During the month of June, Gold Coast Health has been celebrating Pride Month to advocate for our staff, patients and visitors who identify as LGBTIQ+. Pride month is all about ensuring everyone feels welcomed, safe, and supported at Gold Coast Health, and we’ve been busy spreading this important message.
Pride Beach March
We joined forces with Gold Coast Health Rainbow Alliance Network, Breast Screen Queensland, Sexual Health, Child, and Youth Mental Health Services and Queensland Ambulance Service to participate in Gold Coast Pride Beach March.
Gwen Scaini, Advisor, Diversity, and Inclusion at Gold Coast Health, joined the march and said, “It was a great opportunity for our organisation to visibly show our support for the LGBTIQ+ community, promote our services and showcase the work we are doing in LGBTIQ+ workforce inclusion. We had a fantastic time celebrating with our colleagues, friends, family, and wonderful community.”
Silver Employer status
This month we also got to celebrate Gold Coast Health achieving Silver Employer status according to the Australian Workplace Equality Index. The Australian Workplace Equality Index standards are Australia’s definitive national benchmark on LBGTIQ+ workplace inclusion.
Jed Shiels, A/Manager Diversity and Inclusion at Gold Coast Health (pictured), and finalist for LGBTIQ+ Role Model of the Year at the 2024 Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards, said, “While we have socially come a long way over the years, it is essential that we continue to participate in the AWEI process to ensure that our LGBTQ+ people can come to work and be safe and belong.”
“If you asked me at the start of my career whether I would see myself as a role model or advocate for my community in the workplace, I would have absolutely refused, out of fear, out of what people would think of me. I have learnt over time that LGBTQ+ people still face day-to-day challenges, in life and the workplace, and that visible representation is essential.” he said.
Pride Festival at Robina Hospital
Our Diversity and Inclusion team, in partnership with Gold Coast Health’s Rainbow Alliance Employee Network, hosted Gold Coast Health’s annual Pride Festival at Robina Hospital. Staff and visitors had lots of fun enjoying, treats, live entertainment, art from the Creative Health Hub, music, lanyards, and a spectacular crowd stopping drag show.
“Pride Fest is our annual event that both celebrates and acknowledges our LGBTIQ+ staff and patients," Ebru Dogan, Manager of Gold Coast Health’s Diversity, and Inclusion Team, said.
"We have seen this event grow over the years from a small staff-only event to a bigger event where building community connections has become an important consideration.”
To continue the celebrations, the glamorous Drag Queen ensemble paid a special visit to Robina Hospital’s Palliative Care Unit to spread some cheer and joy to patients.
Local musician Lily Budiasa's soulful voice and guitar melodies were the perfect addition to the event. Lily highlighted the importance of such events for fostering inclusivity within the community.
"We are all human beings and we should always embrace inclusion and diversity" she said.
Getting creative
Gold Coast Health’s Creative Health Hub hosted a pride art exhibition in the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) Foyer by Nina Mitens, an arts therapist, counsellor and multidisciplinary artist.
To describe the artwork, Nina said, “Much of my artwork is intuitive and represents the sensory journey and ‘essence’ of a place, memory, story, person or emotion”.
The Creative Health Hub also gave staff the opportunity to contribute to a collaborative painting at the pride Festival. The Pride Parrott created by artist Clare Brooks will be embellished with colourful feathers painted by staff who have expressed their creativity and solidarity for the LGBTIQ+ community. Our Pride Parrott will be installed at the GCUH Staff Cafeteria as a ‘sister artwork’ to the Proud Peacock at Robina Hospital.
Creative Health Hub welcomes artists from the LGBTIQ+ community to share their artworks to enrich and enliven the hospital setting for staff and consumers. Reach out to the team via gch.creativehealth@health.qld.gov.au.
