Gippsland Pride Initiative

About

Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc. exists to provide visibility, engagement, awareness and celebration to LGBTQIA+ Gippslanders. We have three goals: Educate, Engage and Celebrate. To achieve this, we:

Tackle the barriers to inclusion through awareness/education
Engage with the community in a positive context to encourage visibility and participation
Create spaces of welcome, celebration and socialisation

In 2019, Gippsland Ranges Roller Derby launched the ‘Gippsland Pride Initiative’, a series of three events spanning from ‘International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia’ (IDAHOBIT) in May to the first Australian Pride Cup of Roller Derby and Inaugural Gippsland Pride Gala in June.

These activities were informed by state and local LGBTQI+ Suicide Prevention consultation efforts, state and national legislation and policy, Council health and well-being objectives and current community and media activities relating to the LGBTQI+ community in Gippsland.

Where the national average participation rate of LGBTQI+ individuals in sport is 2%, Gippsland Ranges Roller Derby club (with ~25% of our members identifying as LGBTQI+), are determined to be a part of a positive and necessary change in the conversation and the living experience for the Queer community in our region.

Gippsland Pride Initiative

The concept was simple:

Tackle the barriers to inclusion through awareness/education
Engage with the community in a positive sporting context to encourage visibility and participation
Create a space of safety, celebration and socialisation independent of the sporting field.

In post-activity survey and review, the ambitious project exceeded all measures of success and engagement, with calls for the continuation of the Gala coming from far and wide.

The Gippsland Pride Initiative Inc is born!

We are a part of Gippsland Ranges Roller Derby, who are registered as a: Not-for-profit.

More details

LGBTIQ Owned and Operated: Yes
Service Delivery Format: