• Online group STOP SAFE Schools Coalition wants to prevent LGBT youth from attending same-sex formal
• Report shows that Aboriginal lesbians face cultural barriers that can lead to isolation and mental health issues
• Study finds that recreational drug use in the gay community is high, but dependency is low
• Renewed calls for pill testing trials in Victoria

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

This is not Luke Taylor!!

Attracting over 150,000 visits annually The Sustainable Living Festival engages with hundreds of organisations and individuals to stage Australia’s largest sustainability festival.

The Festival’s Director Luke Taylor joins Dean to discuss the three week program which engages individuals and communities across Victoria to host and promote sustainability events. Celebrating the very best examples of ecological and social sustainability the festival embraces interactive workshops, talks, demonstrations, artworks, exhibits, films and live performances.

Check out the Festival Program. 

The post Exploring Sustainable Living with Festival Director Luke Taylor appeared first on On the Line.

The Deputy Manager of Opposition Business and Shadow Attorney-General the Hon. Mark Dreyfus QC, MP joins Dean to express his outrage at the Australian Christian Lobby’s attempts to “override” Australia’s anti-discrimination laws ahead of the national debate on marriage equality and the plebiscite.

The post Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus Appalled by ACL appeared first on On the Line.

• • Some parents have spoken out against the Safe Schools Coalition’s All of Us resource, and taken their children out of school
  • The Relationships Bill has been amended to allow same-sex couples to hold ceremonies when registering their relationships
  • South Australia has passed a bill allowing female co-parents to both be recognised on their child’s birth certificate

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

The crack down on ex-gay crack pots will not stop the insidious nature of ex-gay ideology according to Inside Ex-gay producer Nathan Despott who joins Dean On the Line with more.

The post Crack Down on Ex-gay Crack Pots appeared first on On the Line.

The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) has appointed Darryl O’Donnell as Executive Director coinciding with the departure of Rob Lake who has led the organisation for the past 5 years.

At a time when national peak body health organisations are in turmoil with uncertain futures due to federal government cut backs, AFAO’s interim replacement reflects the sector’s instability.

Rob Lake joins Dean to reflect on his time within the organisation and the future of the national HIV response.

The post Rob Lake Leaves AFAO appeared first on On the Line.

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) today announced the launch of its first Trans and Gender Diverse Advisory Group, which will provide advice to the organisation on supporting and promoting the health and wellbeing of Victoria’s sexually and gender diverse communities.

Chaired by VAC Project Lead, Trans Health, Jeremy Wiggins, the group’s members represent a breadth of expertise and lived experience in sexually and gender diverse communities. The scope of the advisory group’s activities will include: general medical services, sexual health services, alcohol and drugs, HIV services, mental health, health promotion, policy, diversity and inclusion.

Alongside the launch of the advisory group, VAC has welcomed on board Dr Pauline Cundill to provide GP services to the trans and gender diverse community from the organisation’s Fitzroy site, where VAC’s PRONTO! rapid HIV testing service is currently based. From 22 February this new, bulk-billing service will be operating on Mondays and Thursdays, with appointments available between 9AM–3.30PM.

Jeremy teamed up with Peter Locke, Practice and Program Manager at VAC’s Centre Clinic and Pronto, to make the announcement On The Line with Dean Beck.

The post New Health Advisory and Trans Clinic Announced appeared first on On the Line.

• Victorian Government to formally apologise to men convicted of historic gay sex crimes
• Melbourne’s Pride March saw Opposition Leader in attendance for the first time
• Victorian PrEP trial will expand to include up to 2,600 people
• High school students petition for same-sex inclusion at high school deb
• Biggest study of intersex people in Australia released

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

This week Star Observer journalist and Dean’s Pride March co-host Shannon Power, wrote a disturbing article about Eric, a Scandinavian man who has been visiting Australia every year for 22 years, but was recently denied a tourist visa because he is living with HIV.

Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy

This mistake by Boarder Force was eventually acknowledged, but their less-than-adequate apology has infuriated Eric and his partner who will now sell their Sydney property, choosing to spend their time travelling in Europe in future.

HIV stigma was at the centre of Dean’s call for the resignation of Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy last December following the unfortunate mistake she made during a World AIDS Day media call.  After writing to the Minister, Dean received a commitment that she would address the matter on air.

Minister Hennessy’s apology and the announcement that Victoria will increase its PrEP trial to 2600 participants happened when she joined Dean on Saturday Magazine last weekend.

Read Dean’s analysis of the PrEP Trial announcement.

People wishing to register to participate in the new PrEPX Trial can do so here. 

The post Stigmatizing Mistakes, Apologies and PrEPX Trial Announcement appeared first on On the Line.

Last week The Stirrer’s Doug Pollard revealed that the national peak body for our communities health and well-being, LGBTI Health Alliance was being defunded by the Federal Government.

In a letter dated 2 February 2016, the Alliance received notification from the Federal Department of Health that the appeal they had lodged following on the Governments original decision had failed – the only option left was to ask the Commonwealth Ombudsman to intervene.  An unlikely action considering the mounting evidence of importance and failure to meet the basic requirements in the original grant application.

Doug Pollard joins Dean for a full update while the future of the organisation remains doubtful.  Read more about Doug’s investigation here. 

The post It’s Official – Government Defunds Health Alliance appeared first on On the Line.

• Unfortunate comments from the Queensland nominee for Australian of the Year Catherine McGregor.
• A homophobic sticker appeared in South Yarra over the long weekend, calling for violence against gay men.
• LGBTI youth to raise awareness around youth homelessness in Melbourne this weekend.
• Community groups and activists are calling for an end to biphobia.
• Gender reassignment surgery will be offered to winner of this year’s Miss Transsexual Australia

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

The panel, moderated by Dean, will consists of:

·       Rowena Allen, ‎Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality

·       Roz Ward, Manager of the Safe School Coalition Victoria

·       Rebekah Robertson, Founder of Transcend

·       Margot Fink, Minus 18

The post Schools Out for Midsumma Premier Event appeared first on On the Line.

Following the discovery of homophobic stickers placed on Chapel St South Yarra near Chasers Nightclub, a social media outcry condemning the message of hatred has erupted.

The stickers were promptly removed by police after the Executive Officer of Living Positive Victoria wrote to the Prahran Police, highlighting the detrimental effect stigma has on people living with HIV.

The President of Living Positive Victoria, Richard Keen joins Dean Beck to express his concerns.

The post Homophobic HIV Hatred Condemned appeared first on On the Line.

Federal Government tendering processes have pitched HIV organisations AFAO and NAPWHA against each other causing friction and creating animosity within the HIV sector at a time of uncertainty.

Editor of The Stirrer and former JOY 94.9 presenter Doug Pollard joins Dean Beck On The Line to share his insights.  Multiple enquiries to people working within the sector and government have shed little light on the situation, with the final round of funding yet to be finalized.  One thing is certain however, the LGBTI Heath Sector will look very different come June 30, 2016.

The post CRISIS: Slow Starve for LGBTI National Health Organisations appeared first on On the Line.

Midsumma Freak Out – Carnival Day 2016. Picture by Dean Beck

Each year Dean Beck complies a collection of interviews gathered during Carnival Day.  In 2016 the Melbourne turned on a stunning day our the LGBTIQ Communities came out in full turning the Alexandra Gardens by the Yarra River into a sea of colour and diversity.  The 2016 Midsumma Montage features interviews with :

• Simon K Patterson – Manhunt.net
• Catherine Dixon – Director of Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
• Benton Geyer – Coordinator of ENUF HIV Stigma Campaign
• Leanne Renfree – Gay and Lesbian Switchboard and Q-Life
• Carol-Anne Allen – Switchboard Counsellor and Psychologist
• Simon Ruth – CEO Victorian AIDS Council and the Periodic Survey
• Jade Gulliver – Purple Bombers board member
• David Ball – Yarra Glen Football and Netball Club and Pride Cup
• Carlotta – Midsumma Champion 2016 and Entertainer

The post The 2016 Midsumma Montage appeared first on On the Line.

