Job loss for rainbow and LGBTQIA+ people: rights and support

Support right now

• OutLine Aotearoa: 0800 688 5463 (0800 OUTLINE), 6pm to 9pm every day, free, run by trained volunteers from rainbow communities. Free online chat in the same hours at outline.org.nz. It's a support line, not a crisis service, so if you are in crisis use the numbers below.
• 1737 (free mental health support, call or text 24/7).
• Youthline: 0800 376 633, text 234, for young people aged 12 to 24.

Your rights at work

Sexual orientation is a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Human Rights Act, alongside sex, race, disability, age and family status. Unlawful discrimination includes being treated differently or less fairly on a protected ground, being dismissed, forced out through unpleasant conditions, and harassment. The Human Rights Commission can advise on protections relating to gender identity and expression.

• Raise concerns with your employer first, if safe, with a support person.
• Options: Employment NZ mediation, a personal grievance (90 days), or a Human Rights Commission complaint (before employment, this is the route).
• Sexual harassment grievances have a longer 12-month window.
• Keep notes, messages and dates. Employment NZ 0800 20 90 20, Community Law and unions give free advice.

Finding inclusive workplaces

• Look for rainbow-inclusive signals: Rainbow Tick accreditation, inclusive policies, visible rainbow staff networks. InsideOUT Kōaro provides rainbow competency training to workplaces.
• Ask directly at interview about inclusion, name and pronoun practices, and anti-harassment policies.
• Network through rainbow professional groups and community spaces.
• You choose what to share at interview. Your name, pronouns and personal life are yours to share.
• Update your references and CV to match your name and details, and ask former employers to use correct names.

For rainbow rangatahi

RainbowYOUTH (ry.org.nz) creates safe and sober spaces for queer, gender diverse, takatāpui and intersex young people, with peer support, social groups, resources and a drop-in centre in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). Contact them through their website form. OutLine works closely with RainbowYOUTH.

InsideOUT Kōaro (insideout.org.nz) runs a directory of rainbow support services, resources for young people and whānau, and school and workplace programmes.

Looking after yourself

• Losing work can mean losing a safe workplace or being forced back into the closet. Look for affirming people and places.
• Ask your GP for free brief counselling and explicitly request someone who is rainbow-friendly.
• If you're facing family rejection or violence, see the family violence guide: Women's Refuge 0800 733 843, Shine 0508 744 633.