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COTA SA is committed to ensuring that the many and diverse voices of older South Australians are heard. Providing a voice for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+) people in South Australia is an ongoing priority for COTA SA, and we are committed to having LGBTI+ representation, both on our Policy Council and through The Plug-In, which invites its Influencers to have their say on the issues that matter to them.
We have delivered important projects in collaboration with LGBTI+ elders in SA including inclusive end of life planning project Rainbow Horizons, the Rainbow Rights toolkit, which aims to empower LGBTI+ to assert and safeguard their rights over a lifetime and the Rainbow Dog project which focuses on emotional wellbeing.
Five years ago COTA SA created the Rainbow Hub advisory group to advise us on the issues that matter to the LGBTI+ community aged 50+ and help to inform our policy work in this area. Under COTA SA, the Rainbow Hub went from strength to strength delivering not only advocacy, but also programs, services, events and activities for the LGBTI+ community.
In June 2024, we were very pleased to announce that next phase of growth of has seen them become independent, they are now operating as Rainbow Hub SA, an independent volunteer-run organisation. COTA SA will continue to support Rainbow Hub SA in their evolution as an independent organisation. You can expect to see many collaborations and synergies between our two organisations going forward.
We will continue to host information and resources developed by, or in collaboration with, the Rainbow Hub here on our website - you will find them below.
Rainbow Hub SA will continue to host their popular monthly lunch and we will continue to take registrations, visit Upcoming Events for more information and to book your spot.
Upcoming Events
Programs and services
The Rainbow Hub included a number of programs and services focused for the LGBTI+ community aged 50+
- Rainbow Rights Toolkit
Supporting older LGBTI+ community members to understand and action their rights - Rainbow Horizons
Inclusive end-of-life care and planning - Rainbow Dog
Exploring the impact of unexpected changes on our emotional wellbeing - Sign up for Rainbow Hub E-news
Stay up-to-date with news and events for LGBTI+ elders - COTA Visitors
Connecting volunteer visitors with LGBTI+ elders who are receiving or waiting for aged care. - Let's Talk Aged Care - LGBTI+ Rainbow Hub
Providing tailored information to help you navigate My Aged Care - Rainbow Memories Matter
Challenging invisibility and celebrating our histories - Silver Rainbow Training
LGBTI+ Aged Care Awareness Training & Consulting
Rainbow Rights Toolkit
Rainbow rights are human rights, and this toolkit, launched in June 2024, identifies how older LGBTI+ community members can understand and action their rights, as well as providing information to the people who are part of their choices, supports and care.
COTA SA has partnered with the South Australian Government’s Office for Ageing Well to develop this resource and build awareness of state initiatives that safeguard the right of older people, aligned with the Future Directions to Safeguard the Rights of Older South Australians 2023-2027.
The toolkit is in the form of an interactive PDF and contains information under key human rights themes including: Overcoming discrimination, Housing, Health and Plan Ahead.
Rainbow Rights in Conversation
We're pleased to be able to share the Rainbow Rights in Conversation podcast and video series, live and ready for you to listen and watch now!
The podcast is available to listen through Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and the video interviews are available on our YouTube channel.
Hosted by Julie McCrossin AM, these interviews with local LGBTQIA+ advocates build on discussions from COTA SA’s Rainbow Rights Forum, where we launched the Rainbow Rights Toolkit, and provide accessible, in-depth insights into ageing well as a rainbow person.
Each interview explores one of the pillars of the Rainbow Rights Toolkit in depth- Health, Housing, Overcoming Discrimination and Planning Ahead.
We encourage you to explore the podcast and video series and share them with rainbow community members and allies.
The Rainbow Rights project is supported by the South Australian Government’s Office for Ageing Well.
Silver Rainbow
COTA SA previously offered Silver Rainbow LGBTI+ Aged Care Awareness Training. This was available to aged care providers and delivered by qualified trainers with lived LGBTI+ experience.
Rainbow Dog
Our Fay Fuller Foundation Spark Grant project, Rainbow Dog, will
explore the impact of unexpected changes on our emotional wellbeing.
Through this project we gathered stories from LGBTI+ elders about the impact of these events on them and/or their friends, and explore what happened as a result, what helped them, what got in the way and what could have helped them get through.
Rainbow Memories Matter
In March 2021, we were pleased to hold our Rainbow Memories Workshop: Challenging invisibility and celebrating our histories. While this initial event has now passed, the aim remains important. See the tips handout below for information about why it matters to preserve these memories and ideas of how you can.
Rainbow Horizons
Inclusive end of life care and planning
COTA SA places great importance on creating an inclusive society that moves beyond ageism, and enables the participation of older South Australians as co-producers of change, including end of life planning.
The Rainbow Horizons project was an important initiative designed to create greater cross-generational support in relation to end of life planning, care and dying for LGBTI+ people.
The project included a number of key contributors, download the list here.
The two year project was supported by Office for Ageing Well, SA Health with a specific focus on:
- Facilitating conversations in LGBTI+ communities across generations
- Building an intergenerational compassionate community model that can be adapted, and
- Engaging with service providers.
