Inclusion starts with education and learning

WHETHER WE EDUCATE OURSELVES THROUGH INFORMAL PATHWAYS SUCH AS CONVERSATIONS, VARIOUS FORMS OF MEDIA, OR A GOOD OLD TRIP TO THE LIBRARY, OR SEEK OUT MORE FORMAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATION IS GENERALLY AGREED TO BE THE KEY TO INCLUSION.

Inclusion is more than acceptance, and certainly more than tolerance, which are often terms used to indicate what a progressive and modern society we are. You ‘tolerate’ a fly – it’s there, you know it’s there, you’d probably rather it wasn’t there but you’re not going to take any action to remove it. Acceptance is little more, implying there is something to accept, and that there is a power difference between the person being accepted and the person offering acceptance.

True inclusion is much more. It’s actively seeking a deeper knowledge of the historical and contemporary experiences of the people and communities concerned. It’s having an empathetic understanding and applying that to allyship through support, admiration, appreciation and celebration of people and communities. It’s being active advocates for people’s rights, for safe access to appropriate services, for the value of diversity, and for the celebration of culture.

For LGBTIQ+ people and communities, inclusion can be as serious as life or death. Statistics around LGBTIQ+ people thinking about or attempting suicide remain unacceptably high, along with poorer mental health outcomes. Even in terms of physical health, it’s not uncommon to hear stories of people not seeking medical help due to fears of judgement, misgendering, mistreatment and poor service in general. In fact, across most measures of wellbeing and life satisfaction, research continues to indicate poorer outcomes for LGBTIQ+ communities.

If you find that alarming and want to know how we change it, the simple answer is: education. Education gives us a better understanding of the stories behind those statistics. We are at a point in history where LGBTIQ+ people’s stories and lived experiences are being told - through books, film, TV, radio, podcasts – both real life, and more accurate representations through fiction. We also have more access than ever to formal training. Working It Out, Tasmania’s gender, sexuality and intersex status support and education service, provides a whole suit of training packages in different formats and targeting different sectors, for a range of affordable fees or even at no cost.

Go to the Working It Out Website to find out more about:

• 2 and 3 hour generalised LGBTIQ+ inclusion packages, available to be booked in-house for delivery in-person state wide, or live online;

• public sessions available both in person (in

Hobart only so far) or online; • the Silver Rainbow program offers education and consultation services for the ageing and aged care sector via funding from the Federal Department of

Health;

• the Valuing Diversity Framework offers education and support to schools across

Tasmania via funding from the Tasmanian

Department of Education; • WIO designed programs targeting the midwifery, disability and sport sectors; and • the HOW2 Program, which is a series of 4 full-day sessions supporting organisations to work towards sustainable, service-wide inclusion, and potentially the Rainbow

Tick - a QIP accreditation for LGBTIQ+ inclusion.

To start your own or your organisation or business’s LGBTIQ+ learning for inclusion contact Liv, WIO’s Manager of Learning and Aged Care Programs, for more information or to make a booking.

Olivia (Liv) Hogarth, training@workingitout.org. au, 03 6231 1200