Ro Allen | |
---|---|
Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities, Department of Premier and Cabinet | |
In office July 2015 –May 2021 | |
Succeeded by | Todd Fernando |
Personal details | |
Nationality | Australian |
Ro Allen is an Australian LGBTIQ advocate [1] and,since 2021,the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner. [2] In 2015,Allen was the first person appointed to the position of Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities (formerly the Victorian Gender and Sexuality Commissioner) in the state of Victoria. [3]
Prior to their appointment as Victoria's gender and sexuality commissioner,Allen held executive positions with numerous organisations,including chairperson of the Victorian Adult,Community and Further Education Board,commissioner of the Victorian Skills Commission,commissioner of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria,deputy chairperson of the Hume Regional Development Australia Committee,chairperson of Communities for Children in Shepparton,and chairperson of the National Working Party for GLBTI Social Reform in the early 2010s. [3] Allen was also the founding Chief Executive Officer of UnitingCare Australia's Cutting Edge community services agency in the Goulburn Valley. [4]
Victoria was the first Australian state to establish an Equality portfolio and a commissioner for gender and sexuality within this department. The establishment of these positions are among a number of high-profile initiatives by the Andrews government to improve the visibility and inclusion of LGBTIQ+ Victorians. [5] The position of Gender and Sexuality Commissioner was renamed to the Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities during Allen's tenure.
Following Allen's appointment in 2015,they held various events in regional Victorian communities to promote the inclusion and reduce the discrimination of LGBTIQ people in non-metropolitan areas. [6] [7] [8]
Allen is credited with helping coordinate the first Australian Football League-sanctioned Pride Game,which occurred in Round 21 of the 2016 AFL season. [9] [10] They also hosted the first national retreat for trans and gender diverse Aboriginal people,held in November 2016. [11] The event was held in Brunswick and incorporated workshops,celebrations and networking opportunities. [12]
In 2017,Allen was a proponent of the "Yes" vote for the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. [13] That same year,they promoted the introduction of T-screen,a joint initiative by Breast Screen Victoria and Transgender Victoria to make breast screenings for trans and gender diverse people more inclusive by educating medical staff on how to be more respectful during screenings. [14] Todd Fernando was appointed their successor as Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities in September 2021. [15]
Allen was appointed to the position of Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner in May 2021,commencing in this role in June of the same year. [2]
Allen identifies as gender diverse. Allen has said that they are comfortable when people address them using male pronouns,as they are "very relaxed" about how people gender them. [16] Allen officially changed their name from Rowena to their preferred more gender neutral Ro in 2018.[ citation needed ]
Allen is a member of the Uniting Church. [17] They came out at a Christian youth convention at the age of 20. [18] While they were publicly praised their mentor for being supportive and telling them they didn't need to choose between their faith and their sexuality,Allen has criticised an earlier experience at a friend's Pentecostal Church where ministers attempted conversion therapy. Allen has described such therapy as "unbelievably dangerous". [18]
Upon their appointment as Victoria's Gender and Sexuality Commissioner,Allen discussed past incidents of assault and occasions they have received hate mail,including an elderly woman hitting them with a handbag in a women's toilet after mistaking Allen for a man,a man assaulting them in the street,and receiving a card containing cut-out letters spelling "devil child" following the birth of their daughter. [18] Allen has said such experiences have made them stronger and more determined in their work to ensure others don't have to experience such bigotry. [18]
Allen resided in Violet Town with their partner Kaye Bradshaw and their daughter Alex Bradshaw-Allen,before they moved to Melbourne in 2016. [18] They have also lived in Shepparton and Glen Waverley. [16] Bradshaw and Allen took part in a public commitment ceremony at a rally calling for equal rights for gay people in Shepparton in 2014,prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017. [19] In October 2017,Allen,Bradshaw and Bradshaw-Allen attended a marriage equality rally in Melbourne to promote the "Yes" campaign for the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey,where Bradshaw-Allen,then aged 9,addressed the crowd to support her parents. [13]
Allen stood as the Australian Labor Party candidate in the electorate of Benalla at the 2010 Victorian election. [20] Allen said their motivation to stand as the ALP candidate for Benalla was due to the frustration of seeing basic infrastructure and community services for the electorate being overlooked in favour of more marginal seats. [20] After preferences,Allen was defeated by the National Party of Australia's candidate Bill Sykes who attracted 73.1% of the vote,with a 5.6% swing in his favour. [21]
Allen was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2009. [3] [22]
Brian Andrew Greig OAM is a former Australian politician. Grieg was an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Senate from 1999 to 2005,representing the state of Western Australia.
Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) is a community activist organisation founded in 1999. It is based in Sydney,Australia and aimed to eliminate homophobia and promote equality for queer people.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia since 9 December 2017. Legislation to allow it,the Marriage Amendment Act 2017,passed the Australian Parliament on 7 December 2017 and received royal assent from Governor-General Peter Cosgrove the following day. The law came into effect on 9 December,immediately recognising overseas same-sex marriages. The first same-sex wedding under Australian law was held on 15 December 2017. The passage of the law followed a voluntary postal survey of all Australians,in which 61.6% of respondents supported legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) persons in Sri Lanka face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Article 365 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code,which dates from the time of colonial British Ceylon,criminalizes sexual acts deemed "against the order of nature". This has been ruled unenforceable by the Supreme Court,but the court does not have the power to remove laws outright. A private members' bill submitted to parliament in August 2022 has been given the support of the ruling government and is likely to be passed by parliament in 2023.
William Everett Sykes is an Australian politician. He was the Nationals member of the Victorian parliament,representing Benalla,from 2002 to 2014,after a career as a veterinarian and businessman.
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE,also known as GOTAFE,GOTAFE is the largest vocational education provider in regional Victoria. Offering over 130 courses across eight campuses,GOTAFE services 11 local government areas with an estimated resident population of over 240,000 people. We service more than 9,000 students per year on average,employ over 500 staff,and we are an intrinsic part of the communities that we serve.
The Victorian Pride Lobby is a community-based advocacy group that works towards equality,social justice and advancing human rights for lesbian,gay,queer,bisexual and same-sex attracted people in Victoria.
The Australian state of Victoria is regarded as one of the most progressive jurisdictions with respect to the rights of lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
Equal Love is an Australian-wide campaign initiated by the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby in an attempt to win gay and lesbian couples marriage rights in the country. The campaign involves a range of community,union,student and activist organisations whose aim is to influence public and government attitudes towards LGBT couples through education and direct action.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an Australian Government statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 and provides employers with advice,practical tools,and education to help them improve gender equality. The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 was enacted by an amendment to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999, that changed its name to the Workplace Gender Equality Act and correspondingly changed the name of the Equality Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency is part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Western Australia have seen significant progress since the beginning of the 21st century,with male sex acts legal since 1990 and the state parliament passing comprehensive law reforms in 2002. The state decriminalised male homosexual acts in 1990 and was the first to grant full adoption rights to LGBT couples in 2002.
Tony Briffa is a Maltese-Australian politician who is notable for being the world's first known intersex and non-binary mayor and public officeholder.
The Hume is an economic rural region located in the north-eastern part of Victoria,Australia. Comprising an area in excess of 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi) with a population that has grown from 263,000 to 309,684,the Hume region includes the local government areas of Alpine Shire,Rural City of Benalla,City of Wodonga,City of Greater Shepparton,Shire of Indigo,Shire of Mansfield,Shire of Strathbogie,Shire of Towong and the Rural City of Wangaratta,and also includes five unincorporated areas encompassing the alpine ski resorts in the region.
Transgender Victoria (TGV) is a voluntary organisation for transgender people,their partners,families,and non-binary individuals. It promotes equity,and health and community services for transgender people in Victoria,Australia. In December 2014,Transgender Victoria won the Community Organisation Award,from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The Australian Equality Party (Marriage) (also AEP;formerly Australian Equality Party) was an Australian political party founded by Jason Tuazon-McCheyne. The AEP had a platform that promoted equality and human rights,particularly in relation to the gay,lesbian,bisexual,transgender,intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) community. The party's goal was to get AEP Leader,Jason Tuazon-McCheyne,elected to the Senate at the 2016 Federal Election. The party was deregistered voluntarily on 26 March 2018.
The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Its mission is to create safe and inclusive schools for students,families and staff who are in these groups. The primary activity of the SSCA is the Safe Schools Program that was developed to give support to teachers and schools who had been seeking assistance in the creation of a more inclusive environment for LGBTIQ students and their families.
Helen Veronica Szoke is the former chief executive of Oxfam Australia,and a commentator and advocate on issues of human rights,poverty,inequality,gender and race discrimination. Throughout her career,she has held leadership roles across the health sector,human rights and public policy,and international development sector.
Anna Shelley Brown is a lawyer and advocate,particularly in the area of LGBTIQ rights. After working for the Human Rights Law Centre for around seven years,in December 2018 she was appointed chief executive of new LGBTI advocacy organisation Equality Australia.
Rowena Arshad is Chair in Multicultural and Anti-Racist Education and Co-Director of the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh. Her doctorate was an interpretive study of teacher activism in equity and anti-discrimination in Scotland and her ongoing research is into equity and anti-discrimination issues in education and within educational policy.
Nicola Caroline Vincent is an English-born Australian government officer. She is the inaugural Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner for Victoria,Australia. Prior to this,Vincent was the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in South Australia (SA) from May 2016 to September 2020.