Blog

Are you passionate about supporting Rainbow Families across Queensland? We’re searching for a dynamic, innovative and self motivated Project Coordinator to lead and manage a variety of projects for Rainbow Families in...

What an exciting start to the term for both YAC and Little Rainbows! Our first Little Rainbows session was a delightful barbecue and picnic by the river in Concord, complete with crafts,...

Creating LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Healthcare in Maternity and Child Health Services Guest blog post from Cyrena Hunt-Madden, LGBTIQ+ Project Lead, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District with a wonderful update on inclusion for...

Board Directors - Rainbow Families Rainbow Families seeks expressions of interest from suitably qualified people to join the Rainbow Families Board of Directors (the Board). All Rainbow Families Directors are unpaid volunteers....

Our Rainbow Families weekend away at Kiama was the best! We had a great weekend with 79 adults, 74 children, and 5 babies joining us. It was fantastic to see everyone having...

Our foster care webinar on Monday night with Barnardos had around 15 people joining us online to learn about the process of becoming foster carers. Amy Weeks, Program Manager of Carer Recruitment...

YAC & Little Rainbows in Term 3 It’s hard to believe another term of fun is over for the YAC and Little Rainbows. In the second half of the term we had...

Rainbow Families Playgroup Packs 🌈 As Rainbow Families looks to how we can support playgroups around Australia that are supporting LGBTQ+ parents and their families, we would like to offer each playgroup a...

New Online Support Hub Empowers Youth from Rainbow Families Australia’s leading voice for LGBTQ+ families, Rainbow Families Australia, is proud to launch a new online resource in collaboration with Rainbow Families Youth...

What a great night - we launched Little Rainbows! The Rainbow Families Youth Council proudly launched their new website, an initiative entirely driven and hosted by the young people themselves! The event...

Christy Newman September 1, 2024, p27 The Sydney Morning Herald "Opinion: I'm a census fan but, as a queer parent, my family still doesn't count" This may be an unpopular opinion, but...

LGBTQ+ CHARITY RAINBOW FAMILIES UNITES TO GO NATIONAL IN 2024! We are excited! :) Rainbow Families Australia is proud to announce its move to become a national organisation, uniting state-based groups and strengthening...

YAC Newsletter It has been a great start to the term for both YAC and Little Rainbows. Little Rainbows started the term with a consultation workshop with the Australian Human Rights Commission about...

A warm welcome for Rainbow Families from the T. Rowe Price team for Pride Month! Recently, investment management firm T. Rowe Price’s PRIDE Australia committee hosted a fantastic training session in Sydney...

Little Rainbows and YAC are a group of young people from rainbow families who meet throughout the term to socialise and participate in a range of fun activities.  Term 2 Newsletter  Little...

At Rainbow Families, our vision is to enable LGBTQ+ parents and children to thrive - whatever the makeup of their family. That is why we stand up to overcome systemic invisibility and...

Last week, our board of nine directors gathered in Sydney, with members flying in from Queensland and Victoria, to develop our strategic plan for the next three years. We discussed how Rainbow...

We were thrilled to host our annual Making Rainbow Families Seminar in Sydney on Saturday. The event provided invaluable insights into LGBTQ+ parenting options and was attended by around 40 guests in...

Rainbow Families is excited to start a new playgroup in Western Sydney. Our playgroups are welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ parents with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to connect with other local families. You...

A Wonderful Weekend at the Narrabeen Resilience Camp This year, we returned to Narrabeen for our resilience camp, where 70 people joined us for a weekend full of community, fun, and activities...

Discussing Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with your Early Childhood Service or School Lots of us dread Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Have you ever been asked, “Who’s going to be the...

Access to safe, inclusive health services is crucial for the health and well-being of individuals and families, especially during conception, pregnancy, and the early years of a child's life. Unfortunately, we know...

Who is Rainbow Families? Rainbow Families have been operating as a range of organisations across many States for many years.  Some organisations have been more active than others, but we recognise we...

Fun times, Good Friends, Great Activities. There were many fun events to round out in Term 1 for YAC and Little Rainbows. Little Rainbows participated in a craft workshop where they created...

Welcome Rachel Reid :) Rachel's journey with Rainbow Families began through teaching at their regular antenatal classes, a role that has fuelled her passion for Child and Family Health. Her love for...

LGBTQIA+ campaign ‘Strong, Safe, Fabulous’, has launched a powerful new anti-domestic and family violence prevention initiative. The campaign aims to break down negative stereotypes and create long-term behaviour change by sharing authentic...

