By Dr Niki Vincent, the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in South Australia, in The Conversation
Some of the recent changes to our state legislation will deliver the kind of equality so many people have longed for — but many have not lived to see. These include ways to make it easier for trans and gender diverse people to change their registered gender on documentation, including birth certificates (with their rights to privacy being maintained), and the full legal recognition of relationships regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity — including the right to access IVF and adoption.
While changing legal structures like these is a huge leap forward, it’s just the beginning of breaking down a history of discrimination and injustice for LGBTIQ people. What needs to follow now is a profound change in community attitudes that should see LGBTIQ people readily accepted across all areas of society, without fear of discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.