The Informer

Abortions may be decriminalised in NSW – as of press time, this legislation has passed the NSW lower house. We spoke to Penny Sharpe MLC and non-binary person Marshall, a committee member of The Shed, a FTM support group about how they would be impacted by the changes.

A bill before the Victorian Parliament, the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2019, will allow trans people to change their birth certificates without undergoing surgery. This week we talk to a number of people who will be affected by this legislation, including Transgender Victoria acting Executive Director Sally Goldner, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten, and stories from trans people themselves about what this will mean for them.

Plus, a live cross to Melbourne Uni where a protest was held outside a meeting of opponents of the legislation.

Shelley Argent OAM is recognized as one of the most successful educators, advocates and lobbyists for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Australia.

Her book Just a Mum chronicles her decades of tireless work that culminated with marriage equality in 2017. The Informer’s Nicholas Kameniar-Sandery asked Shelley about the life of activism that went into this book.

As the debate over religious freedom has raged around Australia, the voices of religious LGBTI people of colour have been noticeably absent.

Neha Madhok is the national co-director of Democracy in Colour. She spoke to The Informer’s Toby Halligan about the impact that the debate has had on people of colour.

Research by La Trobe University has found that many Australians who live with Coronary Heart Disease, especially women, are under-prescribed recommended medications, are not monitored for major risk factors and have treatments that do not achieve recommended goals.

La Trobe epidemiologist Professor Rachel Huxley, who led the study, talks us through the core findings.

This episode contains strong themes that may trigger some people.

A new study has found lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning adolescents are worse off than their heterosexual peers across a number of health and wellbeing outcomes. 

 The University of Queensland study analysing data from over 10,000 young Australians identified 30 health outcomes where LGBQ youth were disadvantaged. 

 University of Queensland PhD student Alice Campbell spoke to The Informer’s Nicholas Kameniar-Sandery about uncovering the alarming gap in health outcomes.

Caution: this episode has strong themes which may trigger some people.

We talk to four people from our LGBTIQ community, who all have a lived experience of mental health issues.

* We hear some of the evidence from Ro Allen, Victorian Gender and Sexuality Commissioner presented publicly to the Royal Commission.

* We talk to mental health stigma warrior Paul Camilleri about his experience as a man living with bipolar and depression.

* We hear from mental health peer worker Eric Glare about the importance of social connection and actively listening to people in their recovery journey.

* And we hear from Maria Katsonis, a Beyond Blue ambassador and policy expert about what needs to change in the mental system.

Help and Support

* QLife provides Australia-wide anonymous, LGBTI peer support and referral for people wanting to talk about a range of issues. You can call 1800 184 527 or use Webchat between 3pm to midnight daily.

* The Beyond Blue Support Service 24/7 support and advice. Call 1300 22 4636, daily web chat (between 3pm–12am) and email (with a response provided within 24 hours).

Informer Segment Producer Arion Potts discussed the recent, tragic death of a human rights Activist in St Petersburg with Deakin University Associate Professor Cai Wilkinson, and the place that Russian LGBTIQ people exist in today.

Before attending the Royal Commission, Ro Allen had to think several steps ahead before even setting foot inside the door. In this clip, Ro discusses those challenges, the national “plebiscite” on marriage equality and how the impact it all can be. And you’re not alone.

Peer Worker Eric talks about his experience from his journey from suffering from an acute mental illness to being in a position to be a peer worker for people in a similar space.