We're excited to introduce Marly as our new 'Early Learning Family Diversity Inclusion Training Coordinator' With nearly 20 years of experience in teaching and various government roles, Marly brings a wealth of knowledge...

YAC & Little Rainbows have been busy having the best time ever! A big thanks to coordinator/teacher Geoffrey Parry-Ewing for organising such engaging experiences for our young people :) From Geoffrey: "It...

We'd like to thank Will for his support and marketing expertise over the years. You helped us sew the seeds of a great organisation that will be supporting Rainbow Families for many...

What a wonderful Mardi Gras season we had this year full of community, fun and fabulous queer entertainment!  We started with a wonderful Drag Story Time event at Marrickville library where over...

Great news from our fertility partner; Genea offering Medicare Rebates for LGBTQ+ IVF We're thrilled to share exciting news from our fertility partner, Genea, as they take a pioneering step to ensure...

Insights from Barnardos Foster Care Seminar and Rhys and Helen's Parenting Journey The recent Barnardos Foster Care Seminar, led by Rainbow Families EO Ashley Scott, took a straightforward dive into fostering and...

YAC and Little Rainbows Term 4 Update Icecream and Escape Rooms! It has been a fun start to Term Four for YAC and Little Rainbows which started with a treasure hunt and...

We're excited to share some big news: Genea is now a sponsor of Rainbow Families, bringing their expertise in fertility treatments to our community. Rainbow Families EO Ashley Scott said, "We've teamed...

Last weekend saw our annual Halloween Disco - and this year was amazing again. Over 350 people braved the heat to come and be part of one of the biggest days in...

Prosper (Project Australia) is seeking volunteers to assist with our new project called “We Are Survivors!”. The aim of the project is to develop an online hub of information, support and resources...

The Kiama October Weekend Away was a raging success with over 60 families/100+ people travelling to the gorgeous south coast location - Big 4 Easts Beach, Kiama, to connect with other Rainbow...

Feature your family in our Fairy TV Commercial for Mardi Gras 2024! Fairy Dishwashing and Rainbow Families are teaming up again to create a TV commercial featuring our families, to be aired...

YAC and Little Rainbows Report by YACS Coordinator Geoffrey Parry-Ewing Term 3 During Term 3, YAC and Little Rainbows were involved in a number of fun workshops and activities. We started the...

The Federal Government is developing a national Autism strategy to ensure that the needs of Autistic people and their families are being met. A consultation process is taking place and input is...

RAINBOW FAMILIES AND ECA ROLL OUT FAMILY DIVERSITY TRAINING, NATIONWIDE. And it's free for educators. As you have probably heard by now, Rainbow Families and Early Childhood Australia (ECA) have joined forces...

Board Directors - Rainbow Families Rainbow Families is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified people to join the Rainbow Families Board of Directors (the Board). All Rainbow Families Directors are unpaid...

Rainbow Families extends a warm invitation to our rainbow families; to share with us their unique journey to becoming parents. We recognize that our families have a wealth of experiences, insight and...

Sponsored content from our fostering and adoption partner - Barnardos  How we became a family of five We always wanted to be parents. We heard that Barnardos did same-sex adoption, so we...

It was a decade of tireless campaigning, but in the end, it was the unwavering support of friends, families, and those who believed in doing what's right that led to our victory...

When we started Rainbow Families in 2015, we had a vision of supporting, connecting and empowering LGBTQ+ parents in NSW. Over the past 8 years we have worked with thousands of families...

 Rainbow Families and Early Childhood Australia Collaborate to Champion Family Diversity. In a positive stride towards a more inclusive society, Rainbow Families and Early Childhood Australia (ECA) have joined forces to introduce...

FREE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE POSTER FOR MIDWIVES AND BIRTHWORKERS Rainbow Families have teamed up with Midwives Connecting Community and are excited to announce our pledge to send a free inclusive birthing language kit...

Rainbow Families is kicking off a brand new catch-up group in Tasmania to help local families connect with each other. Driving the group are local couple Melissa and Alisha who said; "We...

On Sunday, June 25, we hosted our much anticipated, "2023 Making Rainbow Families" seminar. The event brought together 70 people from around the country who were looking to learn more about starting...

The recent photo shoot with David from Canon celebrated our diverse rainbow community at the recent Family Pride Day in May. What a great looking bunch we are!  David's free family portrait...

Geoffrey is one of our newest team members at Rainbow Families and is heading up the Youth Council that currently operates out of Summer Hill. Geoffrey is a fantastic addition to our...

