National Anti-Violence Collaboration established.

// April 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Within Australia

The opening day of the 7th Health-in-Difference Conference (HiD) saw the establishment of a National Anti-Violence Collaboration.

In a session under the “Community: Changing Nature of Our Relationships” stream, people from all Australian states and territories fleshed out the framework to begin the national collaboration and will use the focussing point of the National GLBT Health Alliance as the collecting and enabling point.

Victoria’s Anti-Violence Project head Greg Adkins and NSW Anti-Violence Project’s Robert Knapman worked together to facilitate the session at the HiD Conference and this will start a process which will further share information and expertise around the nation.

International Day Against Homophobia is coming

// April 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // AVP news, Around the globe, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Today around 80 countries in the world still criminalise homosexuality and condemn consensual same-sex acts with imprisonment. Of these, nine (Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen) still have the death penalty. Discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation and gender identity is still not recognised formally by the member states of the United Nations (even though human rights mechanisms such as the Human Rights Committee have repeatedly condemned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity). This video comes care of ILGA.

Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’: Challenging Homophobia in Australian Schools

// January 20th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Media discussion, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Author of the soon to be published book “Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’: Challenging Homophobia in Australian Schools” has updated his website and is preparing for a national challenging homophobia tour of regional Australia. The AVP will the watch Daniel Whitthaus’ forthcoming book launch and tour with great interest and keep you up-to-date here.

Daniel’s website www.thatssogay.com.au is a great resource that will keep you up to date about the national tour and his book. He even has a detailed, downloadable tour calendar and ideas on how best to get involved and other promotional materials. Even more details about how to register in local areas will come online at the start of February.

You can also find Daniel through his Facebook Group for the tour – put ‘thats so gay tour’ in the search function.

For more information please contact:-
Daniel Witthaus
Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’
A National Challenging Homophobia Tour
web: www.thatssogay.com.auphone: +61 (0) 431 157 957

Hate-Crime in Victoria – next step announced

// December 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news, Within Australia

The Anti Violence Project of Victoria (AVP) applauded today’s announcement by state Attorney General Hulls of the next step towards addressing hate-crimes including homophobic harassment and violence.

“We welcome the establishment of Justice Geoffrey Eames’ review of Victoria’s hate-crimes legislation,” said AVP head Greg Adkins, adding that the announcement was a key part of the Brumby government’s continued progressive reform agenda which reinforces recent changes in criminal sentencing.

“This review is a welcome next step, but it’s not the last step by any means.

“Currently all violence and hate-crime reporting services for the LGBT community, outside Victoria Police, are provided without funding by the AVP. Our work supports people experiencing hate and prejudice motivated crime but we are limited by the absence of government funding.

“Outcomes from this review of hate-crime laws must be matched with the provision of an ongoing funding model to sustain the work currently undertaken by AVP volunteers on behalf of the LGBT community.

“Hate-crimes are criminal acts. They can cover a range of offences against the person and can often target an individual’s property. And if one gay man, one lesbian or one transgender individual is a victim of a hate-crime then the State has a responsibility to ensure that every crime is reported, that in each case the perpetrators are brought to justice and future hate-crime is prevented.

“Sadly, hate-crime against the LGBT community is vastly under-reported and research shows that lack of funds limits the way the AVP can engage our community to fully support the reporting of violence, leaving Victoria Police to allocate limited resources responding to a hidden pool of hate and prejudice motivated crime.

“During the 12 year life of Victoria’s AVP we have worked within the community to deal with a wide range of hate-crime including verbal harassment and vilification, intimidation on the streets and in the workplace or at school, threats and property damage and even physical assault and murder. All have been committed due to a bias or prejudice by the perpetrator against us because of our sexual orientation or gender identification.

“This means that perpetrators of hate-crime intentionally choose us as the targets of the crime because of who we are.

“Today’s welcome review announcement by the Attorney General is the opportunity for the GLBT community to submit to Justice Eames that existing law in Victoria must be amended to draw a line in the sand on hate-crime, these amendments identify that crimes motivated by bias or prejudice based on our unique personal sexual orientation and gender characteristics should regarded as higher-end crime, and that increased or additional penalties should be imposed for bias and prejudice motivated crime”.

Adkins said that the GLBT community stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Victorians of other races, languages, faith and religious beliefs, nationalities, ethnicities and disabilities, when it comes to the issue of hate-crime.

“It is our individual attributes that lead some people to target crime against us in a biased way. For far too long a majority of our society and the institutions supporting it, have sat silently on their hands while hate motivated crime impacts people’s lives and the Attorney General’s announcement sets the stage for real outcomes targeting hate-crime.

