Keynote Speaking & Panels

Gendered violence doesn’t always look the way organisations expect - and LGBTQIA+ employees are disproportionately impacted.

In many cases, the harm is not always intentional. It can stem from gaps in understanding, outdated assumptions, or misinformation about what safety and inclusion actually look like in a workplace context.

This keynote explores how gendered violence can show up through workplace culture, systems and everyday practices - particularly for women and trans and gender diverse people - and what organisations can do to reduce these risks.

Drawing on delsi’s work co-designing and authoring WorkSafe Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ Gendered Violence Prevention Toolkit, this talk unpacks practical strategies organisations can implement to strengthen safety, improve reporting pathways and build healthier workplace systems.

Audiences will gain insight into:

• How gendered violence uniquely impacts LGBTQIA+ workers and how to identify it
• Risk factors embedded within workplace culture, policies and systems
• Practical mitigation strategies leaders can implement to strengthen safety

Visibility matters - but visibility alone does not create safety.

In recent years, fewer LGBTQIA+ people feel comfortable being open about their identities in Australian workplaces. The good news is that there are clear, practical steps organisations can take to strengthen safety, support authenticity, and build cultures where people can truly show up as themselves.

When workplaces get this right, the benefits ripple across the entire organisation - from stronger retention and team cohesion to improved client relationships and happier, more engaged staff.

This keynote moves beyond surface-level inclusion to explore how organisations can embed meaningful LGBTQIA+ inclusion across policy, leadership and everyday workplace practice. delsi invites audiences to examine the gap between intention and implementation, offering a systems-based framework for sustainable cultural change.

Grounded in lived experience and over 15 years of community leadership, this session balances reflection with practical strategies that leaders and teams can apply immediately.

Audiences will explore:

• Why visibility alone does not guarantee safety at work
• Common gaps between inclusive intention and everyday workplace reality
• Practical strategies for embedding LGBTQIA+ inclusion across teams, culture and systems

Inclusion work often focuses on harm - but sustainable change also requires joy.

Based on delsi’s TEDx talk, this keynote explores how queer joy, visibility and celebration can coexist with structural reform. Through storytelling and systems thinking, delsi examines how safety, belonging and collective resilience are not “soft” outcomes - but essential foundations for meaningful organisational change.

This talk is ideal for conferences and leadership events seeking inspiration grounded in lived experience and practical insight.

Audiences will reflect on:

• Why joy and safety must exist together
• The role of building community in resilience
• How celebration can drive cultural transformation

What happens when standing up for inclusion comes at a personal cost?

In this powerful keynote, delsi shares their experience of publicly challenging anti-LGBTQIA+ vilification and navigating defamation as a queer leader. This session explores the intersection of courage, leadership and community accountability - offering insight into what it means to hold values under pressure.

Blending personal story with broader cultural analysis, this keynote invites audiences to reflect on the responsibilities and risks of visible leadership.

Audiences will consider:

• The realities of public advocacy
• Navigating backlash and resistance
• Building cultures that support courageous action