• Melbourne will once again host Australia’s biggest LGBTI Sports Festival
• Australia’s first study of gay men with type-two diabetes is underway at Victoria University
• The VAC will again be conducting the Melbourne Gay Community Periodic Survey this year
• The Melbourne Queer Film Festival has revealed a sneak peak of its 2016 program
• Midsumma kicks off this weekend with Carnival!
• New issue of Star Observer out today!

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

The post John Caldwell – Midsumma’s New President appeared first on On the Line.

The post Midsumma 2016 Begins appeared first on On the Line.

• PrEPAccessNow met with the Minister for Health yesterday to discuss PrEP in Victoria.
• Online PrEP orders increased by 85 per cent at the end of 2015
• Melbourne’s largest synagogue will host a ‘Pride Shabbat’ service as part of Midsumma.
• Trans advocates have condemned the recent transphobic comments made by Australian entertainer Barry Humphries.
• CEO of the VAC Simon Ruth has been appointed as a board member for VicHealth

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

With community frustrations increasing about the lack of access to PrEP and reports that community based importation channels have experienced an 85% increase in demand in December, it is clear that something needs to be done NOW.  But is RAPTURE the way forward?

The post VAC respond to RAPTURE Announcement appeared first on On the Line.

Could Australia be the 1st country in the world to achieve ZERO new HIV infections by 2020?

Recently Lord Mayor Robert Doyle announced Melbourne as a “Fast-Track” city, aiming to achieve “Zero new HIV infections” by 2030…..but what happened to 2020?

It’s fair to say that if the political will and sector leadership continues with the status quo, “Zero New HIV Infections” by the year 2020 is laughable.

Daniel Brace and Rodney Ellis believe the 2020 target is possible and reveal their plan to achieve this lofty goal.  The RAPTURE Initiative gets revealed tomorrow, but we get to have a sneak-peak.

The post RAPTURE Plan for Zero New HIV by 2020. appeared first on On the Line.

• The Greens have released a draft LGBTI Equality Bill

• Midsumma has announced its 2016 Champions

• Same-sex couples that marry overseas will now be recognised under Victorian law

• The Victorian Government announced $160,000 in grants to support young LGBTI people

• An upcoming women’s festival in Victoria has not allowed trans women to take part

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

The aim of the project is to redress a considerable gap in the existing literature and to develop a wider understanding of the experience of losing a same-sex partner to non-HIV related causes.

This will hopefully provide valuable guidelines and insights in the provision of psychological services to bereaved same-sex-attracted individuals, and it will ultimately contribute to the enhancement of their well-being.

Lefteris is currently seeking participants for this qualitative research and if you identify as LGBT or I and if your partner died due to something other than HIV, he would love to hear from you.

Find out more by clicking on the image below.

The post Important Research Regarding LGBTI Bereavement appeared first on On the Line.

Dr Lauren Rosewarne

Next week Facebook will change their policy regarding ‘adopted’ names.  This follows criticism of their previously inflexible policy of name verification which saw many people from LGBTIQ communities unable to keep profiles in the name they are mostly commonly known (eg: Drag Queens).

In 2016 Melbourne’s Midsumma will have more corporate partnerships supporting the festival than ever before.

The Queering of Corporations – Is it a fad, a trend or the only way forward for corporate growth and sustainability?

Sharing their insights, Dean is joined by Dr Lauren Rosewarne from Melbourne University’s School of Social and Political Sciences and the Director of the 2016 Midsumma Festival, Tennille Moisel.

