Keep sex in sexual orientation
Tasmania's proposed bill removes homosexuality and bisexuality from the Anti-Discrimination Act and replaces them with a definition based on "gender".
Why Sex Matters
Sex is one of the most basic human characteristics. We are all born male or female, and that sex remains with us throughout our lives.
Sexual orientation is about which sex we are attracted to. If you’re heterosexual, you’re attracted to the opposite sex. If you’re homosexual, you’re attracted to the same sex. If you’re bisexual, you're attracted to both sexes.
For everyone, that distinction matters. For lesbians, gay men and bisexual people in particular, our rights were won on the basis of same-sex attraction. That's why it matters that sexual orientation is clearly recognised and defined to protect us in law.
Tasmania’s proposed bill changes that.
What the Bill Changes
The Law Today
Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas), section 3
Under the Bill
Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026 (No. 45), Schedule 1
Homosexuality and bisexuality are removed. The word "sex" does not appear.
The current Act explicitly recognises heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. The bill removes those terms from the legal definition and replaces them with an unworkable new definition based on “gender”.
Sex is the foundation of sexual orientation. Without sex, terms like heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual lose their meaning.
Gender is based on a self-asserted identity and stereotypes about women and men. It is subjective, difficult to define and varies greatly between people and cultures.
If this Bill is meant to protect people from attempts to change or suppress homosexuality, why does it remove “homosexuality” from the legal definition of sexual orientation?
Replacing sex with gender changes what sexual orientation means. It moves the definition away from the material reality of sex.
That affects heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual people alike. For LGB people, it weakens the clear legal recognition of same-sex attraction and creates new opportunities for discrimination and homophobia.
We're asking Tasmanian MPs to keep the existing definition.
Homosexuality and bisexuality belong in the law that protects us. Tell Tasmania to keep sexual orientation real.