New gender and sexuality commissioner to fight LGBTI discrimination

Written by The Age on 20 July 2015.

LGBTI Education

Helping transgender people keep jobs will be a top priority for Victoria's first gender and sexuality commissioner.

The state government has announced Rowena Allen's appointment to "champion the rights" of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Victorians.

Only 5 per cent of transgender people kept their jobs after changing gender, Ms Allen said. "I'm looking forward to increasing that number," she said, adding that she planned to work with company boards to create workplace policies and cultures to help transgender people retain their jobs.

Ms Allen said she expected the profile of her new position would encourage more people to come forward with complaints of discrimination, and that she would work with the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission when complaints were made.