Cassy O'Connor Officially Launches Be Proud Tasmania

A research project to gather evidence of the Tasmanian LGBTI community's experiences of discrimination and prejudice was today launched by Cassy O'Connor MP, Minister for Community Development Mawson’s Place Waterside Pavilion, Constitution Dock, Hobart 

The Be Proud Tasmania project is a state-wide partnership between Working It Out (WIO), The Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases (TasCAHRD) and the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG).  The aim of the project is to collect evidence of the experiences and perceptions of discrimination against LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) Tasmanians and to do this in a safe, sensitive environment.   

The three auspicing organisations hope the information collected will contribute to better government policies and programs to combat prejudice, discrimination and hate-crime. 

Working It Out Chief Executive Officer, Susan Ditter, said "We know that prejudice and discrimination is all-too-common in Tasmania but to effectively tackle discrimination we need to know more about who is experiencing it, who is perpetrating it and in what contexts it is occurring."

Ms Ditter said "It is also hoped that through the project members of LGBTI communities will further develop an understanding of what structures exist in Tasmania to support them around issues of discrimination."

The Be Proud Tasmania project consists of a survey, now available online, followed in the new year by individual interviews and a series of focus groups conducted on LGBTI issues.  The Be Proud Tasmania website went live today and provides details of the project, a discussion board, room for stories and a page of ‘useful links’ available at www.beproudtasmania.com. 

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