Uncategorized Archives - Well Well Well

Blood Donation

joel.parker@joy.org.au — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 11:00:08 +0000

This week on Well Well Well, we’re joined by Josh Smith from Lifeblood and Professor John Kaldor from the Kirby Institute to unpack the recent changes to plasma donation rules, now allowing thousands more—including gay, bi+ and trans Australians—to donate without a wait period.

We also look ahead to 2026, when gender-neutral rules for blood and platelet donation are set to be introduced.

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Pelvic Health for Every Body

joel.parker@joy.org.au — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 23:00:31 +0000

This week on Well Well Well, we’re joined by Alex Lopez and Derryn Pert from Pelvic Health Melbourne to talk about all things pelvic health — what it is, why it matters, and how it shows up differently for different people.

We’ll explore the unique concerns across our LGBTIQA+ communities, including for gay and bi men, lesbian and bi women, and trans and gender diverse people.

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Gender Pain Gap – Victorian Inquiry into Women’s Pain

Jacinta — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 04:24:34 +0000

Cal and Jacinta speak to Victorian Minister for Health, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas, to find out what changes are planned to address the gender pain gap and improve services for women’s health. We discuss sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and some of the key points revealed from the 2023 Women’s Health Survey and the submissions that are currently open for the Inquiry into Women’s Pain. We talk about why LGBTIQA+ voices are important in this area and who can share their experiences to inform future changes that address the gender pain gap that impacts women and other marginalised genders.

Submissions for the Inquiry into Women’s Pain are open until 31 July 2024. For more information, please visit www.health.vic.gov.au/inquiry-into-womens-pain

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.

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Long COVID and HIV

Jacinta — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 04:15:25 +0000

Jacinta and Rachel speak to Themme Fatale about their experiences of long COVID and the scientific and social comparisons of HIV and long COVID

Themme Fatale is an award winning, sideshow-slinging drag artist, known locally and internationally as a genre-blending and gender-transcending performer, producer, and creator with an eye for works that emphasise accessibility and foster riotous Queer joy (with an emphasis on riot). On stage, they serve high skill, high camp circus absurdism and dangerous sideshow stunts – putting the “sin” in “sincere expression of queer identity”, the “ass” in “class conscious”, and their body on the line for their art.

Resources

Themme Fatale on Instagram

Information about long COVID from the Victorian Department of Health

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.

This episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

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Tuesday Atzinger – Wise Words

Jacinta — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 03:40:31 +0000

Rachel and Jacinta sit down with poet Tuesday Atzinger ahead of the Wise Words event in February. We discuss Tuesday’s writing and performance about themes of Afro-blackness, disability and queerness.

Tuesday Atzinger is a poet and emerging writer. Their work explores and celebrates Afro-blackness, queerness, disability and feminism. They peddle in discomfort and their primary goal is to fling words together to make you squirm. They have performed spoken word with Quippings for the Melbourne Writers Festival and were a part of ACNH Fringe at Melbourne Fringe 2020.

Resources

For more information about Wise Words, visit Thorne Harbour Health’s calendar

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.

This episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

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Sexual Health Month with Women’s Health in the North

Jacinta — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 11:00:05 +0000

Jacinta and Jack kick-off sexual health month by speaking to Amelia and Tilly from the Sexual and Reproductive Health team at Women’s Health in the North (WHIN).

Tilly and Amelia talk about what kind of work WHIN does in the northern metropolitan region of Melbourne, the current barriers and gaps that they see in sexual and reproductive health, especially for LGBTIQA+ people.

We also discuss WHIN’s Freedom, Respect and Equity in Sexual Health (FRESH) plan, which aims for “all women and gender diverse people [to] freely exercise their rights to positive,pleasurable and affirming sexual and reproductive health outcomes.”

Tilly Mahoney is a cis bisexual woman, and is the Sexual and Reproductive Health Coordinator at WHIN.

