First Nations LGBTQA+ people, sistergirls and brotherboys, are critical parts of our community at large. Their contribution to social justice, culture, social and family life is undeniable and significant. All of this is work.
There has, however, been limited research attention given to LGBTQASB+ mob’s contribution to and experience within the formal paid workforce. Building this knowledge is critical. Access to safe and just workplaces contributes directly to how LGBTQSB+1 mob survive and sustain themselves, their families and their communities.
Two large surveys have measured equity in workplaces for LGBTQA+ and Indigenous communities – the Jumbunna Institute and Diversity Council of Australia’s Gari Yala survey (of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at work) and Pride in Diversity’s Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Employee Survey. The gap in the data risks misunderstandings and inattention to how First Nations LGBTQASB+ people experience the formal paid workforce. It also risks how the employment community approaches them – from union campaigns and bargaining, to workplace supports, to initiatives promoting diversity, equity and justice within the formal paid workforce. It is not enough that workplaces understand the experiences of LGBTQA+ people and First Nations people separately.
This project came from discussions between ACON’s Pride in Diversity and the Indigenous People and Work Hub at the UTS Jumbunna Institute (Research), led by Professor Nareen Young and was then lead and executed by First Nations LGBTQASB+ mob. We note that it addresses long-held discussions within our community about the safety of workplaces and the material living conditions of LGBTQASB+ mob.