The Informer

With the hearings for the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with a Disability continuing, in this week’s podcast, we give you some information about the Royal Commissions and what the latest findings from them are. 

We also look at the first Presidential Debate, which was full of fury but lacking in substance. Listen to our podcast for a summary of it. 

You will hear about the LGBTIQ people in China and what societal attitudes towards them are like. Why pride activities have been stopped in China and how this has impacted on the local LGBTIQ community. 

ACON Shines a Light on LGBTQ Mental Health During Mental Health Month.

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Elderly LGBT+ people are experiencing isolation during #COVID. How can we ensure that this community feel less isolated during the pandemic? We spoke with Switchboard Victoria CEO Joe Ball about their program working to fix this problem.  

In this podcast, we also take a look into legislation in QLD and the ACT to ban LGBTI+ conversion practices.  To find out how this legislation is travelling, we spoke to Mark Spencer, the Director of Public Policy for Christian Schools Australia and Nathan Despott from Brave Melbourne, a survivor advocacy group. 

What’s the potentially worrying news for the queer community when we look at the upcoming US election and Naked Ballots in Pennsylvania? A queer member from Pennsylvania has words.

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In this week’s podcast, we speak to Kate Eastman from The Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation towards people with a disability, about the unfair treatment of disabled people.

Rising religious conservatism and right-wing populism have led to a third of Poland being declared “LGBT Free Zones.” The Informer reporter Gavin Height investigates what these LGBT Free Zones are and what do they mean for sexual and gender minorities in Poland.

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In recent years, HIV has become a growing concern in Indonesia, making it one of the countries with the highest cases in infection rates in Asia and the Pacific region. The Informer reporter Gavin Height speaks to Indonesian NGO caseworker Dr Sandeep Nanwani as to why this is and what the future holds for those infected, especially when it comes to treatment and the stigma behind the disease in a conservative Asian country.

The Informer reporter Beau Driscoll, and just.equal spokesperson Bryan Greg, talk about the Federal Government’s refusal to act on trans and intersex workplace discrimination and advocates finding new avenues such as turning to Labour and unions to help push the change.

With the upcoming election, many councils are participating in the Victorian Pride Lobby in pushing to make councils more LGBTQIA+ friendly and inclusive. To date, 251 Victorian Local Councils have taken the pledge, The Informer reporter Emily Johnson provides us with a summary.

As most things are migrating online due to the pandemic, so is Narcotics Anonymous, allowing progress in recovery without having to be face-to-face. Guest reporter Sophie Berril provides us with an insight on how these programs will operate digitally.

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On this week’s podcast, we speak to the Executive Director of Sudanese LGBT organisation Bedayaa, Noor Sultan, on the recent legal changes abolishing the death penalty for sodomy.

We also feature suburban art space in inner-city Brisbane called  Side Gallery, where the owner and curator, Leesa Hickey, is passionate in supporting emerging LGBT artists. Lisa tells us how she’s found innovative ways to keep the business operating during Queensland’s lockdown in order to continue supporting the artists featured in her gallery.

And lastly, Amie Bishop from OutRight Action International, informs us on how the LGBTQIA+ community is finding ways to cope during COVID-19.

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Television has made monumental strides internationally and in Australia. Star Trek’s newest recruits include its first non-binary and trans actors playing their rightful counterparts in the long-running franchise. The Informer reporter Emily Johnson speaks to Geeks Out trans host Miranda Sparks on why this is important for the queer community. Similarly, in Australia, the same goes, with one of the first trans roles played by trans actress Suzy Wrong in Hungry Ghosts. Suzy talks to The Informer about how her role is a step in the right direction for Australian television to be more progressive and inclusive when it comes to not only diversity but also representation.

In the literature world, Melbourne author, Scott Stuart released his new book My Shadow is Pink. Scott reveals why he wrote the book and how he hopes that it can teach kids how to feel empowered, assured and self-confident no matter what interests and hobbies they choose to embrace.

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A documentary on the furry fandom that focuses on its history starting in the 70s and its role today as a massive space for LGBTQIA+ people to be open and expressive about themselves is releasing soon on July 3rd.

The project was led by independent filmmaker Ash Kries, otherwise known as Ash Coyote to her fans, and The Informer got the chance to sit down with her to discuss the fandom, the film, and why you should watch it.

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New research from Headspace has shown that there’s been a significant impact on mental health in young people during the pandemic. Crucially, young people have less faith in themselves than they did previously. We spoke with Vikki Ryall, Executive Director of Clinical Practice at Headspace and Matthew King to find out more.

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