LGBTIQA+ support
Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (13:10): To trans and gender-diverse people across the Ringwood electorate and across Victoria I say: you are loved. In Victoria we say: you deserve love, you deserve joy and you deserve to live every minute as your true and authentic selves, and every aspect of you deserves to be celebrated because you are beautiful. I will not rest in this place until your voices are amplified because your voices are precious. You are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, colleagues and friends, and you light up the lives of people around you. As an ally I will keep doing everything in my power to raise you up and to protect you from discrimination, prejudice and hate. My allyship to you runs deep as a dad, a brother, a boss and a human being with empathy and compassion. Your stories, your identities and your lived experiences and journeys are unique and as diverse as they come. Whether you are a trans man, a trans woman or non-binary or you fall anywhere else in the beautiful spectrum that is gender identity, you are valid and you are valued. Your diversity is strength, and your strength makes the Victorian community a better place for all of us. I am proud to stand alongside you every minute of every day that I have a seat in this place, because you are loved and you deserve nothing less.