Wanda Jackson loves her life in Goroke. She moved to the region from Sydney’s King’s Cross in 1999, with her partner John, after a thrilling career as a Les Girl. Wanda is a transgender woman. 

Lily Dalton, 19, identifies as bisexual, non-binary and prefers the pronouns they, their and them. This means, Lily identifies as neither female or male. The journey has been a challenging one for Lily, who has experienced verbal and physical attacks because of their identity. 

Tom Dryburgh, 22, grew up in Rainbow and says the casual homophobia he experienced during his younger years is at the core of his struggles with anxiety. It was during an overseas trip that he felt comfortable and confident to recognise his true self. 

“I remember sitting by my bed in my bedroom, crying, just wishing this thing would go away,” Tom told Mail-Times reporter Sophie Boyd. 

That’s heart wrenching stuff. 

Unfortunately, the stories of Wanda, Lily and Tom are not uncommon.

Their experiences are shared across the LGBTQ community. They believe that, often, a lack of understanding of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community extends not just to their family, friends and peers but to support services. They deserve better. 

That’s why groups such as the Wimmera Pride Project are so important. 

The group’s $50,000 grant, announced this week, to employ an administrator to help forge links with businesses is a great news. It’s an important step forward – for the group, for the LGBTQ community and for our region. 

It’s time to break down the barriers so our LGBTQ community feel safe, understood and supported. 

We all have a role to play in understanding why our actions and our language is important in an ever-changing and accepting world. 

We should all have the right to live the lives we were born to live – regardless of what that looks like. 

Jessica Grimble, editor