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Our History

Home | About Us | Our History

Always growing and fighting for positive change

Freedom is a culmination of all of WAAC’s LGBTIQA+ young people support services.

Freedom is primarily funded by the Mental Health Commission to prevent mental illness and promote mental health and wellbeing for LGBTIQA+ young people. This means that our focus is on education and prevention around mental health and sexual health.

We do this by providing support and information and by maintaining a safe social space with healthy attitudes towards sexuality, gender, sex, respect, empowerment, self-esteem and education.

Freedom has and will continue to develop, change and grow over time to service the needs of the community.

  • 2024

    Freedom Centre turns 30!

    2024 marks 30 years since Freedom Centre was born in 1994 as a social space for young gay men particularly in light of the AIDS crisis of the time. Since then it has become a staple in the WA Queer community. Supporting LGBTIQA+ young people for three decades. To mark the occasion, Freedom invited all past and present clients, staff and volunteers to return for a Freedom Homecoming. Freedom also hosted a Queer Prom for current FC visitors and LGBTIQA+ young people aged 12-25.

  • 2022

    Freedom State goes to Carnarvon

    After receiving enquiries for support from different services in Carnarvon, Freedom has extended to offer support to Carnarvon.

  • 2022

    Freedom State funding extended

    WAAC were successful in extending the pilot project funding for another 12 months. This will allow for much needed regional support to continue.

  • 2022

    Freedom partners with Curtin University

    Freedom have partnered with Curtin University to undertake a 12 month research and evaluation project of the current Freedom model and to compare the metro and regional services and needs. This will increase evidence base and continue to inform service provision.

  • 2022

    Freedom X commences

    To support the needs of the Freedom Centre and the demand for LGBTIQA+ community development and support in Perth, Freedom Centre services expanded in the metro to include a Counsellors, Group Facilitator, Community Development Officer and Peer Educator Mentor.

  • 2022

    FC moved from Brisbane St to Leederville

    Freedom Centre moved to the current premises in Leederville and enjoys community support, regular visitors, dedicated volunteers and its safe space to support young people with diverse sexuality, gender and sex while retaining its identity as an LGBTIQA+ peer support model.

  • 2021

    WAAC awarded funds to deliver LGBTIQA+ Regional Pilot

    Freedom State commenced after successfully securing funding from the Mental Health Commission. Freedom State aims to build the capacity of communities to support LGBTIQA+ young people in Bunbury, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie through community development and counselling.

  • 2021

    Wellbeing Workshops goes regional

    Freedom undertook four regional Wellbeing Workshops in 2021 after taking time to be revamped and reviewed! Freedom travelled to Karratha, Esperance, Geraldton and Mandurah.

  • 2019

    Freedom Centre Turns 25

    WAAC’s Freedom Centre celebrated 25 years of operation. Another vital drop-in and peer led program which supports LGBTQI youth in extending a safe and inclusive environment.

  • 2017

    Wellbeing Workshops Pilot begins

    Freedom received funding to host multiple two day Wellbeing Workshops led by peers focusing on building the practical skills for LGBIQA+ young people to support their mental wellbeing.

  • 2014

    "Free To Be Me" Published

    The Free To Be Me report was published by Freedom Centre. Written by Katherine Darby and Dani Wright Toussaint. This report looked at LGBTIQ young people who accessed the Freedom Centre from 2012 to 2014. Addressing Freedom Centre’s goal of reducing mental health issues and suicidality, alongside promoting overall wellbeing of young LGBTIQA+ people.

  • 2012

    Isabelle Lake Passes Away

    Isabelle Electra Lake sadly passed away from leukemia on 28 February 2012 at age 21. Belle was a passionate advocate and she was highly regarded for her volunteering efforts with LGBTIQA+ community organisations, including Freedom Centre. One of her dying wishes was to leave a legacy that continued her goals of supporting trans youth, which her family has empowered with the creation of the Isabelle Lake Memorial Fund in 2014.

  • 2011

    ExSIGHT

    In 2011, funding was obtained to undertake an arts-based project called ExSIGHT, culminating in a collection of original works created by young people at the Freedom Centre. Local artists Martin Wills and Peter Farmer hosted a series of art workshops for young people.

  • 2010

    Freedom Centre Open Day

    Freedom Centre hosted an open day during pride month that year in October. Showing off the building at 93 Brisbane Street, Northbridge along with the resources and projects of Freedom Centre. The open day not only showed off the space but also had a map of Perth “The Big Queer Map of Perth” to be exact for LGBTIQA+ people who came along to add to.

