Transgender Victoria (TGV) turns 20 this month!
While our celebrations look a bit different this year, we’re proud to look back on two decades of improving the lives of trans and gender diverse people.
We’ve come a long way from the early days operating out of the trunk of a car and holding meetings at supportive local restaurants and cafes. We now have a permanent home thanks to the generous support of Drummond Street Services, and are thrilled to be joining the Victorian Pride Centre later this year.
We honour our Victorian Trans and Gender Diverse pioneers such as Kayleen White and Julie Peters who paved the way, directly and indirectly, for TGV to be born.
We thank our incredible staff, volunteers, donors, and members for their contributions over the last 20 years that have made TGV’s work supporting and empowering our communities possible.
TGV has come a long way these past two decades, and we’ve seen enormous shifts and evolution in trans rights and advocacy both locally and across the world.
We’re excited to see our team grow and take our organisation in new and exciting directions. The past year has seen the creation of new resources, events, support groups, videos, campaigns, and programs to support our communities that have had a huge positive impact.
Here in Victoria we recently celebrated long awaited birth certificate reform coming into effect, allowing trans and gender diverse people to update official documents more easily and to more accurately reflect our gender. This represented a vital step toward equality for trans and gender diverse people, made possible by the tireless work of members of the TGV team, and many other amazing community organisations and advocates across Victoria.
We’re also proud to lead the Trans and Gender Diverse Peer Support Program, helping foster and grow community initiatives to build community and empower trans people all across Victoria. With over 30 groups already delivering vital work to support their communities across the state, and more along the way
The work of our training team continues to grow, and now supports trans and gender diverse equality across a range of sectors and contexts including employment, aged care, education, and covers broader topics such as LGBTIQ+ inclusion, addressing family and intimate partner violence, and support tailored to unique organisations and cases.
We recognise there is still a way to go in achieving equality for all. The founding of TGV falls in the same week of the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and even as we’ve seen great strides forward, remembering the spirit of those who stood up for their rights is still needed.
We acknowledge trans and gender diverse people we lost too early. We acknowledge your spirit as we always aim to strive further and higher.
We thank all of the supportive loved ones and allies who’ve walked beside us; who have supported us and played an important role in achieving greater equality and equity for all.
It remains vital to ensure all voices are heard and represented in order to address inequality within our communities.
We acknowledge the distinct challenges, disadvantages, and discrimination Black, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander members of our communities can face, particularly those who identify as trans women or transfeminine. We remain committed to improving outcomes for all impacted by racism, anti-blackness, and transphobia.
We recognise the unique impact of COVID-19 on many of our most vulnerable, including trans people with disabilities, sex workers, those impacted by family violence, and those who are immunocompromised. We urge all to consider giving support where it is needed most as we navigate this period, as we will continue to do.
We continue striving to achieve equity for all trans and gender diverse Victorians and welcome collaboration whenever possible.
We remain driven and energised in our work to achieve greater justice, equity, and community for all trans and gender diverse people, and can’t wait to begin our next chapter.
Bring on the next 20 years!
