Before 1990, homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder by the World Health Assembly.
May 17 marks the date it was removed from the list of illnesses and is now the International Day Against Homophobia Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
Why is IDAHOBIT important?
While the world has progressed, IDAHOBIT is still crucial to recognise and work against LGBTQIA+ discrimination.
Research shows 42 per cent of LGBTQIA+ people hide their identity at social and community events, 60 per cent of young LGBTQIA+ people have felt unsafe in secondary school, and one in four Australians in the workplace do not ever see themselves becoming an LGBTQIA+ ally.
Additionally, in the UK, the Supreme Court recently ruled the definition of “man” and “woman” would only refer to biological sex, excluding transgender people who hold gender recognition certificates.
ECU Equity Projects Coordinator Stevie Lane emphasises how despite progression, society still has a lot of work to do.
“We have come so far and we have so much to gain still, but we can also see a reversing of people’s rights,” they say.
Mx Lane says accessing safe third spaces between home and work has positive effects for LGBTQIA+ people.
“I think historically we have always made spaces for ourselves, and I think that continues through various different initiatives because we know it has such a positive outcome for the community.”
Connections nightclub
Opening in 1975 when it was still criminal to be gay in Australia, the Connections Nightclub flourished against all odds.
Despite criminalisation, the police even sought refuge in Connections because it was “one place where a group of guys could be in a deep conversation in the middle of the room and no one would think twice of who they might be”.
Connections began as a small, secretive, tight-knit community which was difficult to get into.
It was first advertised in the personal section of the Sunday newspaper almost 50 years ago and has since become one of the most notable LGBTQIA+ spaces in Perth.
Managing director and co-owner Tim Brown says there was a no camera policy when he started going to the club.
“It was an incredibly ‘safe space'” but to have photographic evidence of being there outside of that space “could make it extremely unsafe for you because that would out you.”
“You couldn’t have a photograph of you taken in there if it might out you to your parents, or out you at work or to your friends, it might lose you your job or your family.”
Even if the world outside the club was unsafe, Mr Brown says Connections was always “a safe space for people of difference”.
The club started as primarily for gay men, but it became a safe haven for an “interesting mix of people” including punks and goths, which Mr Brown thinks “forms the basis of its DNA”.
Mr Brown’s first challenges when he became a co-owner in 1991 was breaking down barriers within the community, such the divide between gay men and lesbians.
“You’re being oppressed, so why are you oppressing those in your community?”
Importance of safe spaces
Tim Brown says “all spaces should be safe for all people at all times”, but unfortunately this is not always the case, with many LGBTQIA+ people being unsafe at home and in their relationships.
Mx Lane says “a safe space looks different for everyone” since LGBTQIA+ people have many intersecting identities and do not only exist in LGBTQIA+ spaces.
“I think any kind of approach to safety and inclusion has to encompass safety and inclusion for all minoritised backgrounds.”
Mr Brown says there is a duty to celebrate difference in humanity and Connections has done that for 50 years, however, it is important to note not everyone feels safe in clubs.
Not only do they exclude underage people, but in some places, unwanted sexual attention has been normalised in LGBTQIA+ venues and brushed under the rug to avoid making the community “look bad”.
Mx Lane suggests as society as progressed, night clubs have become an option among many safe spaces
“We continue to redefine what a safe space is and provide other options for people regardless of what their interests are.”
Look after each other
Tim Brown recalls the AIDS epidemic – a global health crisis that began in the 1980s and disproportionately affected gay men.
It “decimated” Connections, but ultimately brought the queer community closer.
Mr Brown says for people discarded by their own family, “finding another family within the gay community was everything”.
Mr Brown said the crisis made the LGBTQIA+ community realise the need to stick together and effect change because “we cannot keep living like this”.
Stevie Lane says everyone should make an effort to look out for LGBTQIA+ people when times are difficult, “not just in times of celebration”.