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Surrogacy Australia. Surrogacy Australia is a wonderful organisation that aims to enhance the understanding of and access to best practice domestic surrogacy arrangements...

What a fabulous day! A massive thank you to everyone that came to Family Pride on Sunday May 7th at Marrickville Town Hall. This year around 500 people joined us to celebrate...

Last month Rainbow Families made a submission to the Federal Government's Early Years Strategy Consultation.  In preparation of this submission, we consulted with our community. Thank you to all the parents that...

Last weekend 100 people joined us for our fifth Resilience Camp. At the beautiful Point Wolstoncroft on the Central Coast we enjoyed the stunning surrounds of Lake Macquarie and the wonderful hospitality...

We are looking for a Marketing Coordinator to join our team. This two day per week paid, work from home position will support our volunteer marketing team spread the work about the...

The Australian Government is developing an Early Years Strategy to shape its vision for the future of Australia’s children and their families. Recognising how critical the early years are for children’s development...

Join Ruby as she sits down with Worl Pride Ambassador Shane Jenek, mum Katie and a rainbow of kids to talk about all things family, love and pride. WorldPride is a huuuge, fun,...

We are very excited to announce a heartwarming partnership with Rainbow Families and Fairy. As part of Fairy's support for the LGBTQ+ community they have launched an exciting initiative involving one of...

We would like to thank and say goodbye to the wonderful Rainbow Families board member Dror (he/him). If you’ve come to say hello to us at Mardi Gras Fair Day in recent...

We are excited to announce that Woolworths has launched a brand new limited edition Rainbow Layer Cake to help support Rainbow Families and our work with LGBTQ+ families.  With fun, colourful layers...

‘Once in a Lullaby' is Mia Mala McDonald’s long-awaited book of photographic portraits and interwoven stories of Australian LGBTQIA+ families. The contributions shared by participants are reflections on the politics of family,...

This is a guest blog post from Kulander as part of a paid sponsorship from Barnardos. My name is Kulander and I’ve been fostering with Barnardos for over 10 years. Back then...

The Youth Council has branched out to accommodate younger and older audiences: Little Rainbows is open to the younger 10-12 age group, and offers an opportunity for social connection and age appropriate activities....

In a delicious collaboration with Qantas and Rainbow Families, Byron Bay Cookie Company is bringing back its popular PRIDE Cookie in 2023, to coincide with World Pride in Sydney. Baked to perfection...

You've probably seen our Sydney World Pride mascot - Lucky. We know that not all families will be able to come to Sydney to celebrate World Pride, so we have created some...

At our exciting Rainbow Families Day at Luna Park on February 12 we will have a stall selling merchandise and connecting families to our resources. We are looking for a few helpers...

We'd love some help on our stall at Fair Day this year. We'll be selling merchandise, chatting with new community members and generally letting people know about the work we do to...

Our Board bid a fond farewell to the last founding Board / Committee member in 2022, as our Co-Chair Scott Brunelle (he/him) stepped down. Scott leaves an incredible legacy as a Board...

BOLDING GOING…WHERE NO RAINBOW FAMILY HAS GONE BEFORE! A rainbow family is going far out into space, blasting off to Jupiter in the first of a series of five thrilling audio adventures...

Rainbow Families is looking at bringing together a group of people interested in increasing the understanding of rainbow families (LGBTQ+ parents and their children) in the primary and secondary education system. We...

After a wonderful three years of service, Rainbow Families Board said goodbye to Robbie Robertson(he/him) at the 2022 AGM. While Robbie will continue to serve on the Marketing Committee, he hasbeen a...

Ministry of Health is currently undertaking a major review of the Blue Book. Major reviews of the Blue Book are undertaken every 5 years. It is very important for this review that...

Entries are now open for World Pride Photo Competition, which is proudly supported by Rainbow Families. The amazing Jan from Spitting Image Photography is conducting  workshops on 8th, 18th & 19th January...

It is with great appreciation we acknowledge the two year volunteer contribution Stacey has made to the Erskineville Playgroup. If it were not for people like Stacey we would not be able...

The ABS has released data on same sex families from the Census. It is important to note that despite us lobbying the government since 2016 for a census that accurately counts our...

Ever thought about adding to your family? Foster Care is a wonderful way to start or grow your family while supporting a young person in need. We held a webinar exploring the...

Bridget (they/she) has been an active member of Rainbow Families since 2017, and they loved it so much they also started volunteering in the same year. In 2018 they decided to offer...

