UK guide for victims of hate-crime

// April 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // Around the globe, AVP news

UK charity, Stonewall has launched its new plain English guide for victims of anti-gay hate crime. “Blow the Whistle on Gay Hate” explains what homophobic hate crime is, why hate crime should be reported and what to say when reporting it. Check-out the guide here!

The AVP will review this important guide with a view to contextualise it for the community here in Victoria. If you want to be part of the review process contact the AVP by clicking here or call 0407664442.

International Day Against Homophobia is coming

// April 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Around the globe, AVP news, 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.

How Hate Crime targets people.

// January 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Around the globe

World AIDS Day, December 1st

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

World AIDS Day 2009 – Universal Access

// December 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Around the globe

Transgender Day of Remembrance – 20 Nov

// November 20th, 2009 // 3 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.

“Don’t look away”

// June 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Around the globe

A stark reminder to all of us: “Don’t look away”. Whether its violence against us, or whether we witness violence against others, no matter if they’re gay or straight and regardless of gender or ethnicity.

Another great commercial with an important message about Respect from their MANEO’s Campaign for the Tolerance.

Take Up the Idaho Challenge! launched

// June 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Around the globe

Gays.com has launched their community and public awareness project to mark the sixth annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on May 17th.

Created completely from user submissions, this video acts as a public service announcement communicating the message that LGBT individuals are present in every country, in every society and in every corner of the world.

Take Up the Idaho Challenge! marks a collaboration between Gays.com and the Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Founded in France by activist Louis-Georges Tin, the IDAHO Committee has been instrumental in the drafting of the new United Nations statement urging the decriminalization of homosexuality, now signed by 67 countries around the world.

“In our battle to tear down the walls of homophobia and transphobia, it is of vital importance that we have people who are willing to put their face to what we are fighting for. This is a clarion call to members of our community to come out from wherever you are and let your voice be heard,” says Louis-Georges Tin, Founder of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. “When each of us takes that step of courage in coming out, we empower and give courage to those around us to do the same. The change that we are all longing to see starts with each of us.”

Kenneth Tan from Gays.com added “we are all about fighting the culture of anonymity that is so pervasive on the gay internet landscape. With this project, we want to challenge members of our community to step out of their virtual closets,”

“It is vital that those of us who reside in places of relative peace and freedom step out in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who, based upon where they live, risk abuse, jail, torture and the death sentence if they do come out. It is our hope that every country can be represented in this video.”

The Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) is a network of activists, present in over 50 countries, who seek to promote the idea of an international day against homophobia and transphobia. This day has been recognised officially by a number of governments around the world and provides an opportunity for the LGBT movement across the world to unite in a powerful demonstration of collective visibility.