In 2026 Australia is set to make Census history with two questions about sexuality and gender being included for the first time.

It’s been a long time coming and one that Prime Minister Albanese was at first reticent to have happen.

But ignoring the growing community of queer voices in our country is not only dangerous but also deeply shortsighted.

In late 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released some estimates and characteristic statistics for the LGBTQI+ community in Australia for the 2022 Census round.

Keeping in mind this data is experimental and not population benchmarks, some key statistics included:

• An estimated 4.5% of Australians 16 years and over are LGBTI+
• LGB+ Australians 16 years and over make up about 3.6% of the population
• About 0.9% of Australians 16 years and over are trans and gender diverse, including trans men, trans women and non-binary people

The LGBTI+ population has a young age structure, with six in ten (59.4%) LGBTI+ people aged between 16–34 years and 7.8% aged 65 years and over.

An estimated 738,800 Australians aged 16 years and over, or 3.6% of the population, report their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, bisexual or a different term such as asexual, pansexual or queer (LGB+). A percentage not to be discarded or derided in your advertising, communication or output.

Aside from offering a growing customer base, queer perspective in your business model offers up an expanded way of thinking, breaking out of the rigid, binary models that stifle innovation.

Here are some ways that queering your thinking can evolve your brand or organisation:

Rethinking norms and binaries in branding and marketing, helps businesses to create campaigns that reflect a spectrum of identities, and prompt expanded creativity and authenticity in your branding.

By creating inclusive products and services, your business expands the uses of your products and prompts designers to question the structure itself – leading to greater creativity and ingenuity.

Innovate through disruption, as a queer lens often involves seeing what others overlook by questioning the norm. This can open doors to new markets and underserved audiences, unexpected collaborations, and experimental design and thinking.

Finally, as a generation committed to its values, Gen Z expects the same of its retailers. Shrewd consumers when it comes to authenticity, one McKinsey study, reports that 73% of Gen Z try to purchase from companies they consider ethical, and nine out of ten believe that companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues. But it can’t be hollow promises, as they can tell when a brand is just paying lip service and isn’t backing up diversity or sustainability claims with real change. Therefore queering your business is also about rethinking your structure and committing to more inclusive practices across the board.

Want to get to know your audience better? Square Holes can help!