Trans and intersex group funded

Trans and intersex group funded

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has announced it will channel $200,000 to help improve services for sex and gender diverse people in the territory.

Local sex and gender diverse community support group A Gender Agenda (AGA) will receive the financial boost over the next three years. The funding was announced in the ACT’s budget last week.

AGA spokesperson Peter Hyndal welcomed the news.

“The sex and gender diverse population experiences exceptionally high rates of discrimination, unemployment and social marginalisation, as well as poor health outcomes and low rates of engagement with mainstream support services,” Hyndal said.

AGA currently offers support for the ACT sex and gender community and advocates on their behalf. It is the only organisation in the ACT to provide services specifically to the sex and gender diverse community.

Hyndal said the money had arrived at a critical time for the organisation.

“In the past, all of our work has been performed on a voluntary basis,” Hyndal said.

“Demand for our services has increased exponentially over the last two years to the degree that we are simply unable to respond to requests for support, information and training.

“We have been operating as an unfunded organisation for the last eight years and without the funding, we would have been unable to continue operations.”

The group will also receive $67,000 from the ACT’s health promotion grants program for the next financial year.

“The budget allocation signals a first, very significant step towards reducing the marginalisation of transgender and intersex people at a territory level,” Hyndal said.

Last year the ACT Government launched an inquiry into the legal recognition of trans and intersex people in the ACT.

The ACT Law Reform Advisory Council handed down its recommendations to Attorney-General Simon Corbell in March.

“AGA eagerly awaits the ACT Government’s response to the Council’s recommendations,” Hyndal said.

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