26 February 1999
Program to tackle discrimination against rural gays and lesbians
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the Australian Youth Foundation (AYF) today announced a program to establish a national network of young gay men and lesbians in rural Australia.
The project, commencing in March, aims to provide young gays and lesbians with support networks and raise awareness of the harassment, discrimination and isolation they face.
The project arose from the Commission's Bush Talks program, a series of community consultations in regional, rural and remote Australia conducted over the last year. The "Working It Out" pilot project in north west Tasmania funded by the AYF was another contributing factor.
"The problems facing young gays and lesbians in the bush are very serious", said Chris Sidoti, Human Rights Commissioner.
"For instance, church and other community groups in north west Tasmania told us about the high level of suicide among young people in the area, many of whom they knew were young gay men and lesbians. However, these young people were rarely visible and seldom sought support.
"These community groups got together, carried out an extensive survey of the issues confronting gays and lesbians in the area, published a report and are now putting in place many positive initiatives.
"The aim of the program is to coordinate, encourage and develop similar initiatives throughout regional Australia," said Mr Sidoti.
"This project builds on pilot initiatives such as "Working It Out" which demonstrated a significant need for rural networks of young gay men and lesbians," says Ms Ulrike Schuermann, Executive Director of the AYF. "The experiences of isolation, fear and rejection are shared by young gay men and lesbians nationally."
For further information or to arrange an interview please call Erin Broderick on (02) 9284 9880 or 0419 258 597.
Last updated 2 December 2001.
