WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) recently commenced our journey towards achieving Rainbow Tick accreditation, which involves meeting the six national standards of LGBTI inclusive practice. The Rainbow Tick is a confidence mark that signals an organisation has reached a high standard of diversity and inclusiveness.
A disproportionate number of LGBTI people experience poorer mental health outcomes as well as discrimination, harassment and hostility in many parts of everyday life, impacting access to health services. Given our vision of improved health equity across WA, WAPHA has an important leadership role to advocate for safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate services for LGBTI people. We’re doing Rainbow Tick because it aligns with who we are as an organisation and what we’re all about – making primary care in WA better and more accessible for everyone.
On this day in 1990, homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases. The first International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) was held in 2004 with the aim of raising awareness of LGBTI rights, championing inclusion, and celebrating LGBTI communities all around the world.
To mark IDAHOBIT today, we filmed a short video to show our support and stand with our LGBTI friends, family, colleagues and communities.