FOI 21/22-0848
wel being and lower levels of unacceptable behaviour such as harassment and discrimination.
Diversity in cultural background and ethnicity, age, sex, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual
orientation, religious beliefs, language and education can lead to fresh and different perspectives,
new and improved ways of doing things; al of which contribute significantly to our 'high performing'
corporate aspiration.
A study by Deloitte found more diverse and
inclusive workplaces saw on average an 83 per cent
improvement on their ability to innovate, a 31 per
cent improvement in the ability to respond to
changing customer needs, and a 42 per cent
improvement in team collaboration.
4
It's the law
Sex Discrimination Act 1984
From 1 August 2013, it became unlawful to discriminate against a person on the basis of sexual
orientation, gender identity and intersex status under federal law. Same sex couples are also
protected from discrimination under the definition of ‘marital or relationship status’. These new
protections wil particularly apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse and intersex
people.
Equal Opportunity and Anti Discrimination Legislation
Legislation such as the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against
a person on the basis of their sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It is also against the law
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from: https://www.genderbread.org
Anatomical sex which is comprised of things like genitals, chromosomes (XX
female, XY male), hormones, and more. But one thing it’s not: gender.
Gender identity which is your psychological sense of self. Who you, in your
head, know yourself to be.
Attraction (which like anatomical sex) isn’t really a component of gender.
However, we often connect sexual orientation with gender or categorise the
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attraction we experience in gendered ways.
Gender expression which is the way you present gender, through your actions,
clothing, demeanour - our outward-facing self.
A comprehensive Genderbread Person workbook is available for download towards the end of this
course in the Practicing Inclusivity section.
Don't confuse the two
Confusing gender identity and sexual orientation can lead to people making the wrong assumptions
about others. When someone’s gender expression is different to what people expect, they are
often assumed to be gay or lesbian.
The difference between gender identity and sexual orientation may also make it harder for people
to understand their own orientation and identity. For example:
trans or gender diverse people may think that they must be gay, lesbian or bisexual, until they
better understand their gender identity
trans and gender diverse people may at any given time change their sexual orientation to be
affirming of their gender identity
a straight male who transitions to female and continues to want sexual and emotional
relationships with women might redefine their sexuality as lesbian.
Understanding the LGBTIQA+ abbreviation
It is important to understand that there is no fixed way of defining and describing sexual orientation,
sex characteristics and gender identity. This is a subject that LGBTIQA+ communities and others
have strong views about. The meanings of particular words can also be interpreted differently,
depending on the time, context and culture in which they are used. The fol owing descriptions of
LGBTIQA+ people are not complete and they are likely to change, as communities do.
Source: the National LGBTI Health Al iance
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nothing to do with the discrimination they encounter, face further stigma stil due to a widespread
lack of understanding of the issues that transgender people face.
There is value in diversity
Valuing and embracing workplace diversity and inclusion provides benefits such as higher staff
engagement, improved performance, greater innovation, retention of talent, improved staff
wel being and lower levels of unacceptable behaviour such as harassment and discrimination.
A study by Deloitte found more diverse and inclusive workplaces saw on average an 83 per cent
improvement on their ability to innovate, a 31 per cent improvement in the ability to respond to
changing customer needs, and a 42 per cent improvement in team col aboration.
Diversity in cultural background and ethnicity, age, sex, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual
orientation, religious beliefs, language and education can lead to fresh and different perspectives,
new and improved ways of doing things; al of which contribute significantly to our 'high performing'
corporate aspiration.
It's the law
Sex Discrimination Act 1984
From 1 August 2013, it became unlawful to discriminate against a person on the basis of sexual
orientation, gender identity and intersex status under federal law. Same sex couples are also
protected from discrimination under the definition of ‘marital or relationship status’. These new
protections wil particularly apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse and intersex
people.
Equal Opportunity and Anti Discrimination Legislation
Legislation such as the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against
a person on the basis of their sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. It is also against the law to
discriminate against someone because of their lawful sexual activity and physical features.
More information on State and Territory legislation can be sourced via the Australian Human Rights
Commission website.
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