The Informer

In the World Health Organisation’s new International Classification of Diseases ‘ICD11’, transgender is no longer considered a mental disorder, but is classified under sexual health conditions.

On tonight’s show we explore what this change in classifications means for Australia’s trans community, as well as why and how these changes came about.

Plus, we head behind the scenes of the Mr Australasia Bear competition on the weekend and find out what it means to be a bear, no matter your shape or size.

This episode of The Informer on JOY 94.9 was hosted by Tom Morgan.

They’re burly, hirsute and dogged with lingering queries about their proclivities in the woods; If you noticed a seeming migration of bears around Melbourne last week (no, the other kind of bears) that would be because the annual Southern Hibearnation event week was on here in Melbourne; celebrating all things bear in the gay community and culminating in the Mr Australasia Bear Competition, crowning a representative of the Australian and New Zealand bear community for the coming year.

Tom Morgan heads down to the festivities and spoke with each of this year’s contestants about what exactly defines a bear, their hopes for the title, and gave them a little practise at their pageant answers ahead of the competition including this year’s winner Dale, from Habour City Bears in NSW.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 19th June 2018

Being transgender is no longer considered a mental disorder but is classified under sexual health conditions thanks to a reclassification by the World Health Organisation.

This should reduce stigma and improve care, and earlier today Dean Arcuri spoke to advocate Sally Goldner from Transgender Victoria about what this change means for transgender people’s futures.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 19th June 2018

In the new International Classification of Diseases ‘ICD11’, transgender is no longer considered a mental disorder, but is classified under sexual health conditions.

This should reduce stigma and improve care, and now on The Informer Dean Arcuri explores how & why these changes were made.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 19th June 2018

On this episode of The Informer we speak to Russian LGBT support group ‘Coming Out’ about their World Cup LGBT Safety Hotline, based out of St Petersburg. The hotline provides free psychological and legal support to both residents and tourists who have experienced attacks or discrimination, to help ensure the safety of LGBT people in St. Petersburg during the World Cup.

We also continue last week’s discussion with Professor Martin Holt about his paper, Community-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, and find out more about the bigger picture of men’s sexual health and safety.

Is the right knowledge about prep, undetectable viral loads about safer sex in 2018 really reaching those we need to?

Or are some gay and bisexual men either ignorant, complacent or just irresponsible?

This episode of The Informer aired on JOY 94.9 & was hosted by Tom Morgan

A paper published in The Lancet titled Community-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia highlighted, amongst other things, an increase in PrEP use to protect against HIV, but a decline in condom use for men who are not taking the HIV prevention drug.

Last week we reported in the findings of the report with Professor Martin Holt from the Center for social research and health at the university of NSW.

The findings show that about 20% of all gay and bisexual men surveyed are part of a group which is either HIV negative or untested, they are NOT on prep and they don’t use condoms consistently. The size of that group has not changed over surveys despite guys who were early adopters of PrEP being in this group.

One of the related issues which has been highlighted by a recent study seems to be that negative men who are NOT on prep are not convinced about U=U, that if their partner is HIV positive with an undetectable viral load then they ARE protected from HIV

Is the right knowledge about prep, and undetectable viral loads about safer sex in 2018 really reaching those we need to?

Are some gay and bisexual men either ignorant, complacent or irresponsible?

Ian Muchamore continued his discussion from last week with Professor Martin Holt at the Center for social research and health at the university of NSW.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 18th June 2018.

This year’s FIFA World Cup is being held in Russia, a country that in recent years has made headlines for its moves back toward conservatism and away from individual human rights, specifically for the LGBTI community.

While homosexuality and the official changing of gender following sex-reassignment surgery are legal in the country, no anti-discrimination or protection of gender identity laws exist for LGBTI people, and most recently, ‘gay propaganda laws’ known officially as the federal Russian law “for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating for a Denial of Traditional Family Values” was enacted in 2013, which sees locals facing fines, businesses forced to stop trading for 90 days on top of hefty fines, and foreigners and tourists risking arrest, detainment for up to 15 days before being deported, as well as financial penalties if convicted.

Recognising this, a number of groups, including British MPs have spoken out, warning of the risk to LGBT soccer fans travelling to the country for the World Cup. More than active demonstration, fans travelling have been warning against holding hands and public displays of affection, or even waving rainbow flags during the event, citing concerns of violence and so called ‘fan hooliganism’ in retaliation, which has seen a significant rise in the country in the wake of the anti-propaganda laws, rather than specific bans.

