The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EOA) was amended in February 2022 to include new definitions
- gender identity means a person’s gender-related identity, which may or may not correspond with their designated sex at birth, and includes the personal sense of the body (whether this involves medical intervention or not) and other expressions of gender, including dress, speech, mannerisms, names and personal references
- sexual orientation means a person’s emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to, or intimate or sexual relations with, persons of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender.
Amendments also include the new attribute of sex characteristics
- sex characteristics means a person’s physical features relating to sex, including—
- genitalia and other sexual and reproductive parts of the person’s anatomy; and
- the person’s chromosomes, genes, hormones, and secondary physical features that emerge as a result of puberty;”.
Read more online about: Sex characteristics as a protected attribute.
For further information and guidance on how to use language respectfully and inclusively when working with and referring to LGBTIQ+ people, see the LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Language Guide.
Supplementary materials to this guideline, including information that can help you to develop a transition plan for transgender workers, are available to download.