- The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EOA) is being amended by February 2022 to include the following new definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity:
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.
2. Amendments to the EOA also include the new attribute of sex characteristics:
sex characteristics means a person’s physical features relating to sex, including—
(a) genitalia and other sexual and reproductive parts of the person’s anatomy; and
(b) the person’s chromosomes, genes, hormones, and secondary physical features that emerge as a result of puberty;”.
For further information and guidance on how to use language respectfully and inclusively when working with and referring to LGBTIQ people, see the LQBTIQ 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.