Music Victoria and the VMDO acknowledge the complexity of terminology that relates to a person’s identity, ancestry, ability, sexual orientation and gender, and appreciates respondents who engage with this question.
Language and identity terminology are ever-changing and by their very nature a ’term’ or ‘label’ cannot ever represent the diversity of lived experiences that they attempt to define.
We use the terms Aboriginal &/ Torres Strait Islander people, Culturally &/ Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people and LGBTQI+ people, allowing us to compare data to previous evaluations.
The term CALD means those who are first, second or third generation migrants or members of ethnic communities. This includes Australian-born people who may self-identify or engage with languages, customs or cultural specificities of ancestral heritages that differ from those of Anglo-Australians.
We use the term Deaf and Disabled people in line with the Social Model of Disability as used by Arts Access Victoria
We use the term Trans & Gender Diverse which is an umbrella term used to describe all those whose gender identify is different to the gender they were assigned at birth
We use these terms as they are commonly used by governments and their associated arts agencies, as well as being identifiable for respondents. However, we also acknowledge it brings together a wide variety of experiences, backgrounds and beliefs that are not aligned or homogenous.
To achieve fair access and representation, we believe it is important to document this data, knowing that these terms will shift and change, hopefully to address inequality with more nuance and dignity for all.
