Flaming concerns

Craig Lapsley is Emergency Management Commissioner in Victoria, where the bushfire season in one of the world’s most wildfire-prone regions is about to begin. He tweeted the above message last week, the impact of natural catastrophes on those of alternate sexuality being of grave concern to the government of Premier Daniel Andrews. As The Australian reports:

Victorian government funded researchers will investigate the specific experiences and needs of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) communities in the event of an emergency, such as a bushfire or flood …

The initiative follows research commissioned by several women’s health organisations claiming that disaster impacts are “heightened for LGBTI people”.

Of particular concern:

The space of evacuation centres, for example, may be ­experienced as a space of risk by same-sex couples who fear homophobic responses from personnel or other evacuees. The lack of privacy in these centres, particularly in bathroom facilities divided only into a male/female binary, is often highly problematic for transgender individuals.”

For The Australian‘s full report (paywalled), follow the link below

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