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In recent years, LGBT reforms have been at the forefront of political debate in New South Wales and across the country. As the state prepares to vote this Saturday, BuzzFeed News has compiled this guide to party policy on LGBT issues.
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The 2011 census found the electorates with the highest number of gay couples are all in Sydney's inner suburbs. As the census only counts people who identify themselves as being same-sex couples, this data is non-inclusive of single LGB people, transgender or intersex people.
The new seat of Newtown contains a large number of both gay and lesbian couples. The progressive inner west seat is a contest between out lesbian Penny Sharpe of Labor and Jenny Leong of the Greens.
The seat of Sydney has very high numbers of gay male couples, who constitute approximately 18% of all couples in Darlinghurst and Potts Point, and 16% of those in Elizabeth Bay. The seat is currently held by out gay Independent MP Alex Greenwich. Meanwhile, Heffron and new electorate Summer Hill both have high numbers of lesbian couples.
Other gay candidates are contesting seats across the state. Liberal Bruce Notley-Smith is running in his current seat of Coogee, while Chris Brentin of the Greens is up against Alex Greenwich for the seat of Sydney.
This election has also seen the creation of new political action group 'OUT FOR', which aims to build support for out LGBT and intersex candidates.
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Many laws pertaining to LBGT people have been overhauled in recent years. A host of federal reforms under Labor in 2008 led to equality in tax, superannuation, social security, immigration and other aspects of Commonwealth law. In 2010, also under Labor, the NSW Adoption Act was amended to afford same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex de facto couples. And in 2014, under the Baird government, people convicted of historical homosexual sex offences – which are no longer crimes – had the convictions expunged from their records.
However, several legislative and social barriers for LGBT people still exist. Beyond marriage equality – which is supported by Labor and the Greens – pressing legislative issues for LGBT and intersex people include:
- Religious exemptions in the NSW Anti-discrimination Act.
- Requirements of surgery and divorce for transgender people wanting to change the sex on their birth certificate.
- The involuntary sterilization of intersex people at birth.
There are also myriad social barriers for LGBT and intersex people, with bullying and stigma rife in schools and some workplaces and higher rates of mental health problems and drug and alcohol consumption.