A Reflection following Pride March

Like Pride March, Thorne Harbour Health is borne out of a legacy of LGBTIQA+ activism and community mobilisation. This year we’ve celebrated 40 years since our founding by a generation of community activists forged in the fires of gay and lesbian liberation as they sought to address the emerging epidemic of HIV and AIDS. In fact, several of those founding figures joined us for this year’s Pride March. We have a deep respect for the history of collective action that has seen our communities progress to where we are today. We also uphold the legacy of activism in the streets together with advocacy of those working within the systems of power.

However, at this year’s Pride March we saw a confrontation. We do not condone violence of any kind, directed at anyone, and are committed to defending the wellbeing of all our LGBTIQA+ communities and people living with HIV. This includes lateral violence within our communities as well as inappropriate police conduct.

Our communities have had a long and complicated relationship with police going back almost to colonisation. While we have made several advances in Victoria towards improving this relationship, the incident at this year’s Pride March is a stark and upsetting reminder that we have a long way to go. We will be engaging with Victoria Police around addressing these issues.

First and foremost though, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities. We encourage anyone seeking support to contact us on 03 9865 6700 or QLife on 1800 184 527.

Furthermore, if any member of our LGBTIQA+ communities has issues or concerns with any public officer, we can assist and support you in making a complaint to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) https://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/.