The Brisbane rain may have thrown us a curve ball but it didn't stop our Pride!
Image: Life Without Barriers staff at Brisbane Pride 2022, seven people and one dog wearing hot pink shirts and flags outside in a park
Brisbane Pride is the largest Pride event in Queensland. The event celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community with a Pride March from Orleigh Park in West End to Musgrave Park in South Brisbane. The March is followed by the Fair Day festival with live music, food trucks and activities for community connection.
Staff from across South East Queensland Life Without Barriers offices, our foster carers and some fur babies marched with Pride to celebrate our growing number of LGBTQIA+ carers.
We asked Tammy, Carer Assessment, Recruitment, and Engagement Coordinator why marches like Brisbane Pride are so important for our staff and carers to attend.
"For me, I think it is a wonderful opportunity to put our spoken values for diversity into tangible action – visibility is so important and is noticed, even for those who aren’t able to attend, they feel supported and welcome by seeing that we are talking about, inviting people to join us and attending Pride!" Tammy shared.
"We have been attending pride (COVID permitting) for quite some time now. Some of our carers have shared that they saw Life Without Barriers at Pride many years before they decided to commit to becoming carers."
Image: Staff and carers holding a 'we love our foster carers' rainbow sign.
Tammy said it was great to see some of our new foster carers going through the approval process and then marching alongside an existing carer... forging community within a community.
"It was lovely to see Pride returning to its roots as an event this year, with the return to Musgrave park. As we walked through the streets it was heartwarming to look up and see multi-generational families cheering and waving their rainbow flags in support.
"A bit of a goosebump moment was when I looked over the sea of rainbow in front and realised just how far things have come."
At Life Without Barriers, we value a diverse community of Foster Carers and welcome Carers of any sexuality or gender.
