Kirby launches Brisbane LGBTI Legal Service

Michael Kirby (r) with yours truly

Judicial legend, retired High Court judge Michael Kirby launched the Brisbane LGBTI Legal Service last week on World AIDS Day.

In launching Australia’s only stand alone LGBTI legal service, Mr Kirby outlined the ways that the service had already started the fight against discrimination and fighting for fairness. He outlined various cases in which people’s lives had been changed with assistance from the service.

Mr Kirby noted that in the days of the Bjelke-Petersen government, such a service would not have existed.

He called upon the State Government to consider changing the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act so that for trans people seeking to have their gender altered on their birth certificates, there should no longer be a requirement of operation and inspection by doctors. Mr Kirby said that the current Qld requirement was not used throughout Australia and failed international standards.

An unfunded service, the service is staffed entirely by lawyer and social worker volunteers, and operates each Wednesday night from 6pm to 7.30pm at QAHC, 30 Helen St, Teneriffe.

I was privileged to attend the opening in my role as a volunteer at the service.

For more about the launch, and plenty of piccies, click here.