Tilly has a Master of Public Health, and is passionate about freedom of choice, gender equity and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Amelia Arnold is a cis bisexual queer woman who works primarily in health education, research, training and advocacy.

Amelia oversees the sexual and reproductive health capacity building work at WHIN, and also works as a research associate with the Growing Queer Families Alliance at Monash University.

Amelia is also on the Board at Switchboard, volunteers with Rainbow Families Victoria and is an ex radio girlie, co-hosting the Triple Bi Pass podcast.

You can see Amelia and Tilly representing WHIN alongside GenWest at the LGBTIQ+ Women’s Health Conference in Melbourne, 24-25 October 2023.

You can find out more about the Freedom, Respect and Equity in Sexual Health (FRESH) plan on the Women’s Health in the North website – whin.org.au

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.

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Chris Gill – Community Living Legend

Cal — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:00:49 +0000

Chris Gill was a founding member of the Victorian AIDS Action Committee back in 1983. As the organisation became the Victorian AIDS Council, Chris went on the worked in a number of volunteer and paid roles until the mid 1990s, including as foundation Manager of the People Living With AIDS Program and as Campaigns and Community Relations Officer in the Education Program. Chris also served as editor or the Melbourne Star Observer for 3 years from 1988 and was a Co–Convenor of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (now the Pride Lobby). In the early 2000s, he helped set up the philanthropic Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia (now the Pride Foundation).

This episode is part of the Community Living Legends series, reflecting on a legacy of community-driven action to improve our health and wellbeing as Thorne Harbour Health celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health.

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David Menadue – Community Living Legend

Jack — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 23:00:47 +0000

David Menadue is a longstanding advocate for people living with HIV and was one of the first people in Australia to be in the media as someone living with HIV in the 1980s.

We chat with him about his role in community organisation and establishing groups for people living with HIV.

This episode is part of the Community Living Legends series, reflecting on community-driven action and looking to the future as Thorne Harbour Health celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2023.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health & wellbeing.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria at Thorne Harbour Health and in South Australia at SAMESH.

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Cervical Screening – Self Collection

Jacinta — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 21:00:15 +0000

Jacinta and Rachel chat to Gabe Curtis, a nurse at Equinox, the peer led trans, gender diverse and nonbinary (TGDNB) health service operated by Thorne Harbour Health. Gabe explains the newest method of cervical screening which is self collection, and also discusses the importance of informed consent and trauma-informed practice for all cervical screenings and health care in general.

Cervical screening is an important screening test for cancer for all people with a cervix.

For more information about cervical screening, Cancer Council Victoria have an information page for LGBTIQ people here.

If any of the content in this podcast impacts you or is distressing, please get in touch with QLife or other support services included on JOY’s support page: joy.org.au/support/

QLife
QLife provides anonymous and free LGBTI peer support and referral for people in Australia wanting to talk about sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships.
Phone: 1800 184 527 – 3pm-midnight every day Web chat: qlife.org.au

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Prostate Pride – Cancer Peer Support

Jacinta — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 10:00:51 +0000

Jacinta and Rachel speak to John and Bryan from Prostate Pride, a peer support group in Melbourne for LGBTIQA+ people who have experienced/are experiencing prostate cancer.

John and Bryan share their stories with prostate cancer, and how treatments can have complicated impacts on sexuality, body image, work and more. We also discuss what tests to ask for at the doctor and the importance of testing for indicators of prostate disease, and the lack of testing guidelines for prostate cancer.

The Prostate Pride group meets monthly in Abbotsford
Email: prostatepride@gmail.com
Phone: 0412 106 441; 0422 566 862

The Prostate Pride group is recognised by the Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia (PCFA). PCFA have more resources and information on their website, at www.pcfa.org.au

The Australian Prostate Centre has information and referrals, at www.australianprostatecentre.org.au

If any of the content in this podcast impacts you or is distressing, please get in touch with QLife or other support services included on JOY’s support page: joy.org.au/support/

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