The Informer

On this episode of The Informer we look at the new global standards for business aimed at tackling LGBTIA rights and discrimination were launched in Melbourne today any the United Nations.

At the launch Ian speaks with prominent UN Human rights advocates

Kate Gilmore and Frabice Houdart, former High Court Judge Michael Kirby and President of ACON Dr Justin Koonin to find out what role global businesses have to support their LGTBI employees and speak out and act in the countries in which they operate.

Between the 16 October to 14 November, independent think-tank The Australia Institute and the LGBTI National Health Alliance ran a questionnaire as part of a study to assess the effect of the Postal Survey on the LGBTIA community and its allies.

The study examines associations between exposure to negative messages, stress, coping and psychological distress.  Over nine and a half thousand people responded, with 75% of them identifying as LGBTIAQ+ and 25% identifying as friends, family and other supporters.

The primary results from the survey were released today and Ebony Bennett, the deputy Director of the Australia Institute comes on The Informer to discuss the results.

This episode of The Informer on JOY 94.9 was hosted by Ian & Ruby.

Julie Shapiro is the Executive Producer of Boston-based podcast network Radiotopia, a label widely referred to as the “Indie record label” of podcasts.

Julie is in Melbourne thanks to The Wheeler Centre. They’re here to talk all things podcasts and radio. Tonight at The Northcote Town Hall they’ll help judge The Wheeler Centre’s annual podcasting competition “So You Think You Can Pod?”

Joining Julie and Dan is Sophie Black, producer of the Walkley Award winning podcast “The Messenger Podcast” which takes a look inside The Manus Island Detention Centre.

Julie Shapiro and Sophie Black are speaking tonight at Northcote Town Hall at 7:30 for The Wheeler Centre’s “Radiotopia and Beyond with Julie Shapiro.”

Thursday 30th November saw a landmark change in the legal requirements for transgender teens to be allowed access to hormone therapy. Teens who are experiencing gender dysphoria no longer have to argue their case in front of the family court.

The decision to start hormone therapy will instead be in the hands of the transgender teenagers themselves, as well as their families and doctor. While this is a great first step, there’s a lot more work to be done for the transgender community.

Activist Sally Goldner talks to The Informer about the accessibility of gender affirming services for older trans people. While the law change is an incredibly positive step for trans youth, it’s important to remember that trans people come in every age bracket.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 4th December 2017.

Karyn Banks is one of the founders of Parents of Gender Diverse Children. She joins The Informer to talk about some of the important things allies and families can and have been doing to support, and further the rights of trans and gender diverse people.

Thursday 30th November saw a landmark change in the legal requirements for transgender teens to be allowed access to hormone therapy. Teens who are experiencing gender dysphoria no longer have to argue their case in front of the family court.

The decision to start hormone therapy will instead be in the hands of the transgender teenagers themselves, as well as their families and doctor. While this is a great first step, there’s a lot more work to be done for the transgender community.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 4th December 2017.

Thursday 30th November saw a landmark change in the legal requirements for transgender teens to be allowed access to hormone therapy. Teens who are experiencing gender dysphoria no longer have to argue their case in front of the family court.

The decision to start hormone therapy will instead be in the hands of the transgender teenagers themselves, as well as their families and doctor. While this is a great first step, there’s a lot more work to be done for the transgender community.

On this episode of The Informer we delve into what this means, as well as focus on how we can support our trans community in the future by asking what laws still need to be changed and what else do we need to do to support our trans and gender diverse community further.

We speak to:

* Rebekah Robertson, mother of a trans child and founder of Transcend, a parent-led peer support network for transgender children and their families that works with the Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service about how the new law will impact the kinds of services that can be provided by the Gender Centre.

* Kochava Lilit from Ygender, a support and advocacy network for trans and gender diverse youth, for their perspective on what this change in law means for the trans and gender diverse young people.

* Karyn Banks, one of the founders of Parents of Gender Diverse Children, joins us to talk about some of the important things allies and families can and have been doing to support, and further the rights of trans and gender diverse people.

* Activist Sally Goldner talks about the accessibility of gender affirming services for older trans people. While the law change is an incredibly positive step for trans youth, it’s important to remember that trans people come in every age bracket.

Victories like the hormone replacement therapy law and a likely marriage reform have come about because of incredibly difficult and ongoing fights being put up by the community and our allies.

