LGBTIQA+ community celebrates 25 years since the repeal of anti-homosexual laws

Tasmania was the last state to repeal the discriminatory laws on May 1, 1997.

And while one of the main protagonists behind the repeal of anti-homosexual laws, Rodney Croome, believes the state has moved some way in the acceptance of the LGBTIQA-plus community, there is some way still to go.

The 25-year milestone was marked at an event at Government House on Sunday, which included social tennis played on the property's heritage courts.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Governor Barbara Baker in her address to the gathering said the unjust legislation caused a huge amount of hurt for many groups and individuals over a long period of time.

"We should acknowledge that the early debates in the Legislative Council in the 1990s were often very hurtful," she said.

Her Excellency said those who fought for change should be thanked for their courage, tenacity and patience as well as for their faith that decent society would eventually prevail over its prejudices.

Mr Croome said although Tasmania was last state to decriminalise homosexuality and the only state to criminalise cross-dressing, it now had the best anti-discrimination, relationship and gender recognition laws in Australia.

"In the quarter century since the criminalisation, Tasmania has gone from having the worst laws and some very bad attitudes towards LGBTIQA-plus people to having some of the best in Australia and the world," he said.

Despite this, Mr Croome said there was still a great deal of prejudice and discrimination that LGBTIQA-plus people had to face, particularly for those who were trans or gender diverse, and this resulted in high levels of mental health distress.

He said conversion practices which targeted LGBTIQA-plus people were still allowed in Tasmania as was non-consenting medical interventions upon intersex children.

In the late 1980s, more than 130 people were arrested over seven weeks at the Salamanca Market as they petitioned for anti-homosexual laws to be changed.

Even though the House of Assembly had voted to repeal the laws, the Legislative Council from 1991 continued to block the change.

Mr Croome said despite the struggle to see the repeal through, he said there was never any despair felt by those who had campaigned for change.

"If one path was blocked, then we'd try to find a different way forward," he said.

"When the council blocked reform in the early 90s, then we took our case to the United Nations.

"We also took a path into the hearts of ordinary Tasmanians and went out and spoke to whoever would listen, talking about the importance of the reform and what like was like for us as LGBTIQA-plus Tasmanians.

"Reflecting on the 25th anniversary of decriminalisation is not about patting ourselves on the back.

"It's about re-inspiring ourselves and re-motivating ourselves to achieve better Tasmania where there is greater inclusion and equality."