The Informer

– Despite Victoria leading the country with many LGBTQIA+ reforms, the parliament has one of the lowest numbers of out LGBTQIA+ people. A new campaign launched by the Vic Pride Lobby seeks to change that. We speak to Vic’s first and only elected out lesbian Harriet Shing about what needs to be done to increase representation.

– Covid has led to lengthy delays in gender-affirming surgery. We find out what impact the delays are having on people.

– Yarra City Council has voted unanimously to begin including ‘A’ in LGBTQIA+ in all council materials, along with mandating training for all councilors to help better understand issues impacting the queer community. We speak with the mayor about the changes and learn about the experience of asexual and aromantic people in the community.

The post Campaign to end Vic’s low queer representation in parliament | Impacts of Covid delays to gender affirming surgery | Yarra council votes to include ‘A’ in LGBTQIA+ | The Informer – 30 Sep 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

– Vic Gov announces it will follow through on its promise to ban workplace discrimination of LGBTQI teachers in independent religious schools. We speak to the Vic Pride Lobby, Independent Education Union, and a queer teacher in a religious school about discrimination allowed under current laws.

– The Federal Government is considering introducing a community sponsorship refugee program, similar to programs in Canada and New Zealand. We speak to queer refugee peer advocates from the Forcibly Displaced People Network and Many Coloured Sky about the issues faced by sexual and gender minority refugees and some of the benefits that could come from community sponsorship.

The post Vic Gov announces ban against discrimination of LGBTIQ teachers in religious schools | Proposed community sponsorship could greatly help queer refugees | The Informer 23 Sep 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

– NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham headed a parliamentary committee to assess the anti-trans education bill that he had introduced into parliament himself. We speak with Greens MP David Shoebridge, Equality Australia and Teddy Cook about these concerning developments.

– Manchester Pride has come under significant community criticism for corporatisation and ceasing funding for LGBT support services. We speak to the organisers of a counter-march.

The post Latham’s anti-trans bill gathers pace | Manchester Pride faces counter-march over corporatisation | The Informer – 16 Sep 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

– Vic Gov to broaden anti-vilification laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status. We speak with Vic Pride Lobby about how the reforms came about and what their impact will be.

– Prominent trans-woman in Cameroon violently attacked after being sentenced to five years jail under draconian anti-homosexuality laws. We speak to human rights advocates in Cameroon about the situation for sexual and gender minorities in the country.

– Research has found over 60% of queer youth don’t feel safe at school. We speak with a queer youth psychologist about the impacts of this on mental health and ways to address the issues.

The post Vic Gov broadens anti-vilification laws | Trans-women persecuted in Cameroon | Queer youth feel unsafe at school | The Informer – 9 Sep 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

– Drug trials for a HIV cure are about to begin in Victoria. We speak with a lead researcher of the trial, along with Thorne Harbour Health and Living Positive Victoria about the impact a cure could have on affected people.

– Grindr has revolutionised how many queer people meet globally, allowing people to explore their sexuality discreetly, easily meet queer locals while traveling, make new friends, and of course, find sex. But it’s not all good news. We hear from researchers studying some of the app’s impacts, including addiction and perpetuating hierarchies.

– Under President Putin, Russia has become increasingly more hostile towards sexual and gender minorities. We speak with the creators of a new Russian short film that aims to counter negative rhetoric, who risk falling foul of anti-LGBT laws merely for making the film.

The post HIV cure trials in Vic. | Impacts of Grindr | Russian film challenges homophobia | The Informer – 2 Sep 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

– With Afghanistan under Taliban control once more, we hear from the Afghan Australian Women’s Association & Prof. Sha-ahram Akifahrzadeh about what it could mean for human rights in the country.

– Dennis Altman gives his views on the Australian Government’s refusal to take in extra refugees, given the humanitarian crisis and Australia’s involvement in the war.

– OnlyFans, an online platform popular with independent sex workers, announced it was banning sexually explicit content. We hear from content creators about the impact that de-platforming can have on sex workers.

The post Human rights concerns for Afghanistan | Dennis Altman on Aus Gov refusal to accept refugees | OnlyFans de-platforms sex workers with new content rules appeared first on The Informer.

– Victoria is set to decriminalise sex work after years of campaigning by advocates. We speak to Fiona Patten MP who led the legislative review about why it’s taken so long for progress on law reform, and Jules Kim, CEO of Aus. Sex Workers Assoc. Scarlett Alliance, about what impact decriminalisation will have for sex workers.

– Covid stay-at-home orders keep the community safe from Covid, but what if home isn’t a safe place? New research shows that LGBTQIA+ U25s are at greater risk of abusive homes, and that during Covid many have had to return to abusive environments. We speak with Queer Space about the concerning findings.

The post Victoria to Decriminalise Sex Work | LGBTQIA+ Youth at Greater Risk of Domestic Violence During Lockdowns | 19 Aug 2021 The Informer appeared first on The Informer.

– Germany has some of the toughest anti-hate speech laws in the world and they were tested for the first time in the country’s highest court after Facebook removed several posts deemed hateful. While the laws make it easier to challenge and remove online hate speech, the laws have caused some concern for civil rights observers, with potential for them to be misused to stifle political dissent.

– Indonesia has one of the fastest growth rates of HIV in the region. We speak with a researcher and health professional from Java about the political causes of the rise and the creative ways advocates are working to turn the tide on rising infections.

– With people battling and dying from covid in hospitals, we speak with a frontline healthcare worker who treated patients during the UK’s first wave.

The post Germany’s anti-hate speech laws tested | Combating increasing HIV rates in Indonesia | Frontline healthcare worker dealing with covid | The Informer 12 Aug 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

The Tokyo Olympics has seen a record number of out Olympians. We look at how rising visibility at elite levels can have a positive impact, and where more work needs to be done to increase inclusivity.

The Chinese government has censored a number of pro-LGBTQIA+ groups on the WeChat social media platform. We look into the treatment of sexual and gender minorities by the government, and how Chinese society is progressing.

New Zealand looks set to ban conversion practices. We assess the proposals, and how it compares to Victoria’s legislation.

The post Record number of out Olympians | LGBTQIA+ censorship in China | NZ to ban conversion practices | The Informer 5 Aug 2021 appeared first on The Informer.

More and more people are identifying as non-binary and gender diverse. We investigate the rise in the reported statistic | The Vic. Pride Lobby ran a campaign during last year’s local government elections calling for inclusive LGBTQIA+ reforms. We assess the campaign’s success, and how to track councils’ performance | Side Gallery in Brisbane is giving space and a platform to LGBTQIA+ artists. We speak with the gallery owner and resident artists.

The post  Rise in people identifying as Non-Binary| Record number of Vic. Council LGBTQIA+ reforms | Side Gallery for LGBTQIA+ artists | The Informer 29 July 2021 appeared first on The Informer.