LGBTQ+ History in WA

This list covers some of the important legal and policy reforms impacting on the LGBTQIA+ communities in Western Australia. 

See the Printable Downloads page for a printable PDF of these dates.

• 1973 - The Australian Medical Association removes homosexuality from its list of illnesses and disorders.

• 1975 - Connections Nightclub opens in Perth (now the oldest LGBTQIA+ nightclub in the southern hemisphere!).

• 1983 - The WA AIDS Council forms following the first recorded Australian death from HIV/AIDS.

• 1990 – World Health Organisation removes homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases.

• 1990 - WA decriminalised homosexual sex acts between males aged 21 and over (age of consent for heterosexual people set at 16).

• 1997 - Giz Watson, the first openly LGBTQIA+ parliamentarian was elected to the WA Legislative Council.

• 1998 - Brian Greig, Australia's first openly out LGBTQIA+ Federal Senator was elected for Western Australia.

• 2002 – WA equalised the age of consent to 16 for heterosexual and homosexual people.

• 2002 – WA repealed laws preventing “promotion of homosexual behaviour” in public policy and educational institutions, and introduced anti-discrimination laws for sexual orientation.

• 2002 – Same sex couples are able to legally adopt, can access assisted reproductive technology and there is legal recognition of same sex de facto unions in the family court.

• 2008 - WA abolishes the "gay panic defence".  

• 2015 – WA government called on the federal parliament to have a conscience vote on same-sex marriage legislation.

• 2017 – Same-sex marriage is legalised in Australia.

• 2018 – WA allows for historical convictions of homosexual offences to be expunged.

• 2018 - World Health Organisation reclassifies ‘transgender’ from a mental illness to ‘gender incongruence’ as a sexual health condition.

• 2019 – WA repealed the requirement that transgender people must be "unmarried" for a change of sex to registered on their birth certificate.

• 2020 – New prison policies mean transgender prisoners in WA can now be housed in the prison that aligns with their gender identity.

• 2024 -  Abolishment of the "Gender Reassignment Board" and removal of legal requirement for medical intervention, plus legal recognition of non-binary people included for the first time. Note - this legislation passed in September 2024 and has not yet come into effect.

There are a number of important legal reforms and protections required still in Western Australia that we hope will be added to this list in the near future. These include: 

• Ban on conversion practices.

• Introduction of anti-discrimination laws for gender identity or expression.

• Expansion of hate crime laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

• Introduction of laws against LGBTQ+ vilification.

• Ban on non-consensual surgery and medical procedures on intersex children.