- [Narrator] Every year, people from all over the world
come together to have fun
and celebrate who they are
at Sydney's Mardi Gras parade.
This festival celebrates people being themselves
and belonging to a community.
Mardi Gras is a festival for the LGBTQI+ community,
celebrating the diversity of people's bodies,
gender identities, and sexual orientation.
It supports people who may feel left out
or who are treated unfairly
because of who they are
or who they love.
Similar festivals happen all over Australia
and around the world every year.
To understand why Mardi Gras
is such an important celebration
to so many people,
we first need to understand a few things about people.
Uh, close enough.
Let's call them noodle.
Noodle can help us to understand
different types of gender identities,
sexual orientations, and bodies.
The body, specifically the private parts
that doctors noticed when you were born,
are used to decide your sex.
Some people are born with male,
others with female body parts,
and some people are born intersex,
meaning they may be born with,
or develop, body parts
that are not typically male or female.
Gender describes the behaviours and roles
that society expects
girls, boys, women, and men to play.
This expectation begins when you are born
and is based on the body parts you were born with.
Gender identity is how you feel on the inside,
how you express yourself,
like through what you wear
or how you act.
It's who you know yourself to be.
Some people identify as transgender or trans,
meaning that their gender identity
is different from the sex
that the doctor decided when they were born,
usually male or female.
Sexual orientation is who you have romantic feelings for.
These kinds of feelings often start around puberty.
But for some people,
they might not happen at all.
Some people describe their sexual orientation
as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
pansexual, or heterosexual.
There are many things that make you uniquely you.
How you express your identity
is up to you.
Do you recognise this flag?
The rainbow flag is a symbol of pride
for the LGBTQI+ community.
LGBTQI+ is like a big umbrella term
for the diversity of people's gender identities,
sexual orientation, and bodies.
It stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, and intersex.
The little plus sign
represents all the different experiences
of gender and identity
that are welcomed and celebrated
within the LGBTQI+ community.
But it's not all rainbows and festivals and glitter.
In Australia and in the rest of the world,
many people experience harm or discrimination
because of their gender identity, sexual orientation,
or because they are intersex.
This means they're treated unfairly and unkindly.
Imagine being bullied for who you are,
not being able to marry who you love,
having to hide who you are,
or being rejected by your family and friends.
In some countries including Australia,
there are laws that protect the rights of all people
to be free from discrimination.
For example, if you want to join a choir or a sports team,
there are laws to make sure you are included
and treated fairly
regardless of your gender identity,
sexual orientation, or being intersex.
Over time, our laws, attitudes,
and understanding of the LGBTQI+ community
have changed to protect more people.
But even though we've come a long way,
many LGBTQI+ people
still face challenges and discrimination today.
They may feel like they don't belong.
When we are more accepting
and understanding of our diversity,
we can live happily
with the freedom to be who we are.
We all have the right to fair and equal treatment
no matter who we are,
how we identify,
who we love,
or what body parts we have
because everyone has the right
to live with love, dignity, and respect.