Paving a trans-positive pathway

JUST in time to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday, regional LGBTQ+ support and resource providers kick started new not-for-profit, Speak.

As a trans, non-binary person, Speak’s CEO Sage Akouri said the organisation’s the goal was to create more safe spaces through fun events, panel discussions and workshops.

“We recognised some gaps in Ballarat and regional Victoria as a whole and as a community initiative, we started it up to address those,” they said.

“We’re creating safe spaces for the broader community to learn, ask difficult questions and have hard conversations, we want people to actively speak out against transphobia, not just in the workplace but wherever.

“There is much work to be done here and Speak is here to offer workshops and training to do that so I would encourage businesses and organisations to get in contact and get that training going.”

Helper of the Ballarat Health Services Transgender Support Group and member of the trans community Conner Lewry said visibility is integral and knowing people like you exist can be powerful.

“It’s important for people who can and feel safe enough to stand up and represent and be a voice, and something for younger people or people who haven’t come out yet to aspire to,” he said.

“The support group was the first place I went to when I first came out so wanted to continue and help younger people because I transitioned a few years ago.

“With the whole LGBTQ community, you’re not born into it, you find it and it can be very difficult if people don’t know you exist.”

To mark both Transgender Day of Visibility and the launch of the organisation, Speak teamed up with Piano Bar Ballarat to host a free panel discussion on Tuesday night.

Mx Akouri said the event is both recognised the trans community and was an opportunity for the public to learn.

“For me and many trans people and gender diverse people seeing ourselves represented out in the real world gives us confidence and the safety to be ourselves,” they said.

“It’s about the broader community coming together and celebrating our existence but also learning about what struggles we face and how they can actively support us and create inclusive spaces for us to be safe.

“We’ve seen an immense amount of support from community members, a lot of interest in coming to these events, it shows that there is a need for it in the wider community.”

To find out more about Speak, their events and workshops, visit speak.org.au.