  • 2009

    Freedom Centre Moves #4 & Faces for Freedom Community Project

    Freedom Centre moved again! Leaving 1/471 William Street location where it had been since the move from 134 Brisbane Street, Freedom headed back to Brisbane street (93 Brisbane Street this time).

    This year Freedom also ran a campaign called Faces for Freedom (facesforfreedom.blogspot.com). Faces for Freedom was a project of the Freedom Centre in in celebration of the 2009 Pride WA Festival. To make a statement about why the community had PRIDE in their diversity. ‘Faces for Freedom’ was a way of making a statement for acceptance of diversity and human rights in Australia. FFF3 is inspired by the US project called Faces of Us.

  • 2004

    Same Sky Project Launches

    Same Sky was a collaboration between the Freedom Centre, the WA AIDS Council, GLCS and P Flag to assist same sex attracted young people living in rural areas to develop their resilience and to build capacity within local communities to deal with the issues of same sax attraction. It was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Jaye Edwards, the Same Sky project officer, was based in Bunbury but had close links with Albany. Although Bunbury, Albany, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie were the targeted towns for this intervention, a number of other areas sourced information and material. The Bunbury Freedom Centre opened and was attended by a number of young people. There were also a number of service providers in Geraldton with serious concerns about some of their young people and have indicated they would be in a position to support a Freedom Centre in Geraldton.

  • 2004

    Freedom Centre Moves #3

    Third times the charm. In 2004 Freedom Centre relocated to its third premises, after just four years spent calling 95 Stirling Street, Northbridge home. This time moving in to 1/471 William Street, Perth (not too far away from our Brisbane Street locale)

  • 2002

    FC AWARDED

    The Freedom Centre is awarded the group award in the Youth Citizenship Awards for 2002 and also receives a two year Commonwealth grant and a two year Lotteries Commission Grant to provide services and capacity building to same sex attracted youth.

  • 1999

    Freedom Centre Moves #2

    As Freedom Centre further established itself as a genuine youth service in WA, the need was apparent for a more contactable and uniform management structure. A coordinator was reappointed early in 1999 to provide a professional and regular contact point for the Centre. Recently the project had its funding extended and moved from 134 Brisbane Street, Perth to 95 Stirling Street, Northbridge.

  • 1998

    Freedom Centre's Year of Visbibility & the Freedom Centre Fires

    Freedom Centre undertook a series of ad campaigns in student diaries and newspapers at TAFE, Curtin , ECU, Murdoch, UWA, and X Press.

    This same year, in a period of two months, Freedom had a break in and theft of all electrical goods, an attempted burglary with staff inside, a rock thrown through a window during drop-in, termite damage, and two small electrical fires causing extensive smoke damage and destroying newly replaced electrical goods.

  • 1997

    Freedom Centre Moves #1

    Freedom Centre moved buildings for the first (but definitely not the last) time! Leaving 193 William Street, Northbridge location where Freedom Centre had been since its start in 1994. Freedom headed to 134 Brisbane Street, Perth to have their own premises. The Freedom Centre community helped move into the new place on the 12th March, 1997.

  • 1996

    Here for Life

    The “Here for Life” Youth Sexuality Project (a joint project between the Gay & Lesbian Counselling Service of WA and the West Australian AIDS Council) was launched. The submission for this project discussed the Freedom Centre and its importance to young people with same sex attractions. Steps were taken during the second half of 1996 to make the Centre more inclusive to women and other sexualities.

  • 1995

    Groovy Girls

    The Other Voices Committee decided to invite young women into the Centre. Some other initiatives were implemented to assist with this move. Freedom Centre decided to take on female volunteer staff and Groovy Girls began to use Freedom Centre for their meetings. The focus of the Centre also expanded from only HIV/STD, health information to include information and referral on a broad range of relevant topics.

  • 1994

    Steps toward Freedom (Centre)

    Freedom Centre started out in 1994 as a part of the “Other Voices” program in Gay Men’s Education at the WA AIDS Council (WAAC). It began to provide and ongoing social space for the young men that participated in the gay education courses. It was a space to provide the young men with social opportunities outside of the “scene”. Over time through the Youth Sexuality Project run by WAAC, the Freedom Centre became an all genders space and got its own premises and recurrent funding.

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