STARTTS Visit to WentWest in Refugee Week and Pride Month

Western Sydney Health professionals are urged to do cultural inclusivity training and consider displaying rainbow flags and accreditation. The suggestion was made as part of a special WentWest event to commemorate Pride Month and Refugee Week.

Staff from the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) talked to WentWest about the Walk On Walk Strong program. “For people who have fled their home countries due to their sexuality or gender identity, even a rainbow flag or a sticker in the window gives people a sense of security that they will be treated respectfully and represented for who they are,” said one speaker. 

June is a powerful month of recognition and celebration—it marks both Refugee Week and Pride Month, two important events that speak to resilience, identity, and the power of community.

Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual event raising awareness about the experiences of refugees and celebrating their valuable contributions to our society.

Pride Month in Australia commemorates the first Mardi Gras parade in 1978, and the beginning of a series of protests that would lead to a turning point in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights.

These two commemorations may seem separate, but they are deeply connected through the lens of intersectionality which helps us understand how overlapping identities, such as culture, gender, and sexuality, shape lived experiences and can create unique forms of disadvantage.

It reminds us that not all experiences within a community are the same and that meaningful inclusion must consider the diversity within diversity. It is also important to draw attention to the unique experience of living in Western Sydney as a queer person.

To highlight the important work that is being done in Western Sydney, we invited one of our commissioned services, the Walk On Walk Strong team from the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) to a special morning tea at our Westmead office.

STARTTS work with Walk On Walk Strong shines a light on the voices and experiences of LGBTIQA+ people from refugee and culturally diverse backgrounds—supporting healing, strength, and self-expression in the face of trauma and marginalisation.

This event was part of WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network’s ongoing commitment to building the cultural capacity of its staff and to continue to ensure we are at the forefront of system change in the health sector.

Staff heard from two peer support workers from STARTTS who shared their difficult experience of coming to Australia as an LGBTQIA+ refugee where they expected acceptance and safety in Australia for their sexual and gender identity, and in fact, came up against prejudice and ignorance from the community and health professionals alike. Their involvement in the peer support network run by STARTTS connected them to a community that could provide understanding and support as they transitioned to life in Australia.

STARTTS also runs Inclusive Practice Training. This training is offered both online and in-person and aims to enhance understanding of the specific issues faced by LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers, including the multiple oppressions they may experience.