antiviolence.info

IDAHOBIT celebration & commemoration May 17th 2018, 5pm to 9pm

// April 28th, 2018 // No Comments » // International, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Gather at Melbourne’s Fed Square Main Stage with the Anti-Violence Project crew and many others from Melbourne and Victoria LGBTI organisations to celebrate and commemorate IDAHOBIT Day, Thursday May 17, 2018.

IDAHOBIT isthe International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia.

Fed Square are presenting program of diverse artists, performers and voices. Their evening celebration for IDAHOBIT Day includes a stage program of 5-10 minute performances interspersed with Q&As with LGBTQIA+ organisations.

The short performances will include music, comedy, drag acts, dance, and spoken word from artists such as Mojo Juju, Yana Alana, Adolfo Aranjuez, Raina Peterson, William Cooper, Ana Diction, Jax Jacki Brown, Dani Sib and Amao Leota Lu.

Further info about IDAHOBIT Day can be found at here.

As always, LGBTI commemorative events and celebrations can bring us shoulder-to shoulder with the odd individual or two who has a narrower experience of life and diversity than most. If you feel unsafe or in danger, call Police 000. When safe, contact the Anti-Violence Project http:/antiviolence.info/report-violence

Federatio Squares information abour their 1th May event is found here: http://fedsquare.com/events/idahobit-day-2018

IDAHOT 2017

// May 11th, 2017 // No Comments » // Around the globe, International, Within Australia, Within Victoria

Hate crimes up in the UK post-Brexit. Will the Oz marriage plebiscite experience replicate this?

// October 10th, 2016 // No Comments » // International, Within Australia

Hate crimes against religion, ethnic minorities and now sexuality have all risen in the UK since the Brexit vote in June. The Anti-Violence Project asks will the Australian experience during and after the proposed marriage equality plebiscite be the same?

According to The Guardian, Galop, an LGBT anti-violence charity in the United Kingdom, has given support to around 187 LGBT people who have suffered from the hate crimes in the last few months since the Brexit vote was taken.

Is the rise in homophobic hate crime seen in the UK a disturbing trend that will seen when the far-right conservative values are given a voice larger than their place in a modern egalitarian society? Could this trend in the UK be a forerunner of events in Australia if the marriage plebiscite proceeds?

Check out the full Guardian article here:
http://attitude.co.uk/homophobic-attacks-rose-147-in-three-months-after-brexit-vote/

5 accidentally transphobic phrases allies use — and what to say instead

// December 14th, 2015 // 1 Comment » // Around the globe, International

Words can be tricky — especially when you’re an ally, says Katy Dupere.

“As transgender lives and experiences increasingly come into the public sphere, our conversations about gender are getting more complex. And with those conversations comes the realization that we don’t always know what to say when describing trans identities.

But this learning curve offers a chance for us to get a little more inclusive and intentional with what we say. It’s an opportunity that, for allies, is as essential as it is complicated.”

As an organisation that embraces working within and for the complete same sex attracted and gender diverse community, the Anti-Violence Project invites individuals within the trans community to discuss parallels and divergences between this view within the community in the USA and the views of the trans community within Victoria and Australia. We want your views!

The original article can be found here:
http://mashable.com/2015/10/18/transgender-ally-words/#RGm_ttv8ykqU

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

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

9 Ways Intersex Youth Want You to Support Them

// October 29th, 2015 // No Comments » // International, Media discussion

How can we generate awareness of and support intersex youth? The Trevor Project suggests we consider teaching the spectrum of reproductive development – and the AVP agrees.

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/03/9-ways-intersex-youth-want-to-be-supported/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare

Tackling violence against LGBTI people and defenders

// October 9th, 2015 // No Comments » // Around the globe, AVP news, International

From Geneva, Anna Brown writes for the International Service for Human Rights about Tackling violence against LGBTI people and defenders.

Governments must also take steps to curb violence and protect individuals from discrimination, she says.

This should include measures to improve the investigation and reporting of hate crimes, torture and ill-treatment, to prohibit discrimination, and to review and repeal all laws used to arrest, punish or discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, just to name a few. All too frequently, authorities (in some countries) fail to properly investigate crimes, even if victims have the confidence to make a complaint. As the statement by the UN agencies makes clear, this leads to widespread impunity and lack of justice, remedies and support for victims.

Anna Brown writes that we can take heart from the positive progress in many parts of the world. In Australia there has been legislation introduced to a number of states to erase or ‘expunge’ historic convictions for consensual homosexual conduct. Recently in Ireland reforms have ensured that transgender people have access to birth certificates on the basis of their own declaration rather than requiring stigmatising and invasive medical procedures. Improved responses to LGBTI hate crime, including training of law enforcement officials and specific specialist taskforces or prosecuting teams dedicated to tackling bias-motivated violence have been introduced in countries such as in Spain, Honduras and South Africa.

Anna Brown is Director of Advocacy with the Human Rights Law Centre, a former ISHR trainee and Co-Convenor of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnaHRLC.

Read more at: ANNA BROWN WRITES IN THE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS website

Time to step up and talk about violence! Old laws expunged & old convictions can be removed.

// September 21st, 2015 // No Comments » // AVP news, International, Media discussion, Within Victoria

Expungement of old offences is GO!

Great to see this process underway.

It can also be used in relation to criminal records for trans and gender diverse people convicted of cross-dressing related “crimes” under those old laws.

Check out this link:
Department of Justice Criminal Law Expungement Scheme

After facing the law for an offence for which you can no longer be charged or convicted, you may have experienced prejudice motivated or other violence and not felt able to talk with police about. Nows the time to throw off the shadow of this expired law conviction and step up and talk about your experiences.

Visit the AVP’s Violence Reporting Service, or email vicavