Resources
Sistergirls and Brotherboys.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trans and gender-diverse people, whose identities, roles and stories are older than the words settlers brought to this continent.
Who the words belong to.
Sistergirl and Brotherboy are terms used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to describe gender-diverse identities. A Sistergirl is a person assigned male at birth who lives as a woman or in a feminine role; a Brotherboy is a person assigned female at birth who lives as a man or in a masculine role. The words come from community, and their meaning varies between nations, families and individuals — they are not simply Aboriginal translations of 'trans woman' and 'trans man'.
Many Sistergirls and Brotherboys describe their gender as inseparable from culture, kinship and Country. Some also use words from their own language. The right word is always the one a person uses for themselves.
Why we name them
Mainstream services often fold First Nations gender diversity into Western categories, or leave it out altogether. Naming Sistergirls and Brotherboys in our Acknowledgement of Country is a small, deliberate act of visibility — and a commitment that care here is culturally safe as well as gender and neurodiversity affirming, trauma-informed and identity-inclusive.
Learn more, from community.
Sisters and Brothers NT
A Northern Territory organisation led by Sistergirls and Brotherboys, with resources and advocacy.
Visit → 02Black Rainbow
National organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+SB people, with a focus on suicide prevention and lived experience.
Visit → 03TransHub — First Nations
ACON's trans health resource, including information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Visit → 0413YARN
Crisis support by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 24/7 on 13 92 76.
Visit →How we work with Sistergirls and Brotherboys.
Culturally safe, gender and neurodiversity affirming, trauma-informed and identity-inclusive care. We ask how you'd like to be referred to and what culture and Country mean for you, once, and we remember. Where a WPATH-aligned readiness assessment is part of your journey, we write it in your words, with your community's context in view — and we can work alongside your Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation or a cultural support person if you'd like.
You're welcome here.
Say hello in whichever way costs you least. There's nothing to explain first.