'Just Listen Properly, Like with Intent': LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians: Telling us the Story

<p>While many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people live full and happy lives, prejudice, discrimination, and barriers to wellbeing continue. Tasmania has made significant progress in affirming the rights and dignity of LGBTIQ+ people, going from having some of the nation’s most discriminatory laws to leading the way for equity and inclusion in Australia. However, LGBTIQ+ people’s poorer mental and physical health, high rates of victimisation to violence and abuse, and reduced educational and economic outcomes are well-documented and persist internationally and in Australia. The need to address these disparities more comprehensively is being increasingly acknowledged in Tasmania and is supported by national and local research.</p> <p>This project aimed to collect the most up-to-date information about LGBTIQ+ people’s experiences of Tasmanian Government services and life in Tasmania overall to inform the Department of Communities’ LGBTIQ+ Strategic Framework and Action Plan. Through extensive community consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders, State Government departments, and non-government organisations, we conducted the largest ever survey of LGBTIQ+ people in Tasmania, followed by online interviews and focus groups.</p>