Tamworth TRAIN LGBTQI+ inclusion tells council, businesses how to welcome the rainbow community

It started with just a few community members, and now the Tamworth Rainbow and Inclusion Network (TRAIN) is telling the local council and businesses how they can better welcome people who are gender and sexuality diverse.

And, creating an inclusive environment that welcomes the LGBTQI+ community can be as simple as adding a little colour.

The main goal is create visibility, accessibility and safer services, so TRAIN member Leoni Allwell took her concerns to Tamworth Regional Council's (TRC) inclusive cultural advisory committee.

"I told my story, when my child came out as trans I couldn't find visible supports in Tamworth so I had to leave and connect with services in Wollongong. I felt Tamworth failed me," she said.

"We hoped with TRAIN to turn that around for other parents and members of the community in Tamworth, so if anybody who walked into one of our services that came to the meetings said they were trans, gay, or gender questioning - someone on TRAIN will know exactly where to go to get help."

The council committee heard a number of suggestions that would make businesses and the city safer for the LGBTQI+ community.

It included the redesign of forms to include pronoun tick boxes, planning for unisex toilets, increased visibility with flags, t-shirts or rainbow stickers and pride-awareness training for TRC's frontline staff.

There are already simple changes businesses can make to create a welcoming environment for LGBTQI+ people, Rex Guesthouse wrangler Jody Ekert said.

"As a member of the queer community I think silence is the worst thing that can happen, sometimes people are afraid to say the wrong thing," she said.

"If you do a little bit of education you can relax a bit and everyone feels more comfortable.

"The easiest thing to do is to remember not to make assumptions about people when you meet them about what their background or family unit is.

"Remember what their presentation tells you about them isn't always what it is, it's learning to be a little bit more open-minded and treat them like a normal person."

ACON, a community health initiative, has designed the Welcome Here project which encourages businesses to display rainbow stickers that let the LGBTQI+ community know diversity is welcomed and celebrated.

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Tamworth Regional Inclusive Cultural Advisory Committee (TRICAC) chair Juanita Wilson said it was eye-opening to hear about the experiences of the rainbow community.

"We need to understand the elements within our community that deliberately or unwittingly create exclusion, to understand how to create a more inclusive culture," she said.

"I certainly think frontline council staff having specific training is of benefit - I think the will in Tamworth is to be inclusive."

To join TRAIN or for more information on LGBTQI+ inclusivity contact Kasey Johnson at JobLink Plus on 6764 6666.

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