STOP sexuality and gender based DISCRIMINATION!

The Human Rights Commission wants to know why we need federal laws that protect us from discrimination based on our sexuality, sex and/or gender. Make a comment on their website (go to www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/lgbti/lgbticonsult/index.html for details first) before Friday night to TELL THEM YOUR EXPERIENCES OF DISCRIMINATION because of your sexuality, sex and/or gender and answer the other questions they're asking in the consultation.

Some of the questions you can answer in your comment are;
1. What benefit would there be in federal anti-discrimination laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexuality, sex and/or gender?
2. What benefit would there be in federal law prohibiting vilification and harassment on the basis of sexuality, sex and/or gender?
3. Can you provide examples of situations where federal protections from discrimination on the basis of sexuality, sex and/or gender are needed because state and territory laws don't provide adequate protections?
4. Have you experienced discrimination because of your sexuality, sex and/or gender for which there is no legal protection?
5. Have you experienced vilification or harassment because of your sexuality, sex and/or gender for which there is no legal protection?

This is YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE and help stop discrimination in Australia!

Click here for full details and here to make a comment NOW

FC Open day

Yesterday was FC's annual Open Day for the Pride WA's 2010 Festival! We opened the FC's NEW exSight Youth Art Space!! exSight featured photos by FC visitors, the Queer map of Perth, FC's Yarn-Bombed mannequin, Postsecrets by FCers, and pics of this year's FC retreats and the Zine: Ama-gi #5!

Here's a few pics of the day and your FIRST look at the exSight logo!

Have YOUR SAY about Mental Health of Young People

Have YOUR SAY about Mental Health of Young People by telling us so we can tell the WA Commissioner for Children & Young People!

You can tell us in several ways;

1. TAKE the online SURVEY NOW! It could take you as little as 5 mins - depending on how much you have to tell us! PLUS you could win a $20 iTunes voucher for doing it!

2. Come and TELL US at the focus group at Freespace THIS WEDNESDAY

3. CREATE a postcard at FC that tells us about your views on the Mental Health of Children & Young people!


4. Work together to CREATE a PSA film and/or a promotional Tshirt to get our message about the mental health of Children and Young people across to the Commissioner at FC drop-in sessions NEXT WEEK (Wed 20th 5-8pm, Thurs 21st 5-8pm for ATSI Qspace, Fri 22nd 22nd 4-8pm, Sat 23rd 12-5pm for FC Open Day)


We want to hear what you've got to say so we can tell the Commissioner!

The online survey closes 9am Tues 26th Oct so tell us NOW for your chance to win the iTunes voucher! :)

See you all at FC soon!!

Fairday was AWESOME

With a more community oriented Fairday stalls layout, and Freedom Centre getting everyone busy with our Queer stories Map and mannequin yarn bombing, we had the BEST City of Perth Pride Fairday!!

Check out the map below, or if you missed it, come to the FC Open Day on October 23rd 12-5pm to see it and add YOUR Queer Stories to the FC Map :)

PRIDE is coming!!

October is nearly upon us – and for the Perth GLBTI community that can mean only one thing: PRIDE!

Yes indeed – break out the glitter and lace up your favourite cons, because this year is Pride’s 21st birthday and all of Perth will be dressing up and coming out in style to support the festival and all the wonderful events and activities that come with it.

This year the Freedom Centre will have several things to offer during Pride month – first and foremost being the FC stall at Fairday, which is the first big event of the Pride festival, on Saturday 9th October. There will be a shady chill-out space and cool fundraising goodies for sale. We’ll also be giving out free condoms, and there will be heaps of info available about mental health and safe-sex (because protection is sexy!). We’ll also be asking you guys to contribute to the Queer Map of Perth with your stories and experiences.

A little later on the calendar we have the new Skills Sharing sessions at the Freedom Centre. We’re looking for clever and creative young folks that have cool skills and talents they want to share. So if you’ve got a flair for drawing, music, language, cooking, costume design – or anything else for that matter, you’re more than welcome to come on down and show us how it’s done!

The SkillShare session starts on Thursday 14th October, at 5pm and will go until 8pm. This session will continue as a monthly affair on the 2nd Thursday of every month 5-8pm
Following on from the skills sharing workshop will be another new venture for us – The ATSIQ sessions will be hosted on the third Thursday of every month beginning on the 21st of October and are especially for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of diverse sexuality and gender. Again, this session will start at 5pm and will finish at 8 and will continue as a monthly drop-in session on the 3rd Thursday of every month.

Those of you with impressive memories will remember the success of our Emerge art project that was run in 2006. This year, we will be rejuvenating the program with a series of facilitated workshops for young GLBTIQQ people hosted by local community artists to improve YOUR creative and artistic skills. The workshops will begin following the launch of the new exhibition/artspace at the Freedom Centre Open Day on the 23rd of October. More news on this to follow!

Finally, the festivities will conclude (as all good things must) with the Pride Parade on the 30th October. We’re still working on ideas for this year’s Freedom Centre entry into the parade (email us if you have any suggestions!) and we’re hoping for a big turn out of young, passionate and fabulously attired people to represent us this year.

So, it looks like we’ve got a busy month ahead of us – and we’re looking forward to seeing you and watching your ideas and contributions become a part of our ongoing and thriving community project.
Check out the calendar at www.freedom.org.au for more details on the Skills Sharing and ATSIQ sessions, or email info@freedom.org.au for more information.

Happy Pride!

The Freedom Centre Team

Jan '10 Retreat @ FC

At this retreat we made our own food by going down to the local shops to buy our own ingredients. We managed to make a lot of different meals ranging from Vegetarian skewers, non-Vegetarian skewers, h'dourves, Turkish bread, multiple salads, and a stir-fry.

Here are a few pics from the first ever FC Retreat @ 93 Brisbane St in January 2010!