The Victorian Government has unveiled a new campaign that aims to combat discrimination against trans and gender diverse individuals by highlighting the non-verbal cues and micro-aggressions that contribute to a culture of exclusion.

The campaign, titled 'The Unsaid Says a Lot', is the first government-led initiative of its kind in Australia. It was developed by positive change agency Think HQ, in collaboration with representatives from Victoria's trans and gender diverse community, including prominent transgender director, actor, writer and producer Harvey Zielinski.

"I think this campaign is really important and powerful and I'm really pleased to be involved, especially in light of the vitriol we've witnessed towards the trans and gender diverse community over the past year," said Zielinski. "I wish we didn't need to campaign for respect. I believe acceptance and inclusion should be a given, a bare minimum societally. I hope campaigns like this help work towards this goal, and improve the day-to-day lives of trans and gender-diverse people."

The work is spearheaded by a 60-second film that depicts five everyday scenarios where trans or gender diverse people are made to feel either excluded and rejected, or welcomed and accepted. The campaign also features print and Out Of Home (OOH) executions that showcase stills and copy from each of the five scenarios, and will be supported by a range of community engagement activities designed to foster empathy and inclusivity.

The development of the campaign was backed by a La Trobe University survey that found more than three in four trans and gender diverse people were treated unfairly because of their gender identity in the preceding 12 months. The campaign is a key component of the Victorian Government’s 'Pride in our Future: Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ strategy 2022-32'. The campaign was launched across media channels including online, print, outdoor and socials on 26 June 2024.

Minister for Equality, Harriet Shing, said: "This campaign is all about encouraging people to stop and think about how their actions towards trans and gender diverse people can make a huge difference – for better or for worse. We know that our interactions with others really matter, and this campaign is part of our ongoing work to reduce discrimination and stigma, and to contribute to more inclusive connections for trans and gender diverse people. With this campaign we are inviting all Victorians to think about how they act and what they can do to help shape equality in our state."

Think HQ Chief Creative Officer Andy Lima explained the co-creation process. "The power of this campaign lies in its co-creation with members of the trans and gender diverse community," she said. "Our aim was to deliver a state-wide campaign that celebrated and raised awareness of the community’s experiences, supporting greater inclusion and addressing trans and gender diverse discrimination. With that in mind, we worked with the community through a series of workshops to first define the issues and vision for the campaign, and come up with creative solutions together."