Labor embarrassingly left out ‘Q’ in LGBTIQ, forcing a scramble to amend policy

Labor has been embarrassed after forgetting a key letter 21 times in the acronym representing the non-heterosexual community in its draft health platform. It was even left off the title of the national plan, meaning queer people were not officially recognised in the policy guide.

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Labor has been embarrassed after forgetting a key letter in the acronym representing the non-heterosexual community in its draft health platform.

The policy left the “Q” off the commonly-used group term LGBTIQ, forcing a scramble to amend a policy designed to protect gay and transgender people.

While the intitals LGBTI represent lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, “Q” stands for queer or questioning and is considered a distinct identity.

Queer people — who are neither straight or gay — say their gender expression falls outside the “dominant societal norm” and is therefore “beyond genders”.

The room of 400 delegates at the Labor conference were asked to support the movement which passed without contest. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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Labor left the “Q” off the phrase 21 times in draft final platform at its national conference and only managed to get it right 17 times.

It was even left off the title of the national plan, meaning queer people were not officially recognised in the policy guide.

However, an amendment put forward by Rainbow Labor returned the missing “Q” and retitled the policy guide as the “national LGBTIQ health plan”.

The room of 400 delegates at the conference were asked to support the amendment which was passed without contest.

“(Labor will) require that medical professionals through professional development maintain a strong understanding of health issues specific to LGBTIQ individuals and communities in order to prevent misinformed and inappropriate medical treatments and procedures,” the health plan says.

Bill Shorten does not support scrapping genders from documents. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Shadow Assistant Minister for Equality Louise Pratt backed the concept. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The plan also proposed policy changes to “ensure that Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme continue to implement anti-discriminatory policies for LGBTIQ Australians.

The snafu over the missing “Q” came after Labor reaffirmed a push to scrap gender from documents such as passports and birth certificates.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he did not support the concept but party members including Shadow Assistant Minister for Equality Louise Pratt backed it.

Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said it was a radical move which could lock in gender ambiguity.