Wednesday, 22 March 2023

LGBTIQA+ support

John MULLAHY (Glen Waverley) (10:06): I rise to condemn the actions of a small number of individuals who came out to protest our trans community. Our LGBTIQA+ Victorians, including our trans community, are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. They face injustice every day in suicide rates, in homelessness and in abuse. These are members of our community, and they should be treated with respect. Members of our trans community have faced discrimination, harassment and violence merely for being who they are. This is not good enough, and it should never be the case.

So to our trans and wider LGBTIQA+ Victorians I say: we stand with you, we accept you, we embrace you and we love you. And as a proud ally I stand with you, not just today, not just after these sorts of events happen, but every day and always, and I am sorry if we do not say that enough. The hate of a very small number in our community should not take away from the love the vast majority of our community has for you. What happened on Saturday should never have happened. Hate has no place in our society. We also note these injustices are happening every day, which no person should ever have to face. It does not matter who you are – know that we accept you for who you are. No matter what you identify as, you will always have a valued place here in Victoria.