TAS
Hobart street art celebrates Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ history
Hobart civic dignitaries joined LGBTIQA+ community representatives last month to unveil street art celebrating Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ history. Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, and former Lord Mayor Rob Valentine, joined members of the LGBTIQA+ communities for the unveiling of a signal box painted by local artist Katelyn Geard. Scenes commemorating significant milestones in LGBTIQA+ Tasmanian history …
Transgender Day of Visibility: Hobart Council flies trans pride flag for first time
The Hobart City Council is flying the transgender pride flag from Hobart Town Hall for the first time this week to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday (March 31). The Trans Day of Visibility has occurred on March 31 since 2009. The aim of the day is to celebrate the lives and achievements of …
We stand with Ben protest outside Tasmanian coroner’s office
Supporters of Ben Jago mounted a ‘We stand with Ben’ protest outside the Tasmanian Coroner’s office on the weekend. Following the death of Ben Jago’s partner in 2015, the Tasmanian Coroner wrongly denied him his lawful status as next-of-kin. Tasmania’s Supreme Court last week ruled Ben Jago could not bring a discrimination complaint against the …
Gay man denied next-of-kin rights after partner’s death loses legal battle
Gay Tasmanian man Ben Jago, who was wrongly denied next-of-kin status by the Coroner after the death of his same-sex partner, has lost a Tasmanian Supreme Court case. Ben Jago’s partner of five years, Nathan Lunson, died by suicide in January 2015. After his partner’s death, police and the state’s Coroner failed to recognise Jago …
Trans rights legend Martine Delaney honoured for community work
Longtime Tasmanian transgender rights advocate Martine Delaney has been inducted into her state’s Honour Roll of Women. The award goes to those for “outstanding accomplishments and contribution” to the state. The 63-year-old (pictured above left) is the first trans woman to receive the honour. For many years in Tasmania, Delaney has advocated for trans equality …
Tasmanian church admits to conducting gay ‘conversion therapy’
A church in Tasmania has told a state inquiry they “make no apologies” for conducting forms of “conversion therapy” on gay and lesbian Tasmanians. The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute is conducting an inquiry into the discredited and dangerous practices. The TLRI define “sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) conversion practices” as “acts or statements aimed …
Gay man denied next-of-kin rights still waiting for closure
A gay Tasmanian man who was denied next-of-kin rights has been left waiting almost two years for his case to be resolved in the state’s Supreme Court. Ben Jago’s partner of five years, Nathan Lunson, died by suicide in January 2015. In 2015, police and the state’s Coroner failed to recognise him as the next …
Calls for prison reform after death of transgender woman
The death of a transgender woman allegedly raped at a Tasmanian prison in 2018 has sparked a petition calling for better protection of trans inmates. Warning: Distressing content Hobart trans woman Marjorie Harwood was jailed for theft offences in 2017. She was placed in the men’s section of Risdon Prison because her birth certificate listed …
SOGI conversion practices consultation launched in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute this week launched a public consultation on banning conversion practices. Tasmanian LGBTIQ equality advocates welcomed the SOGI conversion practices consultation. The TLRI’s Issues Paper, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conversion Practices canvasses a number of issues. They include the definition of conversion practices, the ideology behind it, the harm caused and …
Tasmanians convicted under old anti-gay laws may get compensation
Tasmanians convicted of historical homosexuality or crossdressing offences under repealed state laws should get compensation, a legislative review has recommended. Tasmania was the final Australian state or territory to decriminalise consensual homosexual acts in 1997. The state repealed laws against crossdressing in 2001. State legislation allowing expungement of historical criminal records for gay sex and …