Tuesday, 17 February 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (14:46): Last week on a lovely sunny Saturday I had the pleasure of taking part in the annual Geelong Rainbow Pride march and festival. We were joined by LGBTQIA+ leaders and advocates, including Geelong’s own Goldie and commissioner for LGBTQIA+ communities Joe Ball. We were also entertained by amazing local talent like Teddy Testosterone. It was a day of celebration honouring progress and recognising the value of diversity and inclusion in our community in Geelong. But many hard-fought gains for the LGBTQIA+ community and others who have long faced discrimination and persecution do not necessarily look as secure as they once did, with increasingly flagrant homophobia and transphobia on our streets and in public discourse. Laws alone are not enough to deal with this. All of us, in every sphere of our lives, must guard against hate going unchecked or, worse, becoming normalised. That is why events like Geelong Rainbow are so important, where members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies come together to promote the values of respect and inclusion. We know that feeling safe and included in society is a key driver of good health and wellbeing for everyone. We cannot be safe until we are all safe. Well done to Audrey Stringer and the whole team at Geelong Rainbow on a terrific day.