UN Discrimination, Tasmania Parliament Inquiry, Paralympian Greg Slade, BAFTA noms | Rainbow Briefing – Daily LGBTQIA+ News Podcast Australia

Hi, I’m Louise Poole, and this is the Rainbow Briefing for Thursday the 29th of January. Your daily LGBTQIA+ news catchup.

Recorded and produced on Yugambeh and Yuggera land.

The United Nations has formally called on Australia to scrap laws that let religious schools discriminate against LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

The call came through what’s known as the Universal Periodic Review — a process where UN member states examine each other’s human rights records every four and a half years.

This week, more than 120 countries weighed in on Australia. Belgium, Iceland, and Mexico specifically called out exemptions in our federal Sex Discrimination Act — exemptions that let religious schools legally discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, relationship status, and pregnancy.

And these schools receive millions in public funding. Yet they’re legally empowered to sack gay or trans teachers, suspend students who come out, and deny promotions to staff who are divorced or unmarried.

One in three Australian students attend private schools. Almost two in five staff work in them. Most of those schools are religiously affiliated.

Labor promised to remove these exemptions before the 2022 election. A 2024 Law Reform Commission report found strong public support for change — including among parents and people of faith.

Three years on, the exemptions remain.

Equality Australia called the UN recommendations a wake-up call — saying Australia is out of step with international standards, and out of touch with the expectations of everyday Australians.

Meanwhile in Tasmania, queer and trans students have been sharing their experiences of discrimination in Catholic schools.

A parliamentary inquiry into bullying in schools held its final hearing yesterday.

Amilie Courtney, a Year 12 trans woman at a Catholic college in Launceston, told the committee she wasn’t allowed to use the girls’ toilets or change rooms, was segregated on school camps, and staff refused to use her name.

She said no child should have to trade their dignity for an education — and no child should grow up learning that who they are is a problem.

Leon Pecl, who attended an all-girls Catholic school in Hobart before transitioning, described being loudly interrogated about his sexuality by another student — while the teacher sat a metre and a half away and kept grading papers.

This was typical, he said.

A former deputy principal also gave evidence. He was stood down after starting a new relationship when his marriage ended — not for misconduct, but simply for his relationship status.

The new Catholic Archbishop of Hobart was invited to appear. He declined.

British Paralympian Greg Slade has come out as gay.

The 23-year-old, who won silver at the Paris Paralympics in quad doubles, shared the news on Instagram just before this year’s Australian Open — saying now felt like the right time.

He wrote that as one of only a handful of gay men playing at the highest levels of tennis, he wants to use his position to help bring about positive change.

The wheelchair championships wrapped up this week — and this year’s Australian Open made history as the first Grand Slam to feature two openly gay men competing at the same time.

Slade in the quad singles, and Brazil’s João Lucas Reis da Silva in the men’s singles.

Progress — one match at a time.

The BAFTA nominations are in — and there’s more queer recognition than we saw at the Oscars.

Pillion — a gay BDSM romance about a biker and his submissive lover — picked up three nominations including Outstanding British Film and Adapted Screenplay. It stars Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, and out gay director Harry Lighton is nominated for his feature debut.

Wicked: For Good scored two nominations for Costume and Make-up — which is two more than the Oscars gave it. Still no recognition for Cynthia Erivo or Ariana Grande, though.

Ethan Hawke is up for Leading Actor for Blue Moon, playing gay lyricist Lorenz Hart.

Elio — Pixar’s queer-coded-then-sanded-down film — is nominated for Best Animated Feature.

And Warfare, which stars Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, picked up a nomination for Sound.

The ceremony’s on February 22nd in London.

Today marks the very first International Rebel Dykes Day.

It’s a celebration of radical lesbian history — marking the anniversary of Chain Reaction, the legendary dyke fetish club night that ran in London through the eighties.

Find @rebeldykes on socials to join in.

Finally — this Sunday is Midsumma Pride March, the centrepiece of Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ arts festival.

More than 53,000 people are expected to line Fitzroy Street in St Kilda as the march kicks off at 10:30am.

Dykes on Bikes lead the way, followed by the Rainbow Mob and LGBTQIA+ youth contingents.

After the march, head to Catani Gardens for DJs, food trucks, and beachside celebrations until half past three.

That’s the Rainbow Briefing for Thursday the 29th of January.

I’m Louise Poole and This is independent queer community media, and your support is crucial to its success. Share the bulletin, tell your community, and if you’ve got news to share, head to rainbowbriefing.com.au.