Statement of Solidarity with the Trans Community

Published on 21 December 2023

Following the December 2023 Council meeting, Bradley Thomas, Hepburn Shire Council CEO, signed the Statement of Solidarity with the Trans Community. In doing so, we joined over 230 organisations and pledge to:

"Support the freedom of trans and gender diverse people to be themselves, to have bodily autonomy, and to be safe in their communities. We oppose any move that would threaten the rights, freedom, or safety of the trans community.

We recognize, in the examples we have seen from the campaigns in the US and the UK, that the anti-equality lobby poses a fundamental threat, not just to the human rights of trans and gender diverse people, but to our democracy, and to the rights and freedom of all people.

We commit to holding our leaders accountable for anti-trans rhetoric, standing up to the politics of hate and division, and to defend the right of trans and gender diverse people to live free from hatred, violence, harassment, and discrimination.

We pledge our support for policies which seek to promote affordable and accessible gender-affirming care for everyone who needs it. We oppose any move that would seek to block or restrict trans people’s access to this vital health care, or any move that would threaten the bodily autonomy or self-determination of trans people seeking access to care.

We commit to ensuring our workplaces and/or services are informed and inclusive. We will stand by our trans and gender diverse workers and clients in the face of anti-trans targeting and attacks, including rhetoric that seeks to dehumanise trans and gender diverse people in our organisations and communities."

Learn more about the Trans Justice Project.