“We feel very positively that this review will establish benchmark offences and penalties that appropriately reflect the serious nature of bias and hate motivated crimes in our society where we should be equals with people regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion and disability.

The AVP applauded the Attorney General’s direction to review head Justice Eames to have particular regard to the “With Respect” discussion paper and the principles of the Human Rights Charter.

“This review enhances any potential outcomes from the work of the ALSO Foundation, the AVP, the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Transgender Victoria in their partnership taking “With Respect” to the next step, the development of a state-wide homophobic harassment strategy,” Adkins said.

“It also highlights the need for funding of community organisations who are delivering the means of supporting victims of hate and prejudice motivated crime and working to increase the poor current levels of hate-crime reporting.

The AVP looks forward to consulting with Justice Eames at the earlier opportunity during his review

Sentencing laws addressing hate and prejudice motivation start today

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Within Australia

The Anti Violence Project today celebrated commencement of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 which received Royal Assent yesterday and came into effect today.

“This new Act of Parliament amends the Sentencing Act 1991 to require that a court must have regard to a motivation of hatred or prejudice against a group of people in sentencing an offender”, said AVP head Greg Adkins.

“On behalf of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community we congratulate Attorney General Rob Hulls on his continued support and advocacy with these latest legal reforms.

“The new Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 draws a line in the sand in our Victorian community to say that crime based on race, religion, gender or orientation won’t be tolerated and ensures that judges take into account during sentencing whether hatred or prejudice motivated the crime.

“This provides greater protection to all of us, gay or straight, those of us who enjoy ethnically and faith diverse lives, supporting our right to live and enjoy a diverse community where we can openly celebrate our sexual orientation, gender, culture, heritage or religion, knowing that under law any attack motivated by hatred or prejudice against these attributes deserves punishment for the hate or prejudice motivation alone.

“There are two steps that now must be taken – firstly the LGBT community must continue to respond to the AVP’s “Call-to-Action” on the reporting of hate and prejudice motivated violence and report each and every incident directly to police or through supportive processes like the AVP’s on-line reporting service at http://antiviolence.info .

“Every time LGBT individuals witness violence, whether its directed towards us or towards people of different races or faiths in the broader community, we have a responsibility to get on the phone and call the police”, Adkins said.

“The second step is that cultural change, underway within Victoria Police, which is working to eliminate a long history of indifference towards hate and bias motivated crime against gays and lesbians, has to continue with support of all levels of Victoria Police and must succeed”.

World AIDS Day, December 1st

// December 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news, Around the globe, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The AVP in Victoria has urge everyone in the LGBT and heterosexual communities in Victoria to commit to fighting prejudice and protect ourselves and others around HIV, this World AIDS Day.

The AVP marked the arrival of World AIDS Day, December 1st, by urging everyone in the LGBT community in Victoria to commit to three basic actions:-
(1) partner with the heterosexual community to fight prejudice and discrimination each time this violence rears its ugly face, and
(2) protect yourself and others around HIV.

“Our commitment, from today on, is to work more closely with People Living with HIV/AIDS (Victoria) to move these goals into strategies and to encourage discussions about ending HIV discrimination within our gay community and outside in the straight world”, said AVP head Greg Adkins.

“When one person living with HIV experiences discrimination, then that is one person too many.

“Likewise when one additional HIV negative person becomes HIV positive, that is also one person too many”, he said.

The AVP will be meeting with Positive Speakers Bureau Coordinator, Max Niggle next week to get discussions between the two organisations under way. The AVP has also invited PLWHA (Vic) to play an important role in a major LGBT Scoping Meeting for the 2010 International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) taking place next week, in which LGBT organisations and key groups from the broader community will meet on December 8th at 4pm in the Kulin Room, level 10, City Village, 225 Bourke Street, Melbourne. This meeting will commence planning activities for Victoria leading up to the next IDAHO on May 17th, 2010.

The AVP’s third action is to support calls for all gay and bisexual men and people living with HIV in the LGBT community to renew their support for ending HIV discrimination by investigating the Barometer Survey, launched today as joint project of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and the National Centre in HIV Social Research (NCHSR). The Barometer Survey is an online questionnaire about stigma and discrimination related to HIV. It focuses on experiences of stigma by people living with HIV, and the potentially stigmatising attitudes of HIV-negative gay men. As participants navigate this site they will find themselves routed to different sets of questions based on their HIV status and sexuality.

