Minding our GLBs and TIQs: a submission to the inquiry by the Senate Legal and Consitutional Affairs Committee on the Exposure Draft of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012

The United Nations have placed pressure on Australia and other countries to support greater recognition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in direct federal legislative provisions. UN directives exist on legislation in this area that should be more directly referenced and reflected in the Australian Bill. I advise the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to mind their language use – their ‘GLBs’ and ‘TIQs’, so to speak – so that the achievements thus far in the Bill are furthered to be as effective as possible in protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and otherwise queer/ questioning people’s rights in congruence with our obligations under specific aspects of UN agreements. I recommend the Committee directly references specific human rights instruments currently missing from the Bill’s “Division 2—Objects of this Act”.