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I Exist
in Our Communities
A project by 2Spirits and The Queensland Council for LGBTI Health
Celebrating visibility, belonging, and leadership of LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy people with disability across Queensland.
Acknowledgment
Our acknowledgement
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of Country across these lands, oceans and waterways now known as Queensland. We honour the wisdom, stories, cultures, and ongoing connections to Country held by Elders past and present, and by Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities who continue to lead with strength.
A heartfelt thank you
To every participant, storyteller, community member and contributor — thank you for your trust, your honesty, and the strength you bring to this project. Your voices are at the heart of I Exist in Our Communities, and we are deeply grateful.
With appreciation to our supporters
We also recognise the support of the MAC Cosmetics Grant and the partners who helped make this work possible. Your commitment ensures this project can uplift and celebrate the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people with disability across Queensland.
About the Project
Over the past several years, the QC Disabilities team has led many community programs deeply focused on the intersectionality between disabled and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities in Queensland.
The latest work of the disabilities team is summed up by a simple message, I Exist In Our Communities. The work, led alongside 2Spirits and funded by Mac Cosmetics, aims to give vulnerable members of our community a greater sense of belonging through connection, highlighting ways in which they can exist more healthily and confidently.
We will shine the spotlight on members of key community health organisations to assist folk to be as visible as they can within the community. We will showcase these organisations by means of several short recorded conversations in which community members will outline how they best exist and give tips for people to find their happy place within our community.
This program showcases LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community members with lived experience of disability and health access challenges as a means of giving community visibility and representation, which often lacks in this space. A second aim of I Exist is to connect our communities and increase knowledge of their health access and knowledge. relevant health organisations. Community conversations are a great tool in organically aiding this process.
With our Disabilities Team at QC, partners 2Spirits and the QC Disabilities Steering Committee, we aim to increase accessibility, understanding and knowledge of community health access and improve outcomes for our communities, allies, and support people.
We commit to working and walking alongside our First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their connection to country as this country’s first people and their ways of knowing, being and doing. In the unique privilege of working alongside 2Spirits, we grow and contribute directly to these ways of working and conversations that take us to new ways of working.
We thank Mac Cosmetics and associated Estee Lauder companies for funding I Exist, as it will go a long way to seeing that community members can access the services they require and feel part of and represented by their community.
Project Social Tiles
Our Stories: I Exist Voices
Voices, Donna
Donna & Levi
“I am Donna (she/her) — your Aged Care Navigator (Care Finder) at the Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC), based at 290 Draper Street, Cairns.
Think of me as your aged care GPS — helping older LGBTI+ folk (65+, or 50+ if Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or experiencing homelessness) find their way through My Aged Care — because “one size fits all” has never really worked for our community.
I also stay up to date with the latest in LGBTI+, Sistergirl, and Brotherboy service provision — from resources and referrals to community events and social activities that reduce barriers and build connection, I am happy to share this information and keep us all busy and connected.”
Reach out anytime: dfrancis@qc.org.au
Voices, Evie
Evie
“Hi, I’m Evie Ryder, She/Her, the Gayawur Rainbow Team Leader for 2Spirits and QC, a transgender woman with ADHD, filmmaker, and longtime skateboarding community advocate. I like to combine inclusive leadership with creative storytelling and a passion for building safer, more connected LGBTIQ+ spaces. Cheers, Evie.”
Voices, Genevieve
Genevieve
“I am a Registered Nurse with 15 years of clinical experience, currently working at QCGP+, which is an LGBTI+ focused healthcare clinic in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. I support patients through preventative care, chronic disease management, health education, and gender affirming services. I am dedicated to fostering a safe and affirming environment that empowers patients to access the care they need and deserve.”
Voices, Tony
Tony
“I was born in Geelong and arrived in Brisbane in 1992 after a placement as a volunteer cross-cultural worker in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. I worked in the education and community sectors supporting programs for diversity, equality and inclusion. As a senior member of the community and a member of QC’s Disabilities Steering Committee. I am passionate about encounters that challenge prejudice, fear and social isolation. I am a content creator across social media with a keen interest in documenting the lives of those who live on the margins of society.”
Resource Hub: Support in Our Communities
LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy
Disaility
Sexual Health
Creating Safer, More Accessible Spaces
Practical tools and reflections for inclusive practice
Access at Events
Tips for making community events inclusive:
• Venue accessibility (mobility, sensory, parking, toilets)
• Visual communication and signage
• Budgeting for Auslan interpreters, captions, quiet zones
Communication Access
We also recognise the support of the MAC Cosmetics Grant and the partners who helped make this work possible. Your commitment ensures this project can uplift and celebrate the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people with disability across Queensland.
Communication Access
• Plain language and Easy-Read formats
• Captioning and audio description
• Respectful interaction: pronouns, names, and disclosure
Safer Spaces in Practice
• How to create welcoming environments for LGBTIQA+SB people with disability
• Responding to harm or exclusion
• Consent, confidentiality, and cultural respect
Get Involved
Ways to connect and contribute
• Join the Disability Steering Committee
• Submit your story or feedback
• Volunteer or collaborate with QC and 2Spirits
To find out more please email us at disabilities@qc.org.au or complete the form below
Contact & Support
QC’s Disability provides a safe and inclusive space for people with disabilities, especially those who identify as LGBTIQA+SB
24/7 national crisis line support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