We know there are LGBTQ+ parents across Australia. Rainbow Families is a NSW based organisation which is why all of our events are in NSW. We do our best to support families from...

Amy (she/her) has been a strong voice for the Rainbow Families Equality team during her tenure on the Board. She leaves an impressive legacy of advocacy and bravery that directly benefits so...

Earlier this month we celebrated Halloween with our annual Halloween Disco. This much anticipated annual event has been on hold since 2019 so for many families it was their first Rainbow Families...

Introducing Mon Enriquez, one of our newest team members at Rainbow Families, who will be heading up the Youth Advisory Council as it comes out of hibernation and resumes its face-to-face meetings...

With Sydney World Pride just around the corner the Inner West Council is activating the Inner West in conjunction with Sydney World Pride. Pride Inner West will show case a range of...

We are very excited to launch our Youth Council’s resource – Little Rainbows. Over the past couple of years, a dedicated group of young people from Rainbow Families has been working on...

Rainbow Families’ Youth Council is back in full swing! After last week’s consultation, the group have started planning their activities for the term ahead which may or may not include a scavenger...

Board Directors - Rainbow Families Rainbow Families is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified people to join the Rainbow Families Board of Directors (the Board). All Rainbow Families Directors are unpaid...

Fairy Dishwashing is proud to be partnering with Rainbow Families to create a piece of video content for Sydney World Pride 2023. We understand that all families have a lot on their...

Spring has sprung and with a new public holiday in the bag and another public holiday just around the corner, we thought that we’d heard all the good news that these school...

We have brilliant news that we just cannot keep to ourselves! It’s time to get excited because the staff and volunteers at Rainbow Families are thrilled to announce that we will be...

The Rainbow Families community is continually growing thanks to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. One of the great areas of growth is in our family catch ups, and it’s...

Delivered over 3 months via Zoom, this series provides practical tools to assist school staff in understanding and supporting the needs of LGBTIQA+ students from kindergarten to high school. The webinars will...

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by IVF Australia Since the pandemic began, demand for sperm and egg donors have skyrocketed. We’ve also seen a spike in demand for eggs and sperm, with...

Inclusive language is a way of acknowledging and respecting the diversity of peoples’ bodies, genders and relationships. As midwives and birth workers, using inclusive language supports people to feel safe within the...

Rainbow Families CoChair for the past 18 months, Kylie Gwynne, has stepped back from the Board. Kylie joined the Rainbow Families Board in 2019 and has contributed knowledge and expertise to Rainbow...

Our Sports Carnival Series across NSW wrapped up last weekend with our final event in Macarthur. Our first event was in Sydney on a rainy day in November where despite the drizzle...

We are looking for someone to join the Rainbow Families team as a Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for planning and delivering a variety of projects for Rainbow Families,...

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barnardos Australia When talking with Stacey and Sarah a few things become clear. Their open-mindedness, their commitment to children, their nurturing natures and their ability to love...

We have worked with the Australian College Of Midwives and developed an LGBTQ+ inclusion training package for midwives. This education package will assist midwives to increase their understanding of the challenges LGBTQ+...

We are very excited that our family violence prevention program Strong Safe Fabulous is a finalist in the ACON Honour Awards! Strong Safe Fabulous has been recognised for providing support and resources...

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barnardos Australia Mark and Todd are foster carers with Barnardos Australia. They are currently caring for 3 children under 5 years of age. Here is their...

Bill Shorten’s recent intervention to reverse the use of gender-neutral language in a Medicare form was disappointing to many people who value equality and inclusion. It was particularly disappointing to me and...

Our Rainbow Families Neurodiverse Families Facebook Group is for LGBTIQ+ parents and carers who are Autistic and/or ADHD and may also have children who are. We welcome families who identify as being...

Meet Snez the wonderful volunteer who is putting on the new catch ups in the Panania, Liverpool, Bankstown area. Snez tells us about her family, why she wanted to start a group...

This month we held our Making Rainbow Families Seminar – a day for LGBTQ+ people considering parenthood to explore the options and meet the people that can help make their dream a...

Bounce is a weekend resilience camp for Rainbow Families held in Narrabeen. This year was our biggest camp with over 100 people attending from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. An action packed...

Family Pride is a celebration of family diversity. It is an opportunity to bring together our families and the community to celebrate, socialise and reaffirm that we are strongest when we stand...

Following a survey of the needs and challenges of LGBTQ+ parents and carers, Rainbow Families is hosting a monthly online webinar series to equip parents and carers with knowledge and evidence-based strategies...

