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Our History

🏛️ Origins and Evolution

  • 1997: The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (VGLRL) was established, emerging from grassroots activism aimed at addressing legal discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people in Victoria.
  • 2020: Rebranded as the Victorian Pride Lobby, reflecting a broader commitment to inclusivity across the LGBTIQA+ spectrum.
  • The Lobby has operated as a volunteer-run, community-led advocacy group, maintaining independence from government funding to remain politically agile and community-responsive.
  • From its earliest years, the Lobby has nurtured deep partnerships with community organisations and played a catalytic role in developing Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ advocacy ecosystem.
  • The Lobby was originally auspiced by the ALSO Foundation (1980-2012), originally known as the Alternative Lifestyle Organisation, established in 1980.
    • ALSO’s inception coincided with a pivotal moment in the state’s history: the decriminalisation of homosexuality in December 1980. The foundation aimed to celebrate this legal milestone and support marginalised members of the community through grants and projects.
    • Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the ALSO Foundation played a significant role in Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ community. It provided funding, infrastructure, and support to various emerging organisations, including the Victorian AIDS Council (now Thorne Harbour Health) and the VGLRL (now Victorian Pride Lobby). 
    • Anti-Violence Project: Established 1993 by the ALSO Foundation in response to increasing rates of homophobic violence and police inaction. 
    • Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby: Formed 1997, four years later.
  • Since then the Lobby has auspiced and incubated several organisations that later became independent, such as:
    • Fertility Access Rights Lobby (FAR) – focused on access to ART and parenting equality
    • Transgender Victoria (TGV) – now a leading trans advocacy organisation
    • Equal Love – launched as a Lobby initiative in 2004 to resist the Howard Government’s same-sex marriage ban and grew into a nationwide marriage equality campaign
    • Love Makes a Family – a coalition campaign coordinated with FAR and ALSO, advocating for parenting equality and later informing the formation of Rainbow Families Council – which supported LGBTIQA+ parents and advocate for family inclusion policy reform.

🤝 Collaborations and Partnerships

  • The Lobby has deepened relationships with both national and state-based organisations through strategic collaborations and campaign alignment.
  • It has worked closely with:
    • National partners: Australian Coalition for Equality, Australian Marriage Equality, Equality Australia
    • Community partners: ALSO Foundation, VAC/Thorne Harbour, Midsumma, JOY FM, Switchboard, Victoria’s Anti-Violence Project
    • International partners: Commonwealth Equality Network; International LGBTI Association (ILGA World); ILGA Oceania
  • These partnerships have supported collective advocacy on federal law reform, community visibility, inclusive policy development, and coordinated campaign strategy:
    • Collaborating with Equality Australia ensures Victoria’s voice is represented in national debates without duplicating effort, allowing the Lobby to contribute meaningfully without carrying the full policy load.
    • Strong relationships with service delivery organisations like Switchboard and Thorne Harbour Health allow the Lobby to publicly advocate on issues that funded providers may need to approach with caution.
    • Collaboration with Transgender Victoria, Intersex Human Rights Australia, and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) ensures the voices of minorities within minorities are included in strategic policy development.
    • Partnership with Victoria’s Anti-Violence Project strengthens the Lobby’s advocacy on policing practices, including campaigns for accountability, cultural safety, and oversight within law enforcement institutions.

🏛️ Victorian Government LGBTIQA+ Taskforce and Working Groups (2015–ongoing)

  • While the Victorian Parliamentary Friendship Group for LGBTI People went dormant after 2017, the Victorian Government LGBTIQA+ Taskforce was established in 2015 to ensure continued formal engagement between government and community.
  • The Taskforce comprises diverse community leaders and advises on policy, programs, and legislation impacting LGBTIQA+ Victorians.
  • Supported by dedicated working groups, including:
    • Health and Wellbeing Working Group
    • Justice and Equality Working Group
    • Trans and Gender Diverse Expert Advisory Group
  • The Lobby has maintained close engagement with Taskforce processes, contributing to submissions, consultations, and joint advocacy.
  • The Taskforce structure provides a sustained alternative to parliamentary engagement, ensuring that community voices help shape Victoria’s legislative and policy agenda.

🏛️ Working with Government and Political Leaders

  • Early Engagement with Government Structures
    From its inception, the Lobby has worked with all levels of government — local, state, and federal — to shape policy, build alliances, and secure legislative reform. It was an early participant in Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ Taskforce structures and remains a key stakeholder consulted in working groups related to justice, health, and equality.
  • Multi-Partisan Political Relationships
    The Lobby has cultivated strong working relationships with MPs across party lines, including:
    • Members of the Victorian Parliament’s cross-party LGBTIQA+ Friendship Group
    • Rainbow caucuses within the ALP, Greens, and Liberal Party
    • Key advocates in local councils, especially those with LGBTIQA+ inclusion strategies
  • Influencing Platforms and Party Policy
    Lobby volunteers have actively engaged with political party policy committees and conferences to influence:
    • Formal platforms on equality, family recognition, policing, and health access
    • Candidate selection and representation of LGBTIQA+ candidates
    • Voting stances on conscience issues like marriage equality, anti-vilification, and conversion practices
  • Briefing and Accountability
    • The Lobby regularly prepares non-partisan MP briefings, scorecards, and response letters.
    • It has also coordinated MP roundtables and direct briefings to raise awareness and gain support for emerging issues such as trans healthcare, policing reform, and intersex bodily autonomy.
  • Local Government Influence
    The Rainbow Local Government campaign enabled the Lobby to connect with councillors and executives across Victoria, offering guidance on inclusive practices and building grassroots relationships that seeded local change.

