WIO emerged out of the campaign to decriminalise male homosexuality in Tasmanian in the 1990’s. The widespread community backlash against the decriminalisation led to a spike in suicides amongst young, gay Tasmanians. A number of concerned community members and allies formed a group to address this growing problem, eventually commissioning a report. This report, Working It Out: A needs-based analysis of sexual minority youth in North West Tasmania, called for the provision of specialist services to support Tasmania’s LGBTIQ+ people and the organisation was thus born.