MARK REID

Mark has been an active member of the GLBTQ community for the past 35 years as part of GLCS and the Breakaway Gay and Lesbian Youth group in the late 80’s and then as a founding member of the WA AIDS Council and PLWHA(WA) in the very early days of the HIV epidemic.

He is currently the Diverse Sexuality Health Promotion Manager at the WA AIDS Council. Marl has always been a strong supporter of Gay and Lesbian PRIDE in Perth and was honoured to have been the PRIDE Patron in 2009. He's always been a strong advocate for the rights of our community and will continue to do so.

Why have you chosen to represent this same-sex law reform campaign?

In my long experience of working within the LGBTIQ community both in Melbourne and for the past 28 years here in Perth I have been a part of the fight for the rights of our community.  Finally getting this recognition means that we have moved some of the way to community recognition in terms of many of our rights.  This is so important for all of use and we need to celebrate this amazing step forward. There is still more to be done before we get full equality but this is a wonderful way to move us forward.

What sorts of same-sex discrimination have you as/ anyone you know experienced?

Having worked in the HIV field for the past 25 years I have seen much same-sex discrimination happen, especially in the early days around partner access to being with a loved one when they were ill or dying, that even translated to the funeral with the partner being relegated to not being recognised. More recently I have seen discrimination happen with a friends fight for access to his long terms partners superannuation – after being together for 39 years to be denied access to the super that was for both of their retirement was a real tragedy and took a long time to resolve properly and was very costly.

How do you think these reforms will make a difference to your life, or to the lives of those close to you?

Equality is something that has been a long fought for right and finally to see this moving forward will see so many positives occur in my life and the lives of those close to me. With better access to superannuation, partner benefits, recognition of children in same-sex relationships and also my friends from overseas can much more easily get recognition of their relationships with the Australian partners.

Why do you think people should wear these 85 law reforms with pride?

Finally to get the recognition that is so long overdue is a real reason to wear these laws with pride.  I am thrilled to be part of this historical process and being part of getting the community more informed about the laws and the positive impact that they can have on their lives.

Why do you think this is a huge step forward for Australia?

Recognition of these 85 laws has been a long time coming and any movement towards equality is a huge step forward and one we should celebrate.  We need to let everyone know so they are aware of the impact that these law changes will have on their lives. This is such a great step forward for all of us.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Wearing it with pride is such a privilege and I look forward to supporting and getting the word out into our community here in Perth and also around Australia.

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