The Barometer Survey is at www.afao.org.au/barometer

For further information about the AVP in Victoria, please contact Executive Director, Greg Adkins, 0407664442

White Ribbon Day – 25 Nov

// November 25th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Within Australia, Within Victoria

AVP suggests male board members, paid staff, volunteers and paid-up members of Victoria’s many GLBT organisations take direct action to eliminate violence against women by getting on board the White Ribbon Day Campaign

White Ribbon Day, 25 Nov, marks the beginning of a national campaign for all Australian men and boys to take a positive action and put an end to one of the most widespread human rights abuses taking place in our country and Victoria’s Anti Violence Project (AVP) believes that the GLBT community has a key role to play in this.

The AVP wants gay men to join in this campaign where all men are being asked to swear never to commit, never to excuse, and never to remain silent about violence against women.

Direct action is suggested for the male board members, paid staff, volunteers and paid-up members of Victoria’s many GLBT organisations by them getting on board the White Ribbon Day Campaign.

“Silence about violence is far too prevalent in the GLBT community – amongst us and against us,” said AVP executive director Greg Adkins, “so if we as men we see ANY woman being subjected to violence regardless of whether the women are gay or straight or the people directing violence towards them are male or female, gay or straight, then we as men need to stand up and put an end to the abuse of women”.

The mainstream White Ribbon Day campaign has been reported as already having the support of high profile men such as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Lt Gen Ken Gillespie, Hazem El Masri, Rove, Keith Urban, Wil Anderson, David Koch, Adam Goodes, Shannon Noll, Jason Culina, Dicko, and many more men. The AVP encourages gay men around the state to get active and get on board with these men to prove that partnerships to end violence are valued regardless of sexual orientation.

As part of the White Ribbon Day campaign, the AVP suggests gay men can join the ranks of men supporting the campaign by swearing at www.myoath.com.au

“As a community we have a lot to learn from White Ribbon Day and through activities such as the White Ribbon Day Challenge.

“The Challenge is a chance for individuals, groups and communities to take action to end violence against women. It provides support, advice, tips and inspiration for creating real change in communities and offers an opportunity for supporters to communicate, network and share their knowledge.

“The AVP looks forward to the day when state-wide strategies and community initiatives such as this will one day extend into gay-straight partnerships directed at eliminating homophobia and transphobia. After all the people mostly committing violence against the GLBT community and against heterosexual women are in a majority of times, men”, Adkins said.

Transgender Day of Remembrance – 20 Nov

// November 20th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Around the globe, Within Australia, Within Victoria

This is an excerpt of a public talk given at Prahran Central on Transgender Day of Remembrance by the AVP Executive Director, Greg Adkins.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Its well past the time we challenge the ignorance and violence that fuels transphobia. The AVP today recommits to this fight and urges all to join us in partnership.

The 20th of November is the Transgender Day of Remembrance and today the Anti Violence Project of Victoria Inc. commemorates transgendered individuals who have been killed or committed suicide worldwide due to discrimination, prejudice and hatred towards the community.

Today, within Victoria, we recommit to continue to raise awareness of the violence, brutality and murder of gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals within our GLBTI community.

Physical and sexual violence against transgendered individuals in Victoria continues to be a starkly brutal exercise of power perpetrated by heterosexual males against people they see as different and less important than them. This power is exercised individually or in groups and when it takes place in the workplace, women can often also be complicit in the violence.

This violence is fuelled by the ignorance in our society surrounding transgender, gender variance and non-gender conforming individuals. This ignorance drives transphobia and homophobia to new depths.

Ignorance and violence fuelling transphobia and homophobia must be challenged through all work undertaken by GLBTIQ community organisations, in all avenues of government activity and within the broader Victoria community, all the way through to every interaction within the gay and lesbian community where transphobia can and still does rear its ugly head, from within our GLBTIQ community.

We call for the positive lessons learned through Victoria Police’s successful community awareness diversity recruit training to drop into cross-government diversity policy. This police training sees the colour and diversity of the transgender community explored alongside all the other letters of GLBTIQ, and multicultural communities.

Today we re-commit to ignite a movement for social change in Victoria that once and for all time challenged the ignorance and violence fueling transphobia and its ugly partner, homophobia.

AVP joins the national LGBT Health Alliance

// October 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Within Australia

The National LGBT Health Alliance Board of Directors has approved the Anti Violence Project of Victoria Inc. as a full member.

The LGBT Health Alliance is a member-based organisation, providing a framework for members to work collaboratively to pursue their common objectives of improving the health and wellbeing of sexuality, sex and gender diverse people. The Alliance is its members.

Check out the National LGBT Health Alliance through its website here.

Homophobia is Backward Thinking

// October 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Within Australia

Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) produced this great Anti-Homophobia TV commercial in partnership with Griffith Film School in support of the International Day Against Homophobia, 17th May, 2009 and we share it with you here.