Midsumma 2016 Festival Director Tennille Moisel

The post Queering Corporations – Dr Lauren Rosewarne & Tennille Moisel appeared first on On the Line.

• Victorian Government will provide guidelines to enable GPs to prescribe PrEP
• Melbourne has become Australia’s first ‘fast-tracked’ city in the fight to eliminate HIV
• A new Australian children’s book has been launched to increase awareness around the lives of trans children
• There was a forum in Melbourne this morning on LGBTI people and disability
• A petition in Western Australia is calling for an LGBT prom

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

Yvonne Gardner at the Midwinta Ball 2015. Photo: @DEANation

It’s December and Yvonne Gardner is in the JOY 94.9 studios which can only mean one thing – she is doing Christmas lunch AGAIN.

A true living treasure of Melbourne’s LGBTI Communities, Yvonne has been serving up lunch every Friday at the Fitzroy Footy Oval (WT Peterson Oval Club Rooms) in north Fitzroy for over 25 years.

When Yvonne first joined Dean on air to talk about the annual Christmas lunch six years ago, she declared it to be the last time.  (She has said the same thing each year thereafter.)

Towards the end of today’s interview Yvonne reads a letter written by a young man on the 17th of December 1993.  Its a letter from a son to his Mother for Christmas.  Sadly she never received it – but it does go some of the way towards explaining why Yvonne has devoted the last 30 years of her life to people living with HIV.

Sircuit is holding a fundraising event on Sunday 13 December to support Yvonne’s Positive Attitude Inc Christmas Lunch.

Over the years many of JOY 94.9’s listeners have donated their time to give Yvonne and her helpers support in preparing for this special occasion.  Christmas Eve is preparation time and all assistance is welcomed.

Call Yvonne on 9471 00 33 if you can help out.

NOTE: As per flyer, Leathermen please ensure your dogs are a leash.

Positive Attitude Inc and Yvonne Gardner present Christmas Lunch 2015

The post Yvonne Gardner does Christmas – AGAIN. appeared first on On the Line.

Love in full colour, a documentary from Melbourne filmmaker Suzi Taylor about Australia’s largest Same Sex Formal and the experiences of 12 LGBT teens growing up, falling in love and coming of age, is premiering in Melbourne tonight.

Made over four years, Love in full colour is about overcoming rejection, discrimination and invisibility but also about the transformative effects of connecting to a community that fosters a sense of belonging. It’s a film for anyone who has ever longed to be included and accepted exactly as they are.

The post Same Sex Formals feature Love In Full Colour appeared first on On the Line.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy at World AIDS Day 2015, Doherty Institute, Melbourne. 1/12/2015. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

JOY 94.9’s Executive Producer of World AIDS Day 2015 and host of On The Line has called for Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy to resign following her poor performance during the World AIDS Day 2015 media call.

In his opening editorial today Dean showcases:

• Professor Sharon Lewin’s wish for Victorians to have immediate access to PrEP (as is the case in NSW).
• Simon Ruth’s plea to the Victorian Government to fund the access to PrEP now and for the Federal Government to fast-track TGA approval and PBS listing.
• Victoria’s Health minister Jill Hennessy’s appalling non-announcement that S100 Doctor’s would be issued with guidelines regarding how to prescribe PrEP.
• Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy telling the assembled media that she had just heard the stories of two people “living with AIDS”.
• HIV Stigma – told by Kath Smith, Simon Ruth and Brent Allan.

Dean has called for the Health Minister to resign, labelling her media gaff as inexcusable and an illustration of how HIV stigma is perpetuated throughout society today.

The post Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy Must Go. appeared first on On the Line.

• The Safe Schools Coalition and Minus18 have released a new LGBT teaching resource for high schools.
• The VIC Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby has announced its new co-convenors
• A national resource on alcohol and drug use in the LGBTI community has been launched
• A four-part online series on men living with HIV who use crystal meth has been launched

The post Star Observer Weekly News Wrap appeared first on On the Line.

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