Our PRIDE strategy focuses on fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone - staff, students, and visitors - feels safe and empowered to express their true selves. Guided by our commitment to equality and non-discrimination, the strategy highlights five key areas of action:

1. Education & communication: Raising awareness through national speakers, support resources, and increased visibility of LGBTQIA+ initiatives.
2. Events: Celebrating diversity with inclusive events and an annual calendar of LGBTQIA+ milestones.
3. Visibility & branding: Strengthening community ties through partnerships and inclusive representation in marketing.
4. Sense of belonging: Creating affinity groups, safe spaces, and inclusive campaigns to build unity and shared understanding.
5. Commitment & Policies: Enhancing inclusivity through policy updates, gender affirmation initiatives, and recognition in equality benchmarking programs.

Together, we aim to ensure every member of our community feels supported, valued, and included. Join us in shaping a future of equality and pride!
 

Stay tuned...

Guides are coming soon.

Our Student Wellbeing and Safety Squad are looking at starting a Student Pride Alliance.  This team will be supported by the Staff Pride Alliance Team and will focus on;

•  Advocating for campus and student inclusion and equality
•  Contributing to the review of Torrens University Pride Strategy and Goals
•  Support Pride events on campus
•  Offer a support network for students on campus and online
•  Be a safe and supportive network

If you are interested in joining this team please submit an expression of interest here.  Please note that members of our LGBTQI+ community, as well as allies, are encouraged to join.

Torrens University is proud to be a member of Pride in Diversity (PID) – a national not for profit employer support group supporting LGBTQI+ inclusion in the workplace.

By being members of Pride in Diversity we are committed to provide the education, encouragement and support for all staff to ensure we foster a welcoming, safe and supportive environment for all students.

In 2024 our Pride Alliance were able to achieve several initiatives to support students to feel heard and respected – both on campus and online – including, but not limited to:

• All campuses became members of Welcome Here Project
• Staff training and resources
• New starter induction inclusion
• Student Events and Training opportunities
• Pride Strategy development
• Development of Inclusive Language and Allyship Guides
• Commitment to initiating and supporting Student Pride Alliance

Millions of people around the world identify as transgender. In fact, it’s likely that you’ve met or interacted with a transgender person without even realizing it. That’s why allyship matters.

An ally is someone who stands up for and supports the rights and dignity of communities other than their own.

If you’re uncomfortable with the disproportionate challenges that trans and non-binary people face - you’re not alone. And that discomfort is a powerful starting point for change.

Being an ally means more than just saying you support - it means listening, learning, speaking up, and taking action, even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s about using your voice to help create safer, more inclusive spaces for everyone.

Remember: Allyship is not a label - it’s a lifelong practice.

Minus 18 has a great resource on How to be a trans ally: A beginners guide.

In summary 

• Educate yourself and others.
• Challenge discriminatory language or behaviour when you hear it.
• Reflect on your own privilege and how you can use it to uplift others.
• Use inclusive language.
• Support trans people’s rights to live openly, safely, and authentically.

Together, we can help create a world where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued for who they truly are.

Your Campus is a safe and welcoming place. If you feel unsafe, or simply need to talk, please reach out to any of our staff or go directly your Campus Crector.

The term transgender describes people whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender identity is deeply personal - it's how someone feels and identifies on the inside, which may or may not align with societal expectations or outward appearance.

Unfortunately, these differences are still met with misunderstanding and mistreatment.

A 2016 study by the National LGBTI Health Alliance found that 35% of trans people in Australia aged 18 and over had attempted suicide at some point in their lives. This heartbreaking statistic is not about identity - it’s about the impact of discrimination, exclusion, and lack of support.

Trans youth are particularly vulnerable, experiencing symptoms of depression at nearly 10 times the national average for young people in Australia.

On a global level, trans people face significantly higher rates of both physical and emotional violence, often simply for living as their true selves.

Safe, stable housing is one of life’s basic needs, yet many in the trans community face housing discrimination. Being denied housing or evicted simply because of their gender identity is a reality for too many.

While 71% of transgender and gender-diverse young people aged 14 to 21 live at home with family, this statistic also reminds us how vulnerable young trans people can be if home isn’t a safe or supportive space.

If you are in need of housing or support please speak to your Campus Director, Campus Life Coordinator or check out our wellbeing support space for more information.

It's Pride Month

International Pride Month is celebrated each year in June to honour and uplift the LGBTQIA+ (also written as LGBTQ+) community. It’s a time to embrace pride and visibility, while also reflecting on the ongoing challenges and discrimination that many queer individuals continue to experience.

This is a great chance to raise awareness, promote inclusion, and foster a more equitable environment for all LGBTQIA+ people, and to learn how to become a better ally.

Transgender definition

Sometimes gender diverse people feel that their gender doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth, ie - someone born with a penis might identify as a girl - this is referred to as being transgender. Sometimes trans people change their name, their clothes, or even make change to their bodies. Sometimes they don’t.

Source:
Minus18. 2023, June 15. Your guide to words and definitions in the LGBTQIA+ community.
https://www.minus18.org.au/articles/your-guide-to-words-and-definitions-in-the-lgbtqia+-community/

The flag

The Transgender Pride Flag debuted at Phoenix Pride in 2000 and was created by US Navy Veteran Monica Helms.

She created the flag as a symbol of both the diversity of the trans community and the rights that trans folks are fighting for today.

The blue stripes represent the ‘traditional boy’ colors while the pink stripes represent the ‘traditional girl’ colors. The white stripes represents those who are intersex, transitioning, or have an undefined gender.

Source:
Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). LGBTQ+ Pride Flags.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/lgbtq-pride-flags

Join the hunt for the Pride Flags

Take part in the Pride Flag Scavenger Hunt, from Monday 16 Tuesday 30 June, where you could win one of 10 x $10 Starbucks vouchers.