LGBTIQA+ inclusion
The University of Western Australia is committed to LGBTIQA+ inclusion and support. UWA has a proud history of support and allyship for the LGBTIQA+ community, and in 2002 pioneered the Ally Program which has subsequently been adopted by universities across Australia and beyond.
Today, UWA’s commitment to LGBTIQA+ inclusion is reflected in ongoing education, advocacy, and visible allyship on campus and in the wider community. UWA is a proud member of Pride in Diversity and flies the Pride flag in front of Winthrop Hall throughout much of the year.
Support
UWA provides support to LGBTIQA+ students and staff. The following resources provide ways to connect, find support, and get involved in the University community.
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For students
- The UWA Student Guild Pride Department provides social and supportive networks for LGBTIQA+ students. The Pride Department can be contacted at [email protected] or by visiting their Instagram.
- The UWA Student Guild Student Assist Department has social workers and a wellbeing counsellor.
- The Living Room (located temporarily on the lower floor of the Reid Library) provides mental health services and support for students. Students are welcome to drop-in to The Living Room any time it is open.
- UWA's counselling service offers free and confidential services with Ally-trained staff.
- The UWA Medical Centre has Ally-trained staff.
- Information on preferred names, gender markers, and student ID cards, is available on askUWA. Please note that some of these sources are still being updated in light of recent changes to Western Australian legislation:
- If you would like support with affirming your gender or updating your details, please reach out via askUWA.
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For staff
- The Pride + Ally staff network has been established to enable staff who are LGBTIQA+ or allies to network, discuss inclusive practice, and share events or information that may be of interest amongst the community. Staff can request to join the network here.
- UWA's Employee Assistance Program allows eligible staff access to support, including support and counselling from clinical psychologists.
- Transgender and non-binary staff members seeking to affirm their gender at UWA can contact People and Culture for confidential support (the Diversity team within People and Culture can be contacted at [email protected]). Guidance to assist staff and students with gender affirmation at UWA are being developed and will be made available here.
Resources for LGBTQIA+ people at UWA
All-gender toilets
You can find all-gender toilets in the following locations:
- Building 226, Electrical and Electronic Engineering (ground floor)
- Reid Library (first floor)
- Beasley Law Library
- Neil Donaldson Pavilion (UWA Sports Park)
We're committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment at UWA.
More all-gender facilities will be considered across our campuses as buildings are built and redeveloped. However, legislative requirements relating to construction and building restrict our options to convert existing facilities.
Understanding LGBTIQA+ inclusion
Even those who are part of the LGBTIQA+ community can learn from the experiences and perspectives of other people in the LGBTIQA+ community. To learn more about LGBTIQA+ diversity and the lives and experiences of LGBTIQA+ people, see the 'Becoming an Ally' section below.
Becoming an Ally
An Ally affirms the experiences and rights of LGBTIQA+ people and helps create a more inclusive environment by modelling respect, addressing bias, and promoting understanding.
Allies are not identified as being LGBTIQA+ or non-LGBTIQA+. Allies are representative of the entire UWA community.
Since 2002, UWA’s Ally Program has worked to create a supportive and welcoming environment for LGBTIQA+ staff and students.
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Allies at UWA
The Staff Pride + Ally Network
The Pride + Ally Network is an informal network of staff from across the University. The Pride + Ally Network provides ways for LGBTIQA+ staff and Allies to connect, share, and support one another. The Pride + Ally Network on Teams allows all members to
- Share upcoming pride and inclusion events on campus and in the community;
- Share resources, articles, or teaching ideas that promote inclusive practice;
- Ask questions, seek advice, or start conversations; and
- Connect with others who want to create a welcoming and inclusive university for LGBTIQA+ staff and students.
Commitments of an Ally
At UWA, Allies commit to creating a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTIQA+ people by modelling respect, addressing bias, and supporting equity for LGBTIQA+ people. They listen, learn, and use their influence to support equality and visibility in their everyday interactions. At UWA, Allies are encouraged to display an Ally sign on their office door and include the Ally logo in their email signature. Research shows that these visible signs of support can be powerful in helping to build a campus where inclusion is seen, felt, and genuinely practised.
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Ally training for students and staff
UWA provides Ally training for both staff and students. Ally training is for everyone, irrespective of how you identify. People often think the term ‘allies’ refers to those from outside the LGBTIQA+ community who are supportive of LGBTIQA+ rights, but LGBTQIA+ people can also demonstrate allyship to other LGBTIQA+ people. Even those who are part of the LGBTIQA+ community can learn from the experiences and perspectives of others in the LGBTIQA+ community.
Staff can obtain information about upcoming staff Ally training workshops by contacting [email protected]
Students can obtain information about upcoming student Ally training workshops here or by contacting [email protected]
Information for researchers collecting data about sex, sexuality, gender, and sex characteristics
When collecting data about sex, sexuality, gender, or sex characteristics, it is important to ensure that your data-collection instruments are inclusive of LGBTIQA+ people. Non-inclusive or exclusionary data collection practices can present a significant barrier to providing services to LGBTIQA+ people and results in less accurate – or offensive – data collection. For suggestions and best practices on collecting this data, we recommend reading the Canberra LGBTIQ Community Consortium’s “LGBTIQ-inclusive data collection guide”.
Policies
UWA policies aim to foster inclusion of LGBTIQA+ people. For example, our policies adopt an inclusive definition of family that encompasses a wide range of relationships: blood, marriage, affinity, adoption and dependency. Family responsibilities include care for older people, people with disability, children, partners and ex-partners, and responsibilities associated with extended families irrespective of sex, gender, or sexuality. Parental leave is accessible to staff of all genders and to staff in same-sex relationships.
UWA’s efforts to promote and support the experiences of LGBTIQA+ students and staff are guided by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies.
Our history
Staff and students at UWA have a long history of LGBTIQA+ activism. The Student Guild's Homosexuality Information Department (as the Pride Department was then known), in its inaugural year of 1979, ran a campaign to encourage students to come out without fear on campus.
As part of these efforts, a phone-in on homosexuality was organised for new students during Orientation. Sexual orientation was included in UWA's Equal Opportunity Policy from 1993 onwards, nearly 10 years before Western Australia’s Parliament included it in the Equal Opportunity Act.
In 2001, UWA and the Student Guild conducted the ground-breaking Rainbow Project to discover the nature of staff and student attitudes towards diverse genders and sexualities. The results led to the formation of the Ally Program, a network of staff and students committed to creating an accepting and respectful environment for LGBTIQA+ staff and students. In 2002, UWA became the first Australian university to introduce the Ally Program, which has since been adopted by many other universities in Australia and New Zealand.
In 2016, we introduced our Transgender Policy to make improve the experiences of transgender students and staff. In the same year, we became the first Australian university to undertake a study into the experience of UWA students with diverse genders and sexualities. The results and recommendations informed, and continue to inform, inclusion practices and strategic directions. UWA is a proud member of Pride in Diversity and was a proud supporter of marriage equality prior to, and during, the Australian Government’s marriage equality survey.
