antiviolence.info

Queer men are victims of street harassment nobody talks about

// November 28th, 2015 // No Comments » // Around the globe, AVP news, International, Media discussion, Relationship violence, Within Australia, Within Victoria

This week we observed White Ribbon day and discussed how pervasive and destructive masculinity can be towards women.

However as Derrick Clifton writes in The Guardian, ‘uncomfortable, if not traumatizing, experiences (of harassment of gay men) get swept under the rug, or worse, internalised as something that “just happens” and shouldn’t be taken seriously’, revealing that many gay men, too, cope silently with harassment and consent issues in male dominated social spaces.

In Australia, governments are yet to turn their social policy lens and budgetary spends towards violence and harassment targeting the LGBTI community. The AVP believes that this makes Clifton’s argument, that its time to have more of a conversation about how the misogyny and patriarchy imbued in rape culture targets gay and gender non-conforming men, a very real and timely conversation to be had.

Read the full article here:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/27/queer-men-like-victims-street-harassment-nobody-talks-about?CMP=share_btn_tw

White Ribbon Day – Walk Against Family & Relationship Violence

// November 25th, 2015 // No Comments » // AVP news, Media discussion, Relationship violence, Relationships, Within Australia, Within Victoria

We in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community have grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts and other family members who have been and will be victims of relationship and family violence at the hands of men.

The abuse of power within many relationships is a common thread that joins the broader community to our LGBTI community in our shared experience of family and relationship violence where patterns of power, control and violence have been passed on and learned from male family members.

With great sadness we note that one in three women has experienced family and relationship violence and that family and relationship violence is also the silent epidemic within the LGBTI community despite being the subject of increasing scrutiny in heterosexual relationships. One in three LGBTI couples experience family and relationship violence echoing the general population. Additionally many women within the LGBTI community have experienced relationship violence with men before coming-out as same-sex attracted.

We say, with determination, on White Ribbon Day, that the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria recognises and acknowledges that our joint LGBTI and broader heterosexual Victoria and Australia community, cannot be safe until family and relationship violence by men in our society is named, called out as being unacceptable and is dealt with in a way so that it cannot reoccur and is prevented from being passed-on to future generations.

Just as relationship and family violence by men in the broader community is under-reported, we acknowledge homophobia and prejudice motivated violence against the LGBTI community is another form of violence emanating from mens’ behaviour and being passed on through generations.

We call on the Australian and State governments to increase data collection on all forms of violence driven by mens’ behaviour, to develop new strategic public policy, to fund front-line services supporting all victims of family and relationship violence and increase funding and infrastructure to support a community-led response to under-reported violence in all its forms.

To Survive on This Shore is a beautiful series from the USA about the aging transgender community

// November 22nd, 2015 // No Comments » // Around the globe, International, Media discussion, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Many wonderful life stories come from the transgender community in Australia and we expect many more as society becomes aware of gender diversity within a framework that says expressing homophobia to diminish another person is not okay.

To commemorate the 2015 Transgender Day of Rememberence, the AVP would like to divert your attention away from Australia and towards the USA where Jess T. Dugan came up with the idea for the project  “To Survive on This Shore”, a series of portraits about the aging transgender community in her part of the world.

Have a look at this wonderful project here:
http://goo.gl/wFIVXJ

Shifting the debate on partner violence

// November 12th, 2015 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Relationship violence, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The AVP has known since our inception in 1997 of the connection between overtly masculine behaviour and violence in heterosexual relationships towards women and the link with homophobic violence through similar abuse of power relationships.

In this discussion,  Bianca Fileborn and Philomena Housley say “Most incidents of sexual violence, for example, are perpetrated by men against women. Likewise, men who enact certain types of masculinity – such as hostile masculinity – are more likely to be the perpetrators of such violence”.  The LGBTI Anti-Violence Project agrees.

Our “Boxer Campaign” targeted men in gyms and martial arts establishments in Victoria where masculinity could easily become hostile towards others and homophobia had the potential to ramp it out of the gym and directly into the LGBTI community.

Read the ‘Conversation’ with Bianca Fileborn and Philomena Housley here:

https://theconversation.com/beyond-gender-lgbtiq-abuse-shows-its-time-to-shift-the-debate-on-partner-violence-50238

FREE LGBT relationship enhancement program – register now!

// October 1st, 2015 // No Comments » // Relationships, Research, Within Australia, Within Victoria

LaTrobe University partnered by The Queensland University and Couple Care are offering a FREE LGBT relationship enhancement program.

This world first research is about making relationships better and stronger and helping same-sex couples achieve a higher level of relationship satisfaction.

