Isabella Gockel | Australian Foreign Policy Fellow
Rainbow flag projection on the Sydney Opera house to mark the beginning of World Pride 2023. Shot on Gadigal country. Image sourced from Aegir Photography via Flickr.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) webpage perfectly visualises the lacklustre effort Australia has given to the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) rights internationally. Only two measly sentences on DFAT’s website mention that Australia wants to “defend and advance the human rights of… LGBTQIA+ persons.” No further detail is provided on the issue because Australia has no overarching strategies or programs in place to achieve this. It is shameful that Australian foreign policy presently lacks any initiative that aims to improve the lives of this exceptionally vulnerable group of people who can face the death penalty in up to 11 countries today. Our long-standing, meagre approach to promoting the rights of LGBTQ+ people globally must change.
Australia has a great opportunity to become a trailblazer in the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights, following the lead from countries like Canada in this area. For a liberal democracy that claims the promotion of human rights as fundamental to our diplomacy, Australia’s current advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights globally leaves much to be desired. The progressive gains the LGBTQ+ community has made domestically have yet to be reflected in our foreign policy. As a result, our strategies regarding the issue reflect thinking from decades past.
Australia’s Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Rights
Australia’s advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights has stagnated internationally despite the progressive strides made domestically. Homosexuality was decriminalised in all Australian states and territories by the 1990s, and marriage equality was achieved in 2017. Since 2013, Australians have been able to record their sex and / or gender in Australian Government records as either M (male), F (female), or X (indeterminate / intersex / unspecified). As of October this year, trans and gender diverse people in all Australian states and territories can also change the sex shown on their birth certificate without surgery. Yet, there is still progress to be made. The next Australian census won’t count intersex people and teachers in NSW can still be fired over their sexuality or gender identity. Despite this, Australia has evidently made huge strides in recognising the rights of LGBTQ+ people domestically. Our overseas advocacy, however, has yet to reflect this progress.
Australia’s foreign policy on this issue is uninspiring. We do not have a comprehensive strategy to promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people globally. As a result, the occasional advocacy we do carry out feels like lip service. Our annual Wear It Purple Day posts and membership of LGBTQ+ intergovernmental organisations are the only visible aspects of Australia’s advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. When one compares this to programs in countries like Canada who are delivering support to LGBTQ+ people globally, Australia simply isn’t doing enough.
Canada’s Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Rights
Canada’s international advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights is comprehensive and even life-changing for some individuals; it is advocacy that Australia should take inspiration from. Global Affairs Canada has an entire page on their website dedicated to “the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, 2-spirit and intersex persons” which outlines how Canada is currently supporting vulnerable LGBTQ+ people internationally. Two key policies that Canada currently delivers to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people are the LGBTQ2I International Assistance Program and their refugee resettlement program.
The LGBTQ2I International Assistance Program, which has operated since 2019, delivered CAD$30 million in dedicated funding over the first five years of the program and CAD$10 million every year after. The program is designed to improve socio-economic outcomes for LGBTQ+ people living in developing countries; the sort of initiative that Australia sorely lacks. As part of this program, Canada partners with LGBTQ+ organisations based in developing countries to respond to the needs, priorities, and realities of LGBTQ+ people on the ground in the hopes of improving their living conditions. However, when individuals are at risk of serious harm, Canada provides them protection through their dedicated LGBTQ+ refugee settlement program.
The Government of Canada partnered with the non-profit organisation Rainbow Railroad in 2023 to protect LGBTQ+ refugees and welcome them to Canada. The partnership enables Rainbow Railroad to work more effectively in its settlement efforts of LGBTQ+ people in Canada and provides a more streamlined settlement process for LGBTQ+ refugees to navigate. Rainbow Railroad identifies LGBTQ+ people and their families who are fleeing violence and persecution, and refers them to the Canadian government for resettlement under the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program. Rainbow Railroad then provides essential services and immediate support to LGBTQ+ refugees upon their arrival in Canada. A dedicated settlement program for LGBTQ+ refugees settling in Australia has the potential to streamline processes for this vulnerable group of people who can face imprisonment in up to 63 countries for private, consensual, same-sex activity today.
Conclusion
Australia’s current advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights globally is woefully inadequate, especially in comparison to Canada’s approach. We must follow Canada’s lead and implement similar policies to both improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in developing countries and offer asylum to vulnerable individuals through a streamlined settlement process. Until we do, Australian advocacy will continue to be little more than lip service to a community in dire need of support.
Isabella Gockel is the Australian Foreign Policy Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs. She is a final-year Bachelor of Political Science and Bachelor of International Relations student at the Australian National University, majoring in Human Rights and minoring in French Language and Culture. Isabella is immensely passionate about the intersection of Australian politics, Australian foreign policy, and human rights.
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