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The Pink Ceiling is Too Low (1999) (183kb) |
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Workplace Discrimination Fact Sheet (36kb) |
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RESOURCES:
Anti-Discrimination
Board's website has a great deal
of information on discrimination and your rights.
The Legal
Information Access Centre regularly puts out a plain English
booklet on legal rights and issues called Hot Topics. This focused on
Discrimination
in September 1998.
Discrimination
Despite advances in gay and lesbian rights, lesbians and gay men are
not equal in Australia. Discrimination takes many forms with common problems
including unequal laws, media bias, prejudice in the workplace and harassment
at school and in the streets.
For a basic fact sheet on discrimination against
gay men and lesbians, and for other fact sheets dealing with various areas
of discrimination, check the column on the right.
Workplace discrimination
GLRL and the Australian Centre for Lesbian and Gay Research conducted
research into workplace discrimination involving some 900 lesbians, gay
men and transgender people resulting in the report, 
The
Pink Ceiling is Too Low (1999) which showed that workplace
discrimination was very prevalent. A more basic GLRL fact
sheet on workplace discrimination is also available.
Discrimination against young people
Young gays and lesbians are frequently harassed at school and work and may be discriminated against by teachers, peers or employers. GLRL's fact sheet on Gay and Lesbian Youth touches upon some of these issues and provides contacts for young people.
What to do if you have been discriminated against
In NSW (and many other states) discrimination on the basis of homosexuality
is prohibited in employment, public education, the provision of services
and some other situations. Complaints can be made to the Anti-Discrimination
Board (ph (02) 9268 5555 or 1800 670 812).
You may want to seek legal advice if you have been discriminated against.
For information about free legal advice and assistance, check out the
Legal Information Access Centre's (LIAC) referral
guide.
The need for federal anti-discrimination legislation
In 1995 the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby prepared a discussion paper
to canvass some of the issues relating to a proposed Commonwealth Act
to outlaw discrimination against lesbians, gay men and transgender persons.
The paper deals with the need for such legislation; the power of the Commonwealth
to pass legislation dealing with sexuality related discrimination and
the form that any legislation should take.
GLRL continues to lobby for federal anti-discrimination legislation which
is needed in order to cover Federal issues, rectify gaps in State legislation
and ensure that State governments do not themselves discriminate.