Next year is the 25th anniversary of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (GLRL), and in acknowledgement of that milestone we would like to invite the community to become Silver Supporters of the GLRL.
The GLRL receives no ongoing funding from government, and is reliant on community support to continue our work. In particular are extremely grateful to Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for their continuing support.
In 2005 we received a large grant from the Berg Foundation to support our work. The money was meant to last three years, but we have managed to make it last seven. That money has now run out however.
In order to continue our advocacy work on behalf of the gay and lesbian community, we need your help.
We are seeking 250 people to donate $25 a month, which would provide us a stable funding base to continue the campaign for equality we began nearly 25 years ago. We realise that some of you might be able to give more, and some less. Any contribution would be most appreciated.
The funds would primarily be used to employ paid staff. The scope and quality of our work has been greatly enhanced by having a paid policy officer since 2005, and we want that to continue.
The GLRL has played a key role in many reforms over the past 25 years, including adoption and surrogacy reform (2010), recognition of parental status for co-mothers in NSW (2008), federal reform granting de facto equality for same-sex couples (2008), an equal age of consent (2003), next of kin and relationship rights in NSW (1999) and the introduction of anti-vilification legislation (1993), and many more.
But there is still much that needs to be done.
The GLRL is currently working on the consolidation of federal anti-discrimination legislation, which will for the first time provide protection on the grounds of sexuality and gender identity; providing education forums to the community around how to enforce our rights under existing NSW anti-discrimination legislation; lobbying for marriage equality; partnering with other organisations to address homophobic bullying in schools; ensuring that domestic violence policies reflect the needs of the LGBTI community; and the defence of provocation (“gay panic defence”).
While we would like to hope that a day will come soon where our work will be done, the reality is that our community is still a long way from achieving equality, and many of us still experience homophobia in our daily lives.
Think of your contribution as an investment in your freedom, and that of the generations of our community to come.
INFO: glrl.org.au
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