Rainbow Families, working with Early Childhood Australia, the peak early childhood advocacy organisation, is working to develop professional learning resources for educators on family diversity and how to support children of LGBTQ+...

November last year saw the launch of our first Parent Peer Support Program. The free program ran for 20 weeks and involved LGBTQ+ parents who were either seeking or wanting to give...

Ever wondered what the acronym means. What all the letters stand for. And how to use pronouns. Lars from our Youth Council is featured in this quick explainer video. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by IVF Australia   It has been said that when you have a child it is like a piece of your heart is now walking around in the...

My Shadow is Pink. Book and Short Film My Shadow is Pink is a ~10 minute animated short film about a young boy, born with a pink shadow that loves princess, fairies...

Are you passionate about supporting and uplifting community? Perhaps you have an idea or project in mind? We need YOU! Our volunteer Community, Education and Welfare Sub-Committee are on the lookout for...

Has your family never experienced the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade together before, but always wanted to? Well we are looking for a family just like yours! We are seeking...

Lara has been volunteering with Rainbow Families to help organise our recent sports carnival / end of year event. Lara replied to a call out we did in our newsletter looking for...

Our Youth Advisory Council is designing a resource for children and young people who live in rainbow families. They want to hear from you about what you think a youth resource should...

We have some absolutely beautiful new posters available for you to download, print and hang up in your house, school or workplace. The posters are part of our #StrongSafeFabulous campaign which is...

We are delighted to welcome Steve Clarke to the Rainbow Families team. Steve is working part time as a Development Specialist - looking at new revenue opportunities for Rainbow Families so can...

COVID-19: Testing us all By Rita Bratovich “Lockdown was like nothing I ever thought I would have to do. Jess and I both have pretty full-on full time jobs. Add to that...

#StrongSafeFabulous has launched a new website with a loads of resources for supporting families with LGBTIQA+ people in them.   At #Strong#Safe#Fabulous we believe that all families have a right to live...

The LGBTQ+You School Survey is an Australian-wide project at Macquarie University. This study is looking at what Australian schools are like for Students, Staff and Parents who identify as LGBTQ+. The survey...

PARENT PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM What is it? The Rainbow Families Parent Peer Support Program aims to provide parents with  community connection and support from a peer volunteer who has similar experiences. We...

We are super excited to announce that we have another 400 free activity packs to send out to families to help keep your little ones occupied. We know that the COVID situation...

Over the past couple of months our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) have been working hard developing a new resource for young people by young people in our community.  The 2021 YAC are...

The fabulous Joyce Maynge has created a beautiful colouring book to help pass the time this school holidays.  The colouring in book features Joyce doing all of her favourite post lock down...

You may have noticed that we have a new website. Putting together a new website is no small task and for a community organisation like Rainbow Families the budget is tight -...

We are excited about a new resource supporting LGBTQ+ families at schools on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We know Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are important days to celebrate, but they...

Our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has had an exciting start to the year thanks to our friends at Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre. The YAC met monthly and the wonderful Stephen Lunny ran...

Earlier in the year we had a photo shoot with some wonderful families from our community. It was a relaxed fun filled afternoon, with the aim of capturing real life families doing...

On May 2nd Rainbow Families from across Sydney came together for our first face to face event in over a year. The day was all about families being #StrongSafeFabulous, with lots of opportunities...

Our pen pal program with Rainbow Families USA has started with a bang. There are 20 Aussies and 20 Americans that are busily writing to each other, sharing what life is like on the...

Is your birthday coming up? You can now support Rainbow Families by fundraising on Facebook for us. There are a range of different ways you can support our work just using your...

Bridget is a longstanding volunteer who has done so much for our community. Bridget joined the Rainbow Families Committee in 2018  and started looking for projects they could get involved with and...

You may have noticed that our Instagram feed is looking very professional lately. That is thanks to the wonderful Will. Will joined our marketing committee in September and put his hand up to manage our Instagram...

Everywhere we look this time of year, advertisers are talking about families. But too often, those photos do not show diverse families. This can be especially difficult for those who live in...

Rainbow Families Early Years Support Guide is the result of collaboration between Rainbow Families and writer, Jacqui Tomlins.  The Guide has been developed in response to ongoing requests for information from parents...

Rainbow Families School Support Guide is the result of collaboration between Rainbow Families and writer, Jacqui Tomlins.  The Guide has been developed in response to ongoing requests for information from parents and...