In 2014 I was accepted into a Fellowship Program run by Australian Progress for leaders in civil society. I learnt from some of the best social campaigners in the country about community organising, campaign strategy, media engagement, public advocacy and theories of change.
I’ve been working for social change since I first joined the ‘Gay Teachers’ Group’ in London over 25 years ago. Much of that work has been with small groups of people who are passionate and skilled. I am a great believer in the power of a few individuals to effect great change.
Some of my social change work
- Travelled to Canberra to participate in a highly successful anti-plebiscite lobbying day with rainbow families from Victoria and NSW.
- Founded – together with a small group of experienced advocates – the Australian Equality Party, a new political party aimed at promoting fairness, human rights and equality. Our aim is to give the LGBTI and broader community an independent voice in federal parliament.
- Worked with a small group of parents on Love Makes a Family, a campaign that successfully changed Victorian State legislation to allow access to Assisted Reproductive Treatment for single women and lesbians and allow the name of the non-birth mother to be on her child’s birth certificate.
- Ran – with another couple – a legal case in the Victorian Family Court to seek recognition of our respective overseas marriages. The case led to the Howard government’s changes to the Marriage Act. I’ve been campaigning for marriage equality ever since. This interview with William Brougham tells the story of my involvement with the campaign for marriage equality.
- Organised parents at my children’s local primary school to successfully lobby for the removal of Special Religious Instruction as part of the school curriculum. Wrote a ‘How to’ blog for parents in other schools.
- Successfully crowd-funded to research and write an online resource kit for rainbow families and service providers. One hundred plus people supported the project which involved input from 50 people.