns and why are they important?
Pride flags
History of the flag
- Gilbert Baker debuted a Rainbow flag in 1978 which consisted of 8 colours (representing hot pink-sex, red-life, orange-healing, yellow-sunlight, green-nature, turquoise-magic, indigo-serenity, violet-spirit).
- In 1979 the flag was revised to consist of 6 colours, removing the hot pink and turquoise stripes.
- In 2017 the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs introduced an amended flag including a black and brown stripe to draw attention to the underrepresented people of colour within the community.
- In 2018, Daniel Quasar released a new design, known as the Progress flag, incorporating both the Philadelphia and Trans flag (blue, pink, white) colours to place a greater emphasis on inclusion and progression.
- In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti builds on Daniel’s design by adding a yellow triangle and purple circle to recognise the Intersex community.
When it comes to Pride flags, any can be used as each flag represents a point in history for the LGBTIQA+ community. Members of the LGBTIQA+ and ally community simply use the flag they feel most aligns with their cause or sentiment at the time. The LGBTIQA+ community also has flags that represent identities and sexualities.
To find out more visit the Human Rights Campaign LGBTQ+ Pride Flags page.
