Deakin awarded AWEI Gold Medal for LGBTIQ+ inclusion efforts

The accolade was announced at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, hosted by Australia's largest LGBTIQ+ health promotion organisation, ACON, under the banner of its national not-for-profit employer support program, Pride in Diversity.

The Index is an evidence-based benchmarking tool that assesses workplace progress in the realm of LGBTIQ+ inclusion and diversity initiatives. Deakin was one of only 15 organisations in Australia to receive the "Gold Employer" standard this year.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO said she was delighted with the result.

"Deakin has previously received three consecutive Bronze Awards, so receiving the Gold this year is an incredible achievement we can all be proud of, and is the result of significant work by the entire Deakin community," Professor den Hollander said.

"Deakin supports diversity and rejects homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. We recognise the rights of our LGBTIQ+ students and staff to learn, live and work free of prejudice and discrimination, with all the essential freedoms enjoyed by other members of our University community and the broader population.

"We receive regular feedback from LGBTIQ+ students and staff who choose Deakin because they feel that they can be themselves here, which is something we can all be proud of."

Professor den Hollander said she was pleased with the work that had been done during her time at Deakin to make the University more inclusive of the LGBTIQ+ community, and she was certain that progress would continue into the future.

"This award is not the end of the journey, our job now is to build upon this success," Professor den Hollander said.

"Our aim in 2019-2020 is to translate our policies into practice so our LGBTIQ+ staff and students can experience inclusion in every aspect of university life."

Achievement of the AWEI Gold Medal reflects Deakin’s work in areas such as:

*              Gender transition support - Deakin is the only university in Australia to provide Gender Transition Leave and have dedicated staff to manage students and staff cases of gender transition.

*              Policy amendments that are explicitly inclusive of the LGBTIQ+ community.

*              Increasing the visible support for the LGBTIQ+ community.

*              Championing LGBTIQ+ community initiatives in regional areas.

*              Training more than 300 staff in LGBTIQ+ awareness, including Senior Executives and the Senior Manager Group.

*              A comprehensive and accessible Deakin LGBTIQ+ website for our staff and students.