As an advocate for human rights, Khadija Gbla lives their life by the simple philosophy of feminism: “The personal is always political.”
“If it’s happened to you, it’s a political issue,” Gbla told Women’s Agenda. “It’s as simple as that.”
No one knows this better than Gbla. As a queer, disabled, Black, non-binary person, every single part of their advocacy for human rights is informed by their 36 years of personal experience. And nothing inspires Gbla to continue their advocacy more than their nine-year-old child, who is also neurodivergent.
Gbla is the South Australian recipient of the Women & Leadership Australia award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership for their work in female genital mutilation (FGM) in Australia and, more recently, the rights of people with disabilities in Australia.
Gbla joins an impressive list of past Women & Leadership Australia award recipients, including Julia Gillard, Tracey Spicer, Sam Kerr and more (scroll down to read the full list of the 2024 award recipients).
CEO of Women & Leadership Australia Karen Taylor said recognising Gbla’s work, as well as the other nine recipients, is vital in making much needed progress for women and non-binary folk in Australia.
“Recognising and acknowledging the impacts of exceptional leadership is essential,” Taylor said.
“The Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership allow us to celebrate and spotlight the contributions of these exceptional individuals, to progress the public conversation around diversity in leadership and provide positive role models for the next generation.”
Gbla is thrilled with the accolade and said it will help them shine a light on the personal yet intrinsically political challenges that Gbla, their child and all marginalised groups in Australia face.
“None of us are defined by any singular one thing,” Gbla said.
“It’s the sum of who we are and our stories, our strengths, our wins and our losses that make us who we are.”
FGM
Khadija Gbla was born in war-torn Sierra Leone, before moving to Australia with their mother as refugees.
At a young age, Gbla was a victim of female genital mutilation (FGM), a cultural practice where women and girls have parts of their external genitalia removed. Gbla remembers the moment clearly, something they recounted in a TEDx Talk from 2015.
While being a victim of FGM traumatised Gbla deeply, it lit a fire inside of them to not only tell their mother what that practice did to them physically, emotionally and psychologically, but also to continue advocacy in the space for the broader society and other victims of FGM in Australia.
“If I didn’t look at my mum in the eye at the age of 13, while trembling, and say ‘this act of FGM will end with me’… then what will have happened?” Gbla said.
“We have come a long way, and it all started with individuals – somebody saying ‘this happened to me’ or ‘this is not ok’ or questioning something – revolutions have started.”
Gbla was one such individual, and their bravery to stand up and speak out against the practice resulted in the establishment of the organisation, Ending Female Genital Mutilation in Australia.
“For some of us, depending on our intersecting identities, there are more blocks, but when you stand up and you say this happened to me, then somebody else is going to stand up. And that’s why ‘the personal is political’ philosophy is so powerful,” Gbla said.
“I think our downfall of society is thinking we are powerless as individuals – when in actual reality we are powerful.”
People with disabilities
Gbla has recently come out as disabled and neurodivergent, diagnosed with ADHD, autism and other conditions.
While Gbla was born with their disabilities, their conditions weren’t nurtured or recognised by their mother, who believed they were already marginalised enough as a refugee family living in Adelaide, SA. Gbla went to doctors appointments and therapy sessions on their own to receive the support they didn’t get at home.
“I have always been disabled, but I was denied that experience and denied the accommodations and support,” Gbla said.
“I was told to just push through and just keep going, because we can’t afford to be more marginalised.”
Now, at 36 years old, Gbla is proud of their disabilities and a strong advocate for neurodivergent Australians and those with disabilities.
Nine years ago, Gbla became a single parent. Upon starting school, Gbla realised their child was displaying the same characteristics of autism and ADHD Gbla once did when they went to school.
Remembering their mother’s response to their disabilities and how hard it was for them, Gbla was determined to not let their trauma get in the way of nurturing their child’s needs.
“I turned all of (my trauma) into something completely different,” Gbla said.
“I chose to be a different parent. I chose to change that story.”
Gbla took their child to the doctors for a diagnosis and now has access to the government’s NDIS support, as well as a range of support services to help their child’s needs.
“I wish my mum had responded this way,” Gbla reflected.
Now, it’s not only Gbla’s “personal” that is “political” – it’s also their child who needs support, accessibility and advocacy.
“I wasn’t sad that (my child) was disabled,” Gbla said. “I was sad at the world I have to raise them in, a world that is not accessible.”
‘We’re all just human’
Gbla has received several accolades for their human rights advocacy, including the 2019 Instyle Magazine Human Rights Award, as well as recognition from Cosmopolitan Magazine and Amnesty International.
As an award-winning human rights activist, model, inspirational speaker, writer and mentor, they are showing no signs of slowing down.
“If you can talk, use your voice for a purpose. If you can breathe, you can do something,” Gbla said.
This year, Gbla will receive the South Australian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership at Women & Leadership Australia’s annual leadership symposium.
The 2024 awards will mark more than 100 women and non-binary people being recognised for their excellence in leadership across business, government, and community in the last 11 years.
Women & Leadership Australia CEO Karen Taylor said Gbla’s award demonstrates their “resilience and unwavering commitment to empowering marginalised groups”.
“Ms Gbla exemplifies transformative and compassionate leadership and is truly deserving of this award,” Taylor said.
The winners, including Gbla, will accept their awards at an Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium around the country or online at the Inspired Leadership Series Webinars.
“This award is for those carers like myself. This award is for that autistic mum doing it tough with no support. It’s for the people who sit at the margins, whose internationalities are just too complicated for society, who don’t fit the nice, neat boxes,” Gbla said.
“In reality, we’re all just human, with body parts that can fail, that can humble us, but also can be sources of inspiration.
“None of us are defined by any singular one thing – it’s the sum of who we are and our stories, our strengths, our wins and our losses that make us who we are.”
The 2024 Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership recipients are:
• NATIONAL – Sam Mostyn AO
• ACT – Joanne Farrell
• NSW – Wendy McCarthy AO Life Fellow FAICD
• NT – Dr Sarah Goddard
• QLD – The Hon Susan Kiefel AC KC
• SA – Khadija Gbla
• TAS – Dr Natasha Vavrek
• VIC – Prof Dr Marcia Langton AO*
• VIC – Georgie Stone*
• WA – Asha Bhat OAM
*Co-recipients
To hear from the 2024 Award recipients, you can book your tickets to the Australian Women’s Leadership Symposiums now.