ABOUT US
You belong
You belong
About us
The Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) is a non-government and non-profit organisation dedicated to advocating for LGBTIQA+ people who have been forced to leave their homes due to persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. We are the first registered LGBTIQA+ refugee-led organisation in Australia.
We do this work because too many people around the world are persecuted simply for being who they are, who they love and how their bodies look like. We do this work because displacement does not end at the border crossing. We do this work so that LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people can live with dignity, free from fear and belong in communities.
We amplify the voices of those who are often marginalised and silenced, both in Australia and around the world. We work tirelessly to raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people.
Our mission is to create a future where every LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced person not only survives but thrives, and where their rights and dignity are not just recognised but celebrated and protected.
We are the voice of LGBTIQA+ displacement.
We mobilise, educate, and lead
We mobilise to achieve justice for LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people.
We educate to share knowledge about LGBTIQA+ displacement.
We lead so that LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people can thrive.
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 team and impact
At FDPN, our team is dedicated to supporting LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people, even though we do not have ongoing funding. We currently have two part-time staff who lead core work and two short term consultants who lead other projects. For safety reasons, we cannot share their names, but their commitment and passion drive our mission forward every day.
Despite a small size, our impact has been far reaching. Check out some of our impact stories.
Centring lived experience in everything we do
At the Queer Displacements Conference, Fatima, a participant with lived experience of displacement, expressed her deep appreciation for the event.
“Thank you so much! These kinds of events should be out there more often so people like me can reach out. I’ve always wanted a platform where we can create public awareness and share our stories in a safe space. This is my community and these are my people! Nothing About Us Without Us.”
Empowering community through education
Amina arrived in Australia alone, without knowing anyone. Through FDPN’s Queer Sisterhood Project, we helped her enroll in a nursing program. Today, Amina proudly works at a hospital, fulfilling her dream of helping others.
“FDPN gave me the support I needed to build a new life here. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Helping community secure a future
After years of living undocumented and unsupported in Australia, Arash connected with FDPN. We helped him build community ties and supported his appeal for a protection visa. Now, Arash has received his protection visa and is excited to start his science degree next semester.
“FDPN was there for me when no one else was. Now, I have a future I can look forward to.”
Building safe and inclusive services
Grace, a case worker from a settlement organisation, attended an FDPN event and learned about the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQA+ refugees. Feeling inspired, she completed our training to become a welcoming and safe presence for new arrivals.
“FDPN taught me how to help others feel at home. It’s an honour to be part of someone’s journey to safety and belonging.”
Building evidence and solidarity
When Alex, a researcher and advocate, attended one of FDPN’s conferences, they didn’t expect it to have such an impact on their work. Through our conference, which brought together diverse voices and shared groundbreaking research, Alex found not only new insights but also a sense of solidarity with others working in the field.
“This is genuinely one of the best conferences I have been to in a long time,” Alex said. “It has had a significant impact on the way I will continue to work. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this conference. I liked the way that it created a safe space for people to share information.”
Driving intersectional policy change
When Sarah, a policy officer, was tasked with running consultations for new health legislation, she faced the challenge of ensuring the policy would be fair and inclusive. FDPN stepped in to provide crucial guidance, helping Sarah understand the importance of not excluding people on temporary visas, particularly LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced individuals. With FDPN’s evidence-based advice, Sarah was able to ensure that decision-makers paid close attention to these often-overlooked groups.
“FDPN’s guidance was invaluable in making sure our policy was inclusive and truly addressed the needs of the entire community.”
Our past impact reports
2023 Impact Report
2022 Impact report
OUR CURRENT PROJECTS
Here are some of the current project highlights.
Australian Coalition for LGBTIQA+ Asylum and Migration Justice
We are providing the Secretariat to the Australian Coalition for LGBTIQA+ Asylum and Migration Justice. The Coalition consists of people with lived experience, experts of LGBTIQA+ migration and asylum and representatives from a broad range of sectors from peak body organisations, community organisations and peer groups. In the past year the Coalition has been working on developing the Roadmap for Action: Achieving Asylum and Migration Justice for LGBTIQA+ Forcibly Displaced People. This work is supported by the Pride Foundation Australia.
Safe and healthy
Safe and Healthy: increasing sexual health literacy and reducing risky behaviours for LGBTIQ + migrants and refugees is a project funded by the ACT Health Directorate.
The Safe and Healthy Project is designed to help LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people more about sexual health. The project provides tailored information on sexual health, STIs, BBVs, and safe sex to these communities. The goal is to increase sexual health knowledge and reduce risky behaviours. The project focuses on two main activities: working directly with LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people to increase their knowledge about sexual health and helping organisations that support these communities build their capacity to offer better sexual health information and services.
Stronger together
Stronger together: organisational and community capacity building for change is a project funded by the ACT Government Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs.
The Stronger Together project aims to improve the sustainability of the Forcibly Displaced People Network by investing in the organisational development, upskilling board, increasing participation of LGBTIQ+ displaced people and their professional development. Developing a community we develop the organisation, and together we are able to achieve better supports for LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people.
Thrive Together
We facilitate the community sponsorship of LGBTIQ+ refugees through our partnership with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA). This project is funded by the Amplify Pride Fund.
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 LGBTIQ+ 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 LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people.
- Pride Foundation Australia
- ACT Government Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs
- ACT Health Directorate
- ACT Community Services Directorate
- The Amplify Pride Fund
- Hands Across Canberra
- Asylum Seekers Resource Centre
- Rainbow Railroad
Want to be part of the change?
At FDPN, we believe in working together to create a more inclusive and supportive world for LGBTIQA+ people who have been forced to leave their homes.
Join us! It is time to act for LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people!