Australian Ally Conference 2018
Activating Human Rights:
Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status – Leading the Change
27-28 September 2018
Curtin University
Perth, Western Australia
The 2nd Australian Ally Network Conference was hosted by Curtin University in Perth on 27-28 September 2018.
The text below was a call out to those who would attend the Conference to present and participate.
Achieving marriage equality in Australia in 2017 was a highpoint in the struggle for the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people. However, we know that this accomplishment does not mean that all LGBTIQ+ people enjoy all of the same human rights as people who are not LGBTIQ+. Although the marriage equality debate foreground some of the best aspects of Australian society, it also exposed entrenched social, cultural, political, economic and other forms of discrimination and harmful attitudes. Marriage equality is an important step towards inclusion, but there is much more to do for the human rights and social justice of all LGBTIQ+ people.
Michael Kirby notes that “LGBTIQ people continue to live with social exclusion and homophobia in the broader society, in their studies and in the workplace. It is through education and networks, such as the Ally Networks that these attitudes and experiences are changed. Australia’s universities have a significant role to play in educating their students about the importance of diversity and inclusion. Universities also have a leading role as major employers’ in ensuring they promote best practice and equity in the workplace. By creating a respectful and supportive culture the universities’ Ally networks contribute substantially to that environment and change.”
The 2018 Ally Conference will open up a national conversation on how to activate human rights in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics for all people well into the future. We see human rights as pivotal to deepening and strengthening the aims and purpose of Ally Networks.
The Conference will bring together academic and professional staff, students and practitioners from across the Ally communities in the education sector and will also showcase best practice of Ally networks in private enterprise and government.
In a rapidly changing Higher Education environment, and as we move towards the 2020s, how can Ally networks and LGBTIQ+ students and staff best address ongoing issues and/or engage with new challenges and possibilities for change. Key conference focus areas will include: Students, Staff and Industry; Trans and Intersex; Intersectionality; Collaborations and Partnerships.
Convenors: Michelle Rogers and Baden Offord
Speakers
The Honorary Michael Kirby AC CMG