western australia
Gay teacher quits Catholic school after students out him on TikTok
A Perth Catholic school teacher has said he was forced to quit his job after students outed him as gay in a cruel TikTok trend. The drama and history teacher anonymously told The West Australian that three months ago, the students had outed him in a viral game on the social media app. The cruel …
Gay conversion therapy ban needed after Christian rehab scandal
LGBTIQ advocates have urged the Western Australian government to comprehensively ban dangerous gay “conversion therapy” after a Christian rehab facility’s residents were allegedly given gay “exorcisms”. In WA, a state parliamentary inquiry is looking at shocking allegations of abuse and mistreatment at the Esther Foundation women’s rehabilitation centre in Perth. The centre, which had links …
Hairdresser Joh Bailey married his long-time partner Michael
Sydney celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey has married his long-time partner Michael Christie. The couple had previously made plans in March 2020 for a “big fat gay wedding” with 200 guests in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW. But their plans were sadly postponed – and then delayed multiple times – by the pandemic. Last …
‘Wouldn’t dare come out’: LGBTIQ workers reveal bullying at Rio Tinto
LGBTIQ+ employees at mining giant Rio Tinto report higher rates of bullying and harassment at work, a major review of the company has found. The company commissioned the independent review, overseen by Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. The mining giant operates in 35 countries and employs 45,000 people. Over 10,000 employees were involved in …
Sydney rally to protest Morrison Government’s Religious Discrimination Bill
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Etcetera Etcetera will join a lineup of speakers addressing a Sydney rally protesting against the Morrison Government’s Religious Discrimination Bill this weekend. Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced the contentious legislation to parliament last week. The federal parliament wrapped up for the year on Thursday, leaving the Bill in limbo before next …
HIV self-tests are coming to Australian pharmacies
Australians will soon be able to test themselves for HIV at home with self-test kits soon to go on sale at pharmacies. The test kits will cost $25 each. From mid-December they’ll be available, initially at Serafim’s pharmacy in Sydney’s Taylor Square and Western Australia’s 777 pharmacy network. More pharmacies around the country will also …
Trans teen has win in WA custody case against ‘abusive’ parents
The Western Australian parents of a transgender teenage boy have lost a legal appeal to regain custody of him after a court found they’d “verbally and emotionally” abused him over his gender identity. The transgender male, given the pseudonym TM by the courts, first came to the Western Australian Department of Communities’ attention in 2019. …
Pride WA is taking a stand against corporate ‘queerwashing’
Pride WA has said they won’t allow Western Australian businesses that fail to support their LGBTIQ employees to sponsor their Pride events, in a new policy tackling “queerwashing”. The group’s leaders made the “bold and risky” declaration this week in an open letter to businesses ahead of their upcoming November festival. They write, “The war …
Perth trans teenager given two funerals after parents argue over gender
A 15-year-old transgender boy who died by suicide has been mourned at two separate funerals after his parents argued over his gender identity in court and split his ashes. The 15-year-old boy from Perth, who can’t be identified, died in hospital on March 4, days after attempting to take his life, the West Australian reported. …
Queer venues issue apologies after drag queen blackface scandal
Two LGBTIQ venues in Western Australia have apologised after photos of drag queen Scarlet Adams and others wearing racist blackface on their stages resurfaced. Perth drag queen Scarlet Adams is among the queens competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. However Indigenous performer Felicia Foxx called out Adams and others in a viral Instagram post …