The final week of Parliament kicked off today and same sex marriage was the first off the bat with the un-amended Senate bill introduced to the lower house. It’s going to be a long week with a lot of speakers having something to say, and it’s very interesting to hear how the parties and individuals are framing equality. If amendments are made to the bill it will need to return to the senate for approval, which could see the issue drag on longer than it already has.

They say that history is written by the victor, and no matter which party your allegiance is or how you cast your vote, it is important to remember that the victor of Marriage Equality is not a political party that put us in a place to have a postal survey on our equal rights. It’s the LGBTI communities, the same sex couples and the individuals who, hopefully, finally will be treated equally under the law.

This episode of The Informer on JOY 94.9 was hosted by Lara Dickinson & Dean Arcuri.

 

 

 Ygender is a support and advocacy network for trans and gender diverse youth.

Thursday 30th November saw a landmark change in the legal requirements for transgender teens to be allowed access to hormone therapy in Australia. Teens who are experiencing gender dysphoria no longer have to argue their case in front of the family court.

The decision to start hormone therapy will instead be in the hands of the transgender teenagers themselves, as well as their families and doctor. While this is a great first step, there’s a lot more work to be done for the transgender community.

The Informer spoke to Kochava Lilit from Ygender and asked their perspective on what the change in law means for the trans and gender diverse young people.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 4th December 2017.

Rebekah Robertson, mother of transgender advocate Georgie Stone and founder of Transcend joins us on The Informer. Transcend is a parent-led peer support network for transgender children and their families that works with the Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service.

Thursday 30th November saw a landmark change in the legal requirements for transgender teens to be allowed access to hormone therapy in Australia. Teens who are experiencing gender dysphoria no longer have to argue their case in front of the family court.

The decision to start hormone therapy will instead be in the hands of the transgender teenagers themselves, as well as their families and doctor. While this is a great first step, there’s a lot more work to be done for the transgender community.

Rebekah discusses with us how the new law will impact the kinds of services that can be provided by the Gender Centre and what we can do next to support our transgender community.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 4th December 2017.

The unattended Senate Bill for SameSex Marriage is on the floor of parliament, and politicians are lining up to have their say about it… because the three months of postal vote wasn’t enough.

It’s going to be a long week with a lot of speakers having something to say, and it’s very interesting to hear how the parties and individuals are framing equality. If amendments are made to the bill it will need to return to the senate for approval,

which could see the issue drag on longer than it already has.

They say that history is written by the victor, and no matter which party your allegiance is or how you cast your vote, it is important to remember that the victor of Marriage Equality is not a political party that put us in a place to have a postal survey on our equal rights. It’s the LGBTI communities, the same sex couples and the individuals who, hopefully, finally will be treated equally under the law.

This segment aired on The Informer on JOY 94.9 on 4th December 2017.

Unfortunately we ran out of time to air this segment on the Informer the day before World AIDS Day, so we thought what not make it a special podcast.

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus have a common saying before the curtain rises amongst the chorus, “I sing for two.” For each man standing, one chorus member has died of AIDS.

A quarter-century into the epidemic, the list of the dead is longer than the living: there are 210 singers and 257 obituaries.

 

In the early days of the chorus and during rehearsals in the 80s and 90s, long time chorus members recounted in an article for SFGATE.com what it was like to go to weekly memorials while planning your own funeral and hearing about other chorus members in hospital.

 

We now live in a time where young people, whether positive or negative stand side by side with the elders of our communities and have no idea or understanding of the devastation that our communities went through during the AIDS epidemic.

 

Here in Australia, we have LGBTI choruses perform at candlelight vigils and memorials each year, and tomorrow on Word AIDS Day, whether you are attending an event or not, take some time to come together and unite in the fight against HIV, to remember those who have been lost to this disease and to stand in solidarty with people living with HIV today. This day is an important part of our history, and just because we now have medication to combat the effects of HIV, doesn’t mean the HIV+ community don’t need our support and friendship.

Remember, you can show support for people living with HIV all year round, not just on World AIDS Day.

And be sure to buy a red ribbon.

With World AIDS Day tomorrow, we dedicate this episode of The Informer to look at where we have come as a community to where we need to go to provide greater support and fight the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV face daily.

 

SAMESH, the South Australian Mobilisation and Empowerment for Sexual Health, announced the launch of the Our Lives video campaign. A series exploring the lives of three HIV positive South Australians and their personal experiences of HIV stigma. Wil Louge, the Team Leader of SAMESH which is the consortium of SHINA SA & the Victorian AIDS Council tell us a bit about the campaign.

This segment of The Informer on JOY 94.9 aired on 30th November 2017