Latest News

Find below the latest news items for the LGBTIQA+ community here in South Australia.

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Updated 13th December

Service spotlight: Support services through the holiday season

As the year draws to a close, we wish everyone a safe and happy festive season. For a lot of people though this can be a difficult time of the year.

If you need support, there are a number of LGBTIQA+ inclusive services that will continue to operate through the holidays:

Bfriend - Bfriend is a free peer support service for LGBTIQA+ people of all ages. Bfriend’s community workers can provide a safe place to talk about gender or sexuality, information about community groups, and can connect people with peer volunteers. Contact Bfriend during business hours via 8202 5190 or [email protected]. Please note the Bfriend team will be unavailable for the week commencing 27 December and will return on 4 January.

Gender Connect Country SA - Gender Connect Country SA is a free web and phone based service for transgender and gender diverse people in regional South Australia. Staffed by a team of peer workers with lived experience of gender diversity, Gender Connect Country SA is available from 6pm to 8pm Monday to Thursday each week, excluding public holidays. Call 08 7099 5390 or access their web chat here.

QLife - QLife is an anonymous, national LGBTIQA+ phone and online chat service. QLife operates from 3pm to midnight every day and is staffed by people who identify as LGBTIQA+. Call 1800 184 527 or see here for their webchat.

Lifeline - Lifeline provides crisis support 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can contact them via phone, online chat and through text messages. Call on 13 11 14, or follow these links for their text and online services.

Lived Experience Telephone Support Service (LETSS) - LETSS offers phone and web chat options from 5pm to 11:30pm every day. The service is operated by people with lived experience of mental health conditions, and they can provide information and support afterhours.

Call 1800 013 755 or connect via the LETSS website.

Semaphore Rainbow Carols

The annual Semaphore Rainbow Carols will be held from 7:30pm on Monday 20 December at the Semaphore Uniting Church.

This traditional Christmas Carols service is organised and presented by the LGBTIQA+ community of Semaphore, and all LGBTIQA+ people and allies, families and supporters are welcome to join. Supper will also follow the service.

Nominations open for Department of Human Services Pride Award

Nominations for the Department of Human Services Pride Award, part of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards 2022, have been extended until 21 January. This award is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of LGBTIQA+ South Australians under the age of 30. Nominations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people living with a disability and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to help celebrate the full diversity of LGBTIQA+ communities.

Learn more about the award here, or see here to nominate/refer someone for the award.

QueersInScience SA recruiting new committee members

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community working or studying in STEMM are invited to join the committee, to contribute advocacy activities and create opportunities for LGBTQIA+ South Australians in STEMM. You’ll expand your network, and you’ll make friends.

To express your interest, fill out the form here. 

Join the Department of Human Services Disability Engagement Group

Do you want to be involved in the future of Inclusive SA? Inclusive SA is seeking to appoint 12 people with strong knowledge or lived experience of disability to be founding members of the new Disability Engagement Group (DEG). DEG members will provide advice to government on decision making and policy initiatives including the future direction of Inclusive SA and State authority disability access and inclusion plans.

The DEG will comprise of members with the following mix of skills or experience:

• lived experience of disability
• experience of being a carer, parent or a family member of a person with disability
• have an interest in disability policy matters and current trends

DHS encourages applications from people who will contribute to improving access and inclusion for people with disabilities This includes seeking applications from people of a variety of ages, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, LGBTIQA+ people, those living in different South Australian geographical locations (metropolitan and regional) and those with diverse experiences of disability.

Representatives from organisations in the disability sector are also encouraged to apply.

About the role:

Applicants are advised that this is not an advocacy role and selection is not dependent on previous experience with advisory groups or committees. The role is to develop advice for government that supports access and inclusion for people with disabilities across the whole of government and in the community.

Learn how you can apply to join the new DEG at the Inclusive SA website. For more information, please view the role description, and to apply complete the DEG registration form. Applications close 17 January 2022, and successful members will be notified in late January 2022. For more information, email [email protected]