Jason Ball
Advocate for LGBTIQ+ Equality, Mental Health, and Social Change
A leading voice against homophobia in sport and a champion for LGBTIQ inclusion. He inspires organisations and communities to create safe, inclusive, and resilient environments. With decades of advocacy, media presence, and lived experience, he empowers audiences to take action, challenge prejudice, and drive meaningful social change.
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Jason Ball, Victoria’s 2017 Young Australian of the Year, is a passionate advocate for LGBTIQ equality and mental health. Since coming out in the national media in 2012, Jason has been a leading voice in combatting homophobia in sport and highlighting its impact on the wellbeing of the LGBTI community.
His leadership has included ambassadorial roles with Beyond Blue, the Safe Schools Coalition, the Victorian Pride Centre, the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival, Midsumma Festival, and the Melbourne and Bendigo Queer Film Festivals. Jason’s advocacy was instrumental in the AFL’s first Pride Game in 2016 and led to the co-founding of Pride Cup Australia in 2018—a national non-profit working with sporting leagues to deliver pride events and education programs challenging homophobia and transphobia. Today, Pride Cup is one of Australia’s largest LGBTI organisations.
Jason has appeared widely in media, including The Project, Sunrise, The Morning Show, FoxFooty, The Age, The Herald Sun, ABC Radio National, SEN, triple j, and VICE Magazine. He has been recognised as one of The Age’s Top 100 Most Influential Melburnians, included in The Advocate’s Top 25 Most Notable Comings Out of 2012, and named LGBTI Sports Person of the Year in the 2015 GLOBE Community Awards. Additional accolades include the University of Melbourne Arts Alumni Rising Star Award (2016), Young Australian Humanist of the Year (2016), inclusion in Junkee’s “The Disruptors” and Men’s Style Magazine’s “Men of Influence,” and the Out Role Model Award for Sport at the 2017 Australian LGBTI Inclusion in Sport Awards.
In 2016 and 2019, Jason stood as a Greens candidate for the federal seat of Higgins, campaigning on climate action, compassion for people seeking asylum, and LGBTI equality. Professionally, he has held diverse roles across the not-for-profit, government, and community sectors, specialising in diversity and inclusion, advocacy, policy, research, communications, fundraising, and project management.
Jason Ball continues to drive meaningful social change, inspiring communities and sporting organisations to build inclusion, resilience, and equity.
