Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced as Equality Australia patron
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Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced as Equality Australia patron
The Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, has been announced as a new patron of LGBTQIA+ rights group, Equality Australia.
The Governor-General announced the move in a video recorded at Government House in Canberra.
“Government House is a place of peace and conversation and celebration, where everyone is welcome,” Mostyn said in the video, which was uploaded to YouTube.
“So I am honoured to be patron of Equality Australia, an organisation that embodies the same spirit of welcome and which has the values of respect, dignity, care and kindess at its core,” she said.
“It is a privilege to celebrate Australia’s diverse LGBTIQ+ communities, to honour your strength and resilience, to recognise your vital contribution to the success of our modern and optimistic Australia, and as patron to support Equality Australia in bringing an end to discrimination and injustice,” who is King Charles III’s representative in Australia.
Acknowledging the current Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, with the famous Mardi Gras Parade to be held this Saturday 1 March, the Governor-General said it was the perfect time for her make the announcement.
“I look forward to amplifying Equality Australia’s mission to build an equal Australia that is fair and inclusive for all LGBTIQ+ people, their families and their communities,” she added.
‘A huge step for the nation’
In a media statement this afternoon, Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said Her Excellency’s announcement was a huge development not only for LGBTQIA+ Australians but the country as a whole.
“Having the Governor-General of Australia as patron of Equality Australia is a huge honour for us,” said Brown.
“But more importantly it is a groundbreaking moment in the history of our nation, and a milestone of which all Australians should be enormously proud,” she said.
“It was not so long ago that the people we represent and champion every day were considered outsiders and even criminals in this country.
“Today we have our Head of State proudly supporting the work we do to ensure [we] are equal in the eyes of the law and accepted and embraced in our communities.
“This is the greatest demonstration of who we are as a nation. A country that celebrates diversity and difference as well as the core values we hold dear. That we are all human, all worthy and all part of our national story.”
Equality Australia’s role
Equality Australia, which launched in the year 2018, emerged from the campaign to deliver marriage equality in Australia, which was achieved on 9 December 217, when the Marriage Act 1961 was updated to include same-sex couples. The move followed the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey (AKA the plebiscite), which saw 61.6 per cent of Australians vote ‘yes’ to marriage equality.
Led by Anna Shelley Brown OAM, the Equality Australia now has seven patrons including Mostyn, the others being drag artist Courtney Act; former High Court Justice, the Hon. Virginia Bell AC; intersex woman and LGBTQIA+ activist Tony Briffa; Yorta Yorta woman, soprano and composer Deborah Cheetham AO; former High Court Justice the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG; and Australian-Chinese chef and author Kylie Kwong AM.
Equality Australia aims to combine legal, policy and communications expertise with grassroots supporters to ensure LGBTQIA+ people are treated with dignity and respect.
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