Members attend 2 in-person Roundtable meetings per year in Hawthorn. These meetings run for 2.5 hours from 6 pm to 8:30 pm.

Roundtable members also champion local event/s during key annual dates of significance such as Midsumma Festival and International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination (IDAHOBIT).

Yes, participation in the LGBTQIA+ Community Roundtable is on a voluntary basis.

We will be guided by the members of the Roundtable about what they are comfortable to do in helping champion events in the community. This could include:

• promoting Council and community events to your networks
• attending events such as IDAHOBIT and Midsumma Festival
• welcoming people at events and engaging with attendees
• playing an MC or speaker role.

Our meetings are held at a safe and accessible venue. If you have any specific requirements or accessibility needs, please let us know.

Feedback from members of our LGBTQIA+ Community Roundtables has contributed to the planning and delivery of safe and inclusive Council initiatives and programs. These include:

• monthly Rainbow Storytime sessions in our library
• events for IDAHOBIT in 2024 and 2025 including a film screening at Lido Cinema of ‘Pride’, a rainbow ride session at Kew Traffic School and a music comedy performance by the Tuck Shop Ladies at Kew Court House
• installation of 3 new flag poles in the eastern forecourt at Hawthorn Arts Centre that permanently fly the Progress Pride Flag with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags
• an art exhibition with local artist David Rosetzky, celebrating LGBTQIA+ voices
• development of an ‘Everyone is welcome here’ decal to distribute to traders locally.

The objectives of Council’s Roundtable are to:

• invite LGBTQIA+ communities to respond to and inform the relevant activities over the coming 12-18 months
• seek general advice and recommendations from LGBTQIA+ communities on how to effectively plan and deliver relevant activities
• activate LGBTQIA+ communities to build strong, confident, visible networks in the City of Boroondara.

5 themes emerged from our first Roundtable, which guide the actions that we undertake. These are:

• Trust – demonstrating actions that build trust with LGBTQIA+ communities
• Strong and visible leadership – The City of Boroondara showing vocal leadership from the most senior levels of the organisation
• LGBTQIA+ visibility – proudly making the Boroondara LGBTQIA+ communities more visible
• Intersectionality – ensuring intersecting communities are considered when planning LGBTQIA+ activities
• Safety and belonging – creating safety and belonging for LGBTQIA+ communities in all events and spaces run by the City of Boroondara.

We use the acronym LGBTQIA+ to refer to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer and questioning, intersex, asexual, and any other terms (such as non-binary and pansexual). The plus sign indicates that there are many different terms used to describe identity, which are not all covered by the letters LGBTQIA.

Terminology is important and can be complex and dynamic. We acknowledge the diversity within and across LGBTQIA+ communities. We understand people, organisations and groups use variations of the LGBTQIA+ acronym, that reflects their history and lived experience. We also acknowledge that some older individuals may prefer the acronym LGBTI, as they may have negative connotations with the word ‘queer’ because in the past it was used as a discriminatory term.