Palliative care for the LGBTIQA+ community

If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or gender diverse, intersex, queer or asexual (LGBTIQA+) you have the right to equality, fairness and decency for your end of life and palliative care needs. The Victorian Government values and celebrates diversity and is committed to removing discrimination from laws, services and society.

You can use end of life and palliative care services to help you and your partner as you approach the end of your life. You can receive care in hospital or in your home. Appropriate end of life care helps affirm your individual identity, your life story, and includes respect for both you and your partner.

Rainbow tick organisations

The rainbow tick (pictured below) was developed by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV) in 2013 and shows which services have been accredited to provide inclusive practices to make you feel safe and welcome. Rainbow tick organisations will treat you fairly and respectfully as an LGBTIQA+ person.

A service provider with the rainbow tick seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people by providing services regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.

For more information on this topic visit Rainbow Health Australia

Advance care planning for LGBTIQA+ people

Advance care planning allows you to document preferences about the care you want to receive if you become unable to make decisions for yourself, and can include appointing a person to make these decisions for you.

Think about who you want to take on these responsibilities and then approach them to have the conversation. You will be trusting this person with your life, so they should be someone you know very well and who you can speak to about sensitive issues. They should understand what is important to you, and be able to act on your wishes – even when faced with opposition from doctors or family members.

After having the conversation with your chosen person, you can formally appoint them to be your medical treatment decision maker. It will be their responsibility to do their best to make the same medical treatment decisions you would make if you were able.

You can also document your medical treatment preferences in an advance care directive. Advance care directives are legally recognised documents, giving you greater confidence that your medical treatment decisions will be respected. This will also help your medical treatment decision maker act on your behalf, should you be become too unwell to make decisions yourself.

Clear and current advance care planning documents are important if you are an LGBTIQA+ person. They can assist in protecting your legal rights and end of life care preferences, particularly if your family or friends are not aware of or do not respect or acknowledge your sexual orientation, true gender identity, intersex status or relationships.

There is further information on this topic for LGBTIQA+ people on the health.vic page ‘Advance care planning and palliative care.

LGBTIQA+ discrimination

As an LGBTIQA+ person you have the right to end of life and palliative care services free from discrimination and harassment. If you have been discriminated against, the problem is not with you but with the attitudes and behaviour of people and society around you.

If you have experienced discrimination you can seek help from:

• Switchboard Tel. (03) 9663 2939 or 1800 184 527
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Tel. (03) 9032 3583, or 1300 292 153
• Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby Tel. 0417 484 438

For more information on this topic visit Better Health Channel’s fact sheet on gay and lesbian discrimination.

Where to get help

• Palliative Care Advice Service
• Val's Café – a project that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA+) people
• Palliative Care Victoria Tel. (03) 9662 9644