Register your interest now:
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/school-psychology-and-public-health/sex-health-and-society/couples-research-program/gay-and-lesbian/entry-form

NSW LGBTI domestic & family violence funding focuses attention on VIC govt response to its Royal Commission findings, due later 2015

// September 24th, 2015 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Relationship violence, Relationships, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Victoria’s Anti-Violence Project heralded NSW’s announcement of funding for LGBTI domestic and family violence as a defining moment for Australian state and federal governments which brings measures to address LGBTI family and relationship violence equally to the table alongside funding and programs to support the elimination of domestic and family violence in the broader Australian community.

“Victoria has no single lead LGBTI organisation working in the health or family violence space, unlike ACON’s principal role as the dominant funded non-profit in NSW”, said AVP executive director Greg Adkins. “However Victoria does have organisations, working for LGBTI community to support people and address family violence, who are either poorly resourced, or in the case of LGBTI community-led organisations, not resourced at all”, he said.

“This NSW funding decision now focuses attention towards recommendations on the Victoria Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV) which are expected later in 2015 and the policy response by the Andrews Labor government. These RCFV recommendations will frame society’s urgent family violence problem with clear evidence of whats working and whats not, where the gaps are and will point to a much needed targeted response by the Victoria state government to lift LGBTI organisations out of their unfunded or poorly funded existences to better and more efficiently support individuals from LGBTI community experiencing this type of violence in their lives.”

In announcing the NSW funding, Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward in the NSW Baird government said the funds will support ACON campaigns, programs and services that will help identify and prevent DFV among LGBTI people.

AVP executive director Greg Adkins said “We look forward, to a similar outcome in Victoria to the NSW funding so that LGBTI focused campaigns, programs and services in Victoria are enabled to respond to LGBTI family violence in a way where 100% of people experiencing it have the avenues to address its impact on their lives and perpetrators of LGBTI family and relationship violence can be identified and supported to deal with their behavior before lives are lost and people are damaged.”

Read the NSW funding announcement reported here in Gay News Network, Wednesday September 9, 2015

When marriage is done and dusted, what’s next for health well-being and human rights? Your views?

// September 23rd, 2015 // No Comments » // Relationships, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Earlier this evening the Minister for Equality, the Hon. Martin Foley MP hosted a visionary forum with a brilliant panel looking beyond marriage equality towards the challenges to be faced and next steps that must taken on the path to LGBTI equality.

What are the next milestones for LGBTIQ rights and the same-sex attracted and sex and gender diverse community who still experience vast inequalities across many indicators of health, well-being and human rights. In our opinion prejudice motivated violence, homophobic harassment and vilification based on sexuality and gender stack up as pretty important issues.

What do you think? The AVP is interested to read your thoughts. Feel free to comment on this post and we’ll share your discussion with Martin Foley, Rainbow Labor (organisers of the forum) and the panelists who shared their wisdom on the night.

Speakers included

Anna Brown
Director of Advocacy & Strategic Litigation, Human Rights Law Centre

Sally Goldner
Executive Director, Transgender Victoria and Treasurer, Bi Alliance Victoria

Associate Professor Ruth McNair
Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health Specialist, University of Melbourne

Tim ChristodouLou
Partnerships Manager, Minus18 and Assistance Secretary of the ALP’s LGBTI Policy Committee

Colin Batrouney
Manager, Policy, Communications and Health Promotion at the Victorian AIDS Council

UN Human Right Council review on Australia’s performance.

// July 27th, 2015 // No Comments » // Around the globe, International, Within Australia

Read all the latest news on Australia’s upcoming review by the UN Human Rights Council #AusUPR #auspol
Follow @rightsagenda on Twitter

http://www.equalitylaw.org.au/CampaignProcess.aspx?A=View&Data=oARd3S9K%2bYXx%2b%2fWAC8XPIg%3d%3d

Rowena Allen Is Victoria’s First Gender And Sexuality Commissioner | Premier of Victoria

// July 15th, 2015 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The Anti-Violence Project of Victoria applauds the appointment of Rowena Allen as Victoria’s and Australia’s first Gender and Sexuality Commissioner.

“Ms Allen’s appointment is an outstanding one. The VicAVP looks forward to a new statewide momentum in addressing the discrimination, homophobia and violence that impacts the health and lives of LGBTI individuals every day in schools, workplaces, health settings and the broader community”, said VicAVP executive director Greg Adkins.

“We congratulate Ms Allen on her appointment and applaud Equality Minister Martin Foley and Premier Daniel Andrews for their commitment to making a lasting difference in the health across the whole lifespan of LGBTI Victorians”.

Read the Premier’s announcement here: http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/rowena-allen-is-victorias-first-gender-and-sexuality-commissioner

Family violence hearings begin

// July 14th, 2015 // No Comments » // Relationship violence, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The first week of public hearings at the Royal Commission into Family Violence has commenced (Monday, 13 July 2015). The focus of the first week is violence against children.

A number of organisations supporting individuals experiencing family violence from within LGBTi community are expected to give evidence at the Commission on 16 August 2015).

More updates here as they become available.

Public Hearing Live Stream available here: RCFV Live Stream