Welcome to Pride at Norwood! This is the place for our LGBTIQA+ students and their friends to find resources to help them navigate their identity and create a safe and inclusive space at Norwood. Click through the tabs below to find resources on gender, sexuality, coming out and everything else you might need to know to support yourself or your friends!
A video guide to pronouns: what they are and why they matter.
On days of significance like Trans Day of Visibility and Trans Awareness Week, all corners of the community stress the importance of being an effective ally to the trans and gender diverse community. It can be difficult to know where to start, though – even with the best of intentions. Not to worry! Minus18 have teamed up with LUSH Cosmetics as part of their trans visibility campaign to create a how-to. One that's simple, effective, and ready to help you be a trans ally every day of the year.
In really simple terms, a non-binary person is someone who does not identify as exclusively a man or a woman. Someone who is non-binary might feel like a mix of genders, or like they have no gender at all. This article with Arlo, a non-binary young person, talks about what being non-binary means to them.
You may have heard the phrase 'gender dysphoria' (or just dysphoria) being thrown around, and you might be curious about what it means – or you might have experienced it and just want to know a bit more about it. Defining dysphoria can be very complicated as everyone experiences it differently. This guide gives tips from trans and gender-diverse people on how they deal with dysphoria.
When it comes to gender, and the ways you express your gender, there are absolutely no rules that you HAVE to abide by. Truly – is there really such a thing as ‘boy things’ and ‘girl things’? Playing with the way you look is one of many, many, MANY ways you can explore your gender. Here are some things other trans and gender diverse people use to explore their identity.
Social transitioning or affirming your gender is a way to ‘come out’ and express your gender to other people. You could socially transition with your appearance, using certain pronouns, changing your name, via your mannerisms, or simply letting people know the gender you identify as. Transitioning is a pretty personal process, and can be as minor or as extensive as you want it to be at any one time. When you ‘come out’ as trans or gender diverse there’s no rulebook that you need to follow. The main thing is that you’re taking steps to truly be yourself, and there are any number of different ways to do that.
The I in LGBTIQA+ stands for intersex, but what does intersex mean? This article will walk you through what being intersex means.
Trans 101 is a starter pack designed to help support trans people around you! It's all about helping people better understand what it means to be trans, and how to make the world and better, safer, happier place for trans and gender diverse people!
Experiences of gender differ all over the world. There are heaps of cultures that have long-established roles for gender non-conformity and third gender people – and that have specific language to reflect this. This article lists just a few examples to show how gender is seen differently right across the world.
An article from Minus18 discussing the often confusing difference between bisexual and pansexual.
Being bisexual, (or pansexual or non-monosexual, that is, being attracted to more than one gender) can be pretty awesome, especially if you have a supportive network and are connected with other people who share your experiences. All sexualities are super legit and valid, but sometimes being bi you can feel a bit in the middle. There are some unhelpful and untrue stereotypes about being bisexual, and this article breaks some of them down!
You might have heard words like asexual (or even demisexual, aromantic, and grey-aromantic) before, and wondered what they mean. They're all (some of the) terms that people in the Ace community use to describe their different levels of sexual and romantic attraction. This guide will take you through what they mean.
A useful resource all about coming out. It features tips on how to be a good ally to a friend or family member who does come out to you, as well as a very important section about NOT coming out. Coming out is nuanced, and it's important to remember it's not the be all and end all.
So you finally decided to tell someone that you’re queer (YES! Nice!) and they’ve told another person without your permission. Or maybe someone has found out without you telling them at all. Coming out (or not coming out) is YOUR decision, and having that decision taken away from you can feel invasive and overwhelming. What comes next come seem scary. This guide will help you through this difficult time.
Coming out can be a significant and joyous milestone in affirming your identity. It can also be a more difficult journey, with barriers to overcome. It’s important that you take the time to consider your own personal circumstances when making the decision to tell the people close to you about your identity. What may be right for one person may not be right for you. Your safety and wellbeing should always come first! This article has a list of tips to help you through this process.
Coming out can be a very scary process, and may not be safe for you to do, and that's okay. This article talks about how making the choice to not come out doesn't make you any less a part of the LGBTIQA+ community, and how coming out should only ever happen at a pace where you feel safe.
This guide was written for use by Victorian Public Sector (VPS) employees. It explains how to use language respectfully and inclusively when working with and referring to LGBTIQ people. By using inclusive language, we demonstrate respect in both our workplaces and in developing and delivering policies, programs and services for all Victorians.
Challenging the homophobic language of classmates, teachers or people at work can have a massive impact on transphobia and homophobia, particularly if a group of people do it together. Creating spaces free from negative language is a big step in actively standing up against discrimination and bullying, and making sure other people realise that what they say can be hurtful. This guide provides helpful hints on how to challenge homophobic language in a safe way.
So you've been staring the the LGBTQIA+ acronym and wondering what all those letters mean (not to mention that plus sign!). Or perhaps someone you know has just come out and you're too embarrassed to actually ask about their identity. Stress less! This list can tell you what all those letters and terms mean.
Being surrounded by people who really understand you is a great feeling, there’s no doubt about it – especially if they share parts of your identity (hint hint: if they’re also queer!) For some people, when they’re new to the queer community, it’s easy to feel like the only gay in the village. The thought of finding and making queer friends can feel like a huge and daunting task. But don’t fret! Minus18 has compiled a few tips on how to meet and surround yourself with queer friends.
Our identity is made up of a HEAP of different traits that are personal to us. Things like our sexuality, culture, religion, gender, our age, our body, and loads more. This article talks about two of those things: sexuality and gender, and how they're different to each other.
You might have seen the term QTIPOC around and wondered what exactly it means. This article gives you a quick explanation of QTIPOC and why the label is important.
The law in Victoria and Australia more broadly makes it pretty clear that it’s unlawful for an employer, school, or service provider to treat you badly because of your gender identity, sexuality, or intersex status. What is and what isn’t discrimination can be pretty confusing, but knowledge is power! In this article, Aimee Cooper, from Victoria Legal Aid, walks you through what exactly discrimination is and what you can do if you’ve experienced it.
Social media can play an important role in our lives. It offers a place for self- expression, community connection, acceptance and belonging. Social media transcends geographical boundaries. No matter where you are, no matter what city, suburb or country town, social media is a great place to connect with our inclusive and diverse communities. But social media is not without its downsides. While there may be affirming content and conversations, it can also be a source of negativity and hostility about who we are and how we love which can have detrimental impacts on our health and wellbeing. This guide from Minus 18 is all about protecting yourself and your mental health online – from being picky about what you share to (literally) blocking negativity.
Meet four LGBTIQ+ rebels fearlessly standing out for what they believe in: Rory Blundell, Aretha Brown, Bobuq Sayed, and Georgie Stone.
Created by young people, OMG I’m Queer takes on sexuality and gender identity, exploring them with real life experiences and attitude. Featuring contributions from queer young people from all over Australia, OMG I’m Queer is the one-stop introduction to sexuality and gender for young people.
|
|
The Trevor ProjectFounded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is a leading organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. |
 |
Minus18Minus18 aims to improve the health and wellbeing of, and provide a safe environment for, same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people in Australia. |
|
|
QueerspaceQueerspace Youth is a peer-led program for Queer, Trans, Intersex, Gender Diverse or questioning people aged 18-25 years old. |
 |
QLifeQLife provides Australia-wide anonymous, LGBTI peer support and referral for people wanting to talk about a range of issues including sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships. QLife services are free and include both telephone and webchat support, delivered by trained LGBTI community members across the country. |
 |
SwitchboardSwitchboard provide peer-driven support services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender diverse, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA+) people, their families, allies and communities. |
|
|
Zoe Belle Gender CollectiveZoe Belle Gender Collective (ZBGC) is a trans and gender diverse led advocacy organisation based in Victoria, Australia. The Zoe Belle Gender Collective – formerly known as the Zoe Belle Gender Centre – was founded in 2007 and is named in honour of late transgender activist Zoe Belle. |