📈 Political Wins and Campaign Highlights (Chronological Order)

🏳️‍🌈 Decriminalization of Homosexuality (1980–1981)

  • While predating the Lobby’s formation, the decriminalization of homosexuality in Victoria laid the groundwork for future advocacy efforts.

⚖️ Equal Opportunity Law Reform (1997–2010+)

  • Advocated for inclusion of sexual orientation and lawful sexual activity as protected attributes in the Equal Opportunity Act (1997).
  • Ongoing lobbying contributed to updates in 2010 to protect gender identity and to remove discriminatory exemptions in areas like faith-based employment.

🏳️‍🌈 Policing and Community Safety Reform (1997–ongoing)

  • Post–Tasty raid, the Lobby launched sustained campaigns to improve police accountability.
  • 1999: Enough is Enough report highlighted abuses by Victoria Police.
  • Helped establish the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO) program.
  • Long-term work includes campaigns to remove uniformed police from Pride, end discriminatory practices, and boost oversight.
  • 2021: Upholding Our Rights report surveyed 1,500+ people — 80% lacked trust in police powers.

🧑‍⚖️ Relationship Recognition and Civil Unions (1999–2009)

  • Lobby advocated for partner recognition, culminating in:
    • 2001: State superannuation equality achieved.
    • 2007: Relationships Register Bill introduced.
    • 2008: Victorian Relationships Register passed.
    • 2009: Funeral and next-of-kin recognition included.

👪 Parenting and Family Equality (2002–2016)

  • Love Makes a Family campaign promoted recognition of LGBTIQA+ families.
  • 2008–2010: Co-parent adoption and IVF access reforms achieved through coordinated lobbying.
  • Partnered with Rainbow Families Council and Fertility Access Rights Lobby.
  • 2016: Birth certificate reforms passed.

🧑‍⚖️ Equal Love / Marriage Equality (2004–2017)

  • Equal Love launched as a Lobby initiative to resist Howard Government’s marriage ban.
  • Organised years of rallies and petitions.
  • Advocated during 2017 postal survey with public forums, media work and coordination with national orgs.

🛡️ Abolition of the ‘Gay Panic’ Defence (2005)

  • Advocated for the removal of the ‘gay panic’ defence in homicide cases, leading to its abolition in Victoria in 2005

🔥 Anti-Vilification Law Reform (2005–2022)

  • Long-term advocacy to extend Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act to cover sexuality, gender identity and HIV status.
  • Campaign intensified after high-profile hate events.
  • 2022: Laws passed expanding vilification protections.

🏳️‍🌈 Safe Schools Coalition Victoria (2010–2016)

  • Contributed to the establishment of the Safe Schools Coalition in Victoria in 2010, aimed at creating inclusive educational environments for LGBTIQ+ students.

🌈 Rainbow Local Government (2012–2020+)

  • Ran candidate surveys and briefings during local elections.
  • Created LGBTIQA+ inclusivity scorecards for councils.
  • Advocated for rainbow flags, diversity strategies, and advisory committees at the municipal level.

🏳️‍⚧️ Gender Recognition on Driver’s Licenses (2014)

  • Supported reforms allowing trans and gender-diverse individuals to change the gender marker on their driver’s licenses without surgery.

🏳️‍🌈 Apology for Tasty Nightclub Raid (2014)

  • Advocated for and received a formal apology from Victoria Police in 2014 for the 1994 Tasty nightclub raid, acknowledging past mistreatment of the LGBTIQ+ community.

🏛️ Expungement of Historical Homosexual Convictions (2015)

  • Supported the scheme enabling individuals to have historical convictions for consensual homosexual activity expunged from their criminal records, which came into effect in 2015.

🏳️‍🌈 Establishment of the Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities (2015)

  • Supported the creation of the Commissioner role to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights within the Victorian Government.

🏥 Conversion Practices Ban (2016–2021)

  • Long-running campaign in partnership with survivor advocates and faith allies.
  • 2018–2019: Contributed to the Health Complaints Commissioner investigation.
  • 2021: Historic legislation passed banning harmful practices.
  • Lobby remains involved in watchdogging enforcement and survivor support.

🏳️‍⚧️ Birth Certificate Reform (2016–2019)

  • Advocated for changes allowing trans and gender-diverse individuals to amend their birth certificates without undergoing surgery, removing the previous requirement for surgical intervention.

🧾 Banking Code of Practice and Trans Inclusion (2018–2020)

  • Advocated with banking sector for greater recognition of trans and non-binary identities.
  • Resulted in changes to name and gender procedures.
  • Supported Banking Code updates to include gender diversity protections.

🗳️ Election Engagement and Candidate Forums (2010–2022)

  • Coordinated Rainbow Votes surveys for candidates across state elections.
  • Ran “Meet Your Candidate” forums in metro and regional areas.
  • Produced party policy scorecards shared with tens of thousands of voters.

🛡️ Anti-Vilification Law Reform (2019–2025)

  • Supported the Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024, which expanded protections to include attributes such as sexuality, gender identity, and disability.
  • The legislation introduced new criminal offenses for inciting hatred and threats of physical harm based on these attributes. 

💊 Gender-Affirming Healthcare Advocacy (2019–ongoing)

  • Advocated for clearer, funded, and inclusive access to hormone therapy and transition-related healthcare.
  • Highlighted waiting list delays, gatekeeping, and geographic inequity.
  • Part of broader push for inclusive statewide trans and gender-diverse health strategy.