Despite reported claims by the Ambassador and others, there are of course LGBT communities throughout Russia, albeit often underground, and they are not taking this threat lying down.

Instead, despite dealing with these struggles as part of their everyday lives, Russian LGBT activists are reaching out to those travelling to the country with support.

Coming Out is a St. Petersburg-based initiative established in 2008, which works for universal recognition of human dignity and equal rights of all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This year, Coming Out has established a World Cup LGBT Safety Hotline in St. Petersburg, with similar organisations set up to service those in Moscow and other regions across Russia.

Dean Arcuri spoke with Polina from Coming Out about the hotline.

For more information you can go to comingoutspb.com

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 18th June 2018

On this episode of The Informer we speak to Russian LGBT support group ‘Coming Out’ about their World Cup LGBT Safety Hotline, based out of St Petersburg. The hotline provides free psychological and legal support to both residents and tourists who have experienced attacks or discrimination, to help ensure the safety of LGBT people in St. Petersburg during the World Cup.

We also continue last week’s discussion with Professor Martin Holt about his paper, Community-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, and find out more about the bigger picture of men’s sexual health and safety.

Is the right knowledge about prep, undetectable viral loads about safer sex in 2018 really reaching those we need to?

Or are some gay and bisexual men either ignorant, complacent or just irresponsible?

This episode of The Informer aired on JOY 94.9 & was hosted by Tom Morgan

A paper published in The Lancet titled Community-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia highlighted, amongst other things, an increase in PrEP use to protect against HIV, but a decline in condom use for men who are not taking the HIV prevention drug.

Last week we reported in the findings of the report with Professor Martin Holt from the Center for social research and health at the university of NSW.

The findings show that about 20% of all gay and bisexual men surveyed are part of a group which is either HIV negative or untested, they are NOT on prep and they don’t use condoms consistently. The size of that group has not changed over surveys despite guys who were early adopters of PrEP being in this group.

One of the related issues which has been highlighted by a recent study seems to be that negative men who are NOT on prep are not convinced about U=U, that if their partner is HIV positive with an undetectable viral load then they ARE protected from HIV

Is the right knowledge about prep, and undetectable viral loads about safer sex in 2018 really reaching those we need to?

Are some gay and bisexual men either ignorant, complacent or irresponsible?

Ian Muchamore continued his discussion from last week with Professor Martin Holt at the Center for social research and health at the university of NSW.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 18th June 2018.

This year’s FIFA World Cup is being held in Russia, a country that in recent years has made headlines for its moves back toward conservatism and away from individual human rights, specifically for the LGBTI community.

While homosexuality and the official changing of gender following sex-reassignment surgery are legal in the country, no anti-discrimination or protection of gender identity laws exist for LGBTI people, and most recently, ‘gay propaganda laws’ known officially as the federal Russian law “for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating for a Denial of Traditional Family Values” was enacted in 2013, which sees locals facing fines, businesses forced to stop trading for 90 days on top of hefty fines, and foreigners and tourists risking arrest, detainment for up to 15 days before being deported, as well as financial penalties if convicted.

Recognising this, a number of groups, including British MPs have spoken out, warning of the risk to LGBT soccer fans travelling to the country for the World Cup. More than active demonstration, fans travelling have been warning against holding hands and public displays of affection, or even waving rainbow flags during the event, citing concerns of violence and so called ‘fan hooliganism’ in retaliation, which has seen a significant rise in the country in the wake of the anti-propaganda laws, rather than specific bans.

Despite reported claims by the Ambassador and others, there are of course LGBT communities throughout Russia, albeit often underground, and they are not taking this threat lying down.

Instead, despite dealing with these struggles as part of their everyday lives, Russian LGBT activists are reaching out to those travelling to the country with support.

Coming Out is a St. Petersburg-based initiative established in 2008, which works for universal recognition of human dignity and equal rights of all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This year, Coming Out has established a World Cup LGBT Safety Hotline in St. Petersburg, with similar organisations set up to service those in Moscow and other regions across Russia.

Dean Arcuri spoke with Polina from Coming Out about the hotline.

For more information you can go to comingoutspb.com

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 18th June 2018