Victorian Pride Centre discriminates against lesbian group: help us fight the new homophobia

Credit: Leunig 

Victoria’s new Pride Centre in St. Kilda has rejected an application to hold a lesbian-only event at the Centre.  The Lesbian Action Group, a group of lesbians from Melbourne and Central Victoria, have applied for an exemption from the Australian Human Rights Commission to hold a female-only lesbian event. They wanted to celebrate International Lesbian Day in October at the Pride Centre. The exemption, if granted, would legally exclude males, heterosexuals and males who identify as women. 

Carole Ann, co-convenor of the group said, “It is not anti-trans, it is pro-lesbians who are born female. We are not asking for anyone to be denied who they are. It is for us to also be recognised for who we are and have a bit of space for that and acknowledgement that our lived experience is different.” 

Nicole Mowbray from LGB Alliance Australia and the Lesbian Action Group said, “The irony is we can legally get married now but we can’t exclusively meet in a single-sex space”. 

It must be noted that the Pride Centre has held trans-only events.

LGB Alliance Australia has recently shown that mainstream rainbow organisations are badly failing the LGB community. The rejection by the Pride Centre to host a lesbian-only event is further proof of how LGBTQ organisations are prioritising gender identity over those with same-sex attraction. 

The Pride Centre is the first of its kind built in Australia, specifically purpose-built for members of the LGBTQ community’s use. That the Victorian Pride Centre has rejected the Lesbian Action Group’s application for a lesbian-only event shows how they are unfairly discriminating against lesbians - a group who should supposedly be able to access the centre - and favouring some letters in LGBTQ over others.

Rejection letter from the Victorian Pride Centre 

Thank you for your patience while the VPC assessed the Lesbian Action Group’s booking request for October 15th 2023.  

On this occasion the Victorian Pride Centre must reject your booking request. 

Your initial booking request, which resulted in a quote for services, did not indicate the nature of your event or the subsequent identification that you would be seeking an exemption from the Australian Human Rights Commission and naming the Pride Centre in your submission. 

The Pride Centre exists to support the LGBTIQ+ community.  Inclusion, diversity, acceptance and belonging are essential to the organisation’s values. The VPC’s purpose is to connect, support and amplify LGBTIQ+ voices, resources, services, and groups so that our communities are cohesive, resilient and thrive.    

Our Constitution provides that the Pride Centre’s object is to promote the reconciliation, mutual respect and acceptance between groups and individuals in Australia and the promotion and protection of human rights. The VPC achieves this in part through facilitating within the Pride Centre events in support of equality, diversity and inclusion for the LGBTIQ+ community. The centre is a beacon of hope, a welcoming and inclusive space for all LGBTIQ+ community members and their allies.” 

Your request to hold an event that excludes and seeks to legally discriminate against people on the bases of their sex, sexuality and gender is inconsistent with the Pride Centre’s purpose. 

I would be very happy to have a further discussion with you regarding our decision, along with representatives of the organisations that call the Pride Centre home (if they so wish). 

Yours sincerely, 

Justine

(Note: This would be Justine Dalla Riva, CEO of the Pride Centre) 

You can find out more about the Lesbian Action Group here, including their statement of purpose and a historical timeline detailing previous exemption applications for lesbian-only events which have been denied.