The Informer

This week a summary of the first set of findings from a study into fertility preservation decision making amongst trans and non-binary Australians was released.  

 

While it was a summation, the findings showed a depth to the diversity and layered issues that face trans and non binary people when or if they consider fertility preservation.  

 

Dean Arcuri spoke to Dr Damien Riggs, Associate Professor in Social Work at Flinders University and the research project leader who is also a psychotherapist who works with transgender children about the results. 

 

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

Over the weekend a draft motion was put forward by a faction of the liberal party. That, amongst other things, advocates to allow health practitioners to offer counselling out of same sex attraction or gender transitioning. Also known as Conversion Therapy.

 

The motion was meant to be put forward at the upcoming Liberal Party State Council meeting, but Monday morning, Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger intervened, to stop the motion from being debated.

 

With many wondering why Conversion Therapy is even something that is still being debate, The Informers Darcy Meehan spoke to Paul Martin, a Senior Registered Psychologist at the Centre for Human Potential who specializes in conversion therapy treatment, and is a former patient of Conversion Therapy himself. As they discuss the history of the practice and how he first got involved.

 

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

On this episode of The Informer we look at the findings from a study into fertility preservation decision making amongst trans and non-binary Australians and discover a depth to the diversity and layered issues in the data, which trans and non-binary people face when or if they consider fertility preservation.

 

And, we take a deeper look into conversion therapy in Australia, as we speak to a psychologist who not only specialises in treating people who have gone through conversion therapy, but it a survivor of conversion therapy himself, as we look at the long-lasting damage this so called therapy can cause.

This episode of The Informer aired on JOY 94.9. 

Dani Wright Toussaint is the project worker at Perth Inner City Youth Services who are the lead organisation in the Trans Homelessness Project in Western Australia.

The Trans Homelessness project is a joint initiative of Perth Inner City Youth Service, TransFolk of WA, and ConnectGroups. Funded by the City of Vincent, and the project aims to develop referral pathways for homeless trans people in WA and to promote peer support in the local area.

Dani spoke to Dean Arcuri to not only let us know about the Trans Homelessness Project, but to discuss how these organizations came together, and why the need for this kind of crossed pathways builds stronger support for homeless youth in our marginalized communities.

If you are in Perth and need to reach out for support, you can email [email protected], or get in contact via Perth Inner City Youth Services, where the whole team are all experienced with connecting and communicating with trans and gender diverse young people.

This interview aired on The Informer on 17th April 2018

The Commonwealth Games has come to an end. While many focused on the closing ceremony, or lack of closing ceremony, Ian Muchamore chose to focus his attention in a different way after reporting from the Gold Coast for The Informer.

This year’s Commonwealth Games has been hailed as the most inclusive event our nation has ever hosted from the athletes, the staff, the crowd and the spaces filled with diversity.

Ian speaks to Matt Hall from Pride House as he looks at LGBTIQA+ inclusivity in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

This interview aired on The Informer on 17th April 2018

Now in JOY we speak to the winner of Mr Diamond Australia, a pageant for anyone. It’s not about beauty, but diversity, changing industry standards and celebrating the uniqueness in us all.

 

Dean Arcuri speaks to this years winner, a gay man from Victoria, Anthony Wayne.

 

For more information about Switchboard and their services, you can visit  www.switchboard.org.au.

 

This segment aired on The Informer on 17th April 2018

On this episode of The Informer we find out about the Trans Homelessness Project in Western Australia that is not only creating stronger pathways for trans youth in Perth, but showing how organisations can come together to create strong support for those further marginalised in our communities.

 

We also speak to Anthony Wayne, the winner of Mr Diamond Australia, and we cross to final days of the Commonwealth Games and find out why people are hailing it as the most inclusive and diverse event our nation has ever held.

 

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

When it comes to conversations about the harm caused by conversion therapy, little research has been done before now in Australia.

This means that our academics and politicians have to look to the results of research done overseas, usually in the UK or USA.

Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University Timothy Jones is hoping to change that. Tim is part of the team undertaking a pilot study into gay conversion therapy in Australia. Dean Arcuri spoke to Tim about his research, believed to be the first of its kind.

We look forward to hearing more about his pilot study into gay conversion therapy in Australia in the coming months.

This episode of The Informer aired on JOY 94.9 on 16th April 2018.

Over the weekend, when the news broke that a branch of the Victorian Liberal Party drafted a motion with language that allowed legal conversion therapy, many were concerned about what this would mean.

Conversion Therapy is an umbrella term used to discuss a whole range of therapeutic and religious attempts to change people’s sexual orientation and gender identity.

This morning, Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger stopped the motion from being debated at the upcoming council meeting, which for many is a relief, but that doesn’t stop the concern many have that the validity of their lives, and the lives of their children and families would once again be up for debate.

Rachel Tyler Jones spoke to Parents of Gender Diverse Children spokeswoman Karen about what it was like waking up and seeing that conversion therapy was an issue that was even a consideration in today’s day and age.

 

Over the weekend the news broke that a branch of the Victorian Liberal Party had drafted a motion that called for state legislation to allow health practitioners “to offer counselling out of same sex attraction or gender transitioning to patients who request it”. It also called for laws ensuring “parents and young people [would be] given full information about the psychological harms of social, medical and surgical gender transitioning”.

Many are concerned that the motion advocates for the legalisation of the controversial and widely criticised practice of conversion therapy.

The motion was meant to be put forward at the upcoming Liberal Party State Council meeting, but this morning Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger intervened to stop the motion from being debated at the council meeting.

Rachel Tyler Jones spoke to the Federal Member for Leichhardt in Queensland, Liberal MP Warren Entsch as the news of Kroger’s intervention was breaking. Minister Entsch is a long time advocate speaking up for our communities in the Liberal Party, and he didn’t hold back when asked what he felt about this motion being put forward in his party

This episode of The Informer aired on JOY 94.9 on 16th April 2018.