Pink desk originated in 2003 when a small consultative group of union members created an AEU policy for Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender (GLBT) teachers. The policy was successfully endorsed by Branch Council (November 2003) in Ulverstone. Prior to this date there wasn’t a policy in place to support either GBLT students or staff as part of the Tasmanian AEU Branch policies. It is important to mention that there has yet to be another policy to be passed and adopted as quickly in the Tasmanian AEU Branch history. This was a real win for both teaching staff and our students in Tasmania.

It quickly became apparent, however, that simply delivering a GLBT policy to schools wasn’t going to magically fix the homophobia many teachers and students were silently experiencing. Pink Desk was formed by four of the original consultative group members (with the exceptional support of Roz Madsen) to begin the difficult task of educating principals, teachers, parents, students and the wider school community about the importance of equality and the acceptance of diversity within the public education workplace – staff and student equality and diversity.
Pink Desk is committed to providing support and resources to GLBTI teachers, parents and students. We encourage all teachers to browse our resources and teacher programs.

For further information please contact:

Kel Innis
Advanced Skills Teacher
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Brooke Innis
Middle School Teacher
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Jillian Alexander
Advanced Skills Teacher
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Leesa Petitt
Advanced Skills Teacher
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