Hate and vilification laws

Everyone should feel safe to live, work and study free from hate, no matter who they are or who they love.

Yet LGBTIQA+ South Australians continue to face protests and harassment at community events, graffiti and vandalism on pride-related public art, threats towards schools and councils who include us, and calls to ban books that promote LGBTIQA+ inclusion.

Currently, LGBTIQA+ South Australians have no legal protection from hate speech and vilification, with South Australia's Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA) remaining silent on the matter of hatred towards minority groups and no national anti-vilification in place.

This limits the ability of SA Police, local councils and other authorities to properly deal with hate and abuse.

Our lack of protection is out of step with other Australian states, with protections available in NSW, QLD, TAS and ACT, and new laws being considered in Victoria.

Queer communities have put up with this kind of harassment from anti-LGBTIQA+ protesters for years and with attacks on the rise we need stronger laws that protect LGBTIQA+ communities from hate.

We call on the South Australian government make it unlawful to incite hate, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or group on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, intersex status, HIV/AIDS status, disability, race or religion.