Rainbow Horizons Useful Resources
- Rainbow Horizons LGBTI+ Community Forum - Don’t leave me this way – honouring our lives in community, February 2022
The Rainbow Horizons project complements work being undertaken by organisations, including interstate and overseas.
- An online toolkit 'Taking Control: LGBTQ+ Toolkit for Palliative Care and End of Life Decisions' was produced by ACON’s ageing initiative, the LOVE Project (Living Older Visibly and Engaged). More here: ACON - Taking Control
- LGBTIQ+ Health Australia’s project to build the capacity of the palliative care sector to provide inclusive services to LGBTIQ+ people accessing palliative and end-of-life care, includes a Scoping Review. More here: Palliative Care - LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
- The LGBTIQ+ Health Australia Genders, Bodies and Relationships Passport is a tool to support clear communication about sensitive information between intersex, trans and gender diverse people, and health and social care services.
- Hospice UK. ‘I just want to be me’. Trans and Gender Diverse Communities. Access to and Experiences of Palliative and End of Life Care. London: Hospice UK; 2023.
- Palliative Care Victoria and the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council research paper: My Choice of Care: Palliative Care From Multicultural and Multifaith LGBTIQA+ Perspectives and Experiences, 2023
- Palliative Care ACT’s LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Palliative Care toolkit provides readers with some questions to ask everyone, so we can all be more inclusive, no matter who we are speaking with
- A virtual exhibition bringing together LGBTQ+ multicultural people to reflect on their experiences and imaginations of ageing in Australia featuring participant photographs and words from Rainbow Horizons Trial Model Group member Jin Chen’s PhD project: Visit Imagining Futures Website
- Voluntary assisted dying is now available to eligible South Australians, read COTA SA's update including links to useful information and resources
Submissions
Below are details of some of the COTA SA submissions pertaining to LGBTI+ issues and concerns.
Feedback on the Spent Convictions Act 2009 — Amendment Bill
Feedback on the Spent Convictions Act 2009 — Amendment Bill
Letter from COTA SA and the Rainbow Hub Advisory Group confirming that it is our position that all convictions for homosexuality be automatically expunged from the record.
SA Gov Website Spent Convictions information
Removing homosexual convictions — South Australian Government factsheet
Removing homosexual convictions — South Australian Government factsheet — Easy read version
If you need help to apply to spend a historical homosexual conviction, contact the Legal Services Commission or a community legal centre.
The South Australian Joint Statement against the Religious Discrimination Bill
The South Australian Joint Statement against the Religious Discrimination Bill
COTA SA was one of 14 signatories to the joint statement. Jane Mussared, COTA SA Chief Executive said. "The Religious Discrimination bill has worried a generation of people who have vivid memories of the discrimination, hurts, abuse and lack of safety that has been the experience for most of their lives. They worry that the bill, as law, would legitimise that all over again".
Read the Join Statement against the Religious Discrimination Bill
COTA Australia's Submission to the Religious Discrimination Bill's 2nd Consultation Draft
COTA Australia's Submission to the Religious Discrimination Bill's 2nd Consultation Draft
This was developed with our input including a letter from COTA SA's LGBTI+ Advisory Group
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety — National LGBTI Health Alliance Submission
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety — National LGBTI Health Alliance Submission
In September 2019, the National LGBTI Health Alliance came to Adelaide to speak with LGBTI+ older people and elders, and their carers. This consultation, along with others in Melbourne, Canberra, Tasmania and on the Sunshine Coast informed the submission.
The LGBTIQ People Ageing Well Project
The LGBTIQ People Ageing Well Project
The LGBTIQ People Ageing Well Project has concluded, with the final report sent to government and key stakeholders in August 2018.
The main aim of the project was to engage with older people from South Australia’s LGBTIQ communities to find out what matters most to them as they age to better inform policy and create a groundswell for change to the policies that impact on the lives of older LGBTIQ people.
The project also celebrated the lives and contributions of older LGBTIQ people. Their stories and lived experiences have the power to promote a greater understanding of a unique set of issues, but also the power to create changes that will support and enhance the lives of South Australia’s older LGBTIQ population.
Through the project COTA SA and co-authors the SA Rainbow Advocacy Alliance (SARAA) wanted to make sure there were opportunities for people to celebrate their achievements and to come together in a forum where their many and varied contributions could be appropriately acknowledged.
This report makes a number of recommendations that can and will make a significant difference to the lives of older LGBTIQ South Australians, and must be addressed by all levels of government and the ageing and aged care sector.
COTA SA will now work alongside SARAA to push for actions in line with the recommendations detailed in the final report.
As the peak body for older South Australians, COTA SA is committed to ensuring all older South Australians have an opportunity to be heard about what matters to them as they age. For more information about COTA SA's continued work on issues for older LGBTIQ people, please contact us.
Rainbow Hub e-news
Previous editions of COTA SA's Rainbow Hub e-news can be accessed below. To subscribe to Rainbow Hub SA e-news please visit the Rainbow Hub SA website.