ABOUT US
You belong
You belong
About us
Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) is an Australia’s first LGBTIQA+ refugee-led organisation and a peak body, advocating for the rights and dignity of LGBTIQA+ displaced persons.
We work to make sure people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and sex characteristics who are refugees, people seeking asylum, or migrants can live with safety, dignity, and equality.
Our work connects lived experience with government, services, and international decision-makers. We are changing policies, building networks, and driving action.
Our mission is to create a future where every LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced person thrives, not only survives; where their experiences are recognised and celebrated; and their human rights are protected.
We are the voice of LGBTIQA+ displacement.
What we do
FDPN focuses on policy, advocacy, and practical support. We work with communities, service providers, governments, and international agencies to improve protection and access to existing resettlement pathways.
We mobilise
We bring people together. We build community-led pathways and advocate for policy and system change both in Australia and globally to achieve justice for LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people.
We educate
We build and share knowledge about LGBTIQA+ displacement. We do research and turn it into clear policy and practical guidance.
We lead
We help LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people build safe and stable lives in Australia.
ending displacement
ending displacement
Our story
Our story began with displacement.
Tina and Renee Dixson, our co-founders, arrived in Australia in 2012 after fleeing violence because of their LGBTIQA+ activism. At that time, there was little support for LGBTIQA+ refugees. The focus in Australia was on marriage equality, and refugee services were unprepared to support the unique needs of the LGBTIQA+ community. Tina and Renee felt invisible in both refugee and LGBTIQA+ spaces. This deep sense of exclusion sparked a powerful desire to ensure that no one else would feel so alone.
In 2018, after Tina completed her PhD fieldwork with queer refugee women, they launched the Queer Sisterhood project. This was the first peer-led initiative in Australia to support queer refugee women, focusing on access to education, employment, and community. The following year, in 2019, they organised the first-ever Queer Displacements conference, which built momentum and solidarity, laying the groundwork for collective action to support LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people. In 2020, the Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) was officially born.
Driven by lived experiences and professional expertise of our co-founders, board, members, lived experience advisory group and our community, we have worked tirelessly to change the narrative in Australia and internationally. We know firsthand what it feels like to be invisible and to face discrimination from the very places, which are supposed to help. We know how inclusive and affirming support looks like and how much having such support means for rebuilding one’s life. We have pushed for recognition, fought for change, and made sure that LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people are seen, heard, and supported.
Tina stepped away from the board in 2021. Today under strong leadership of Renee Dixson, FDPN is an expert, recognised and trusted change-maker in Australia and internationally.
You matter
You matter
Our Lived Experience Advisory Group
At FDPN, we are committed to centring the voices of LGBTIQA+ people who have experienced forced displacement.
Our lived experience advisory group is called SAME: Support, Advocacy, and Migration Experts. It guides FDPN’s strategic directions and ensures we focus on the areas and topics that matter most to LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people.
Our impact
Our impact has been far reaching. Explore the highlights of what we achieved in 2025.
stronger together
stronger together
Gratitude to Our Funders
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our funders for their generous support. Your commitment to our work and recognition of the urgent need to address issues of LGBTIQA+ displacement make all the difference. Thanks to your support, we can continue advocating for and assisting those who need it most. Together, we’re making a real impact in the lives of LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people.
- Pride Foundation Australia
- Rainbow Giving
- ACT Government
- Australian Government Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives Grant
Do you want to be part of FDPN?
LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people
Apply to join SAME, our lived experience advisory group. Help shape our work, share your voice, and support your community.
Supporters and volunteers
Volunteer with us, partner with us, or make a donation to support our work and advocacy.
Services and organisations
Get support to increase your capabilities, or become an organisational member of FDPN (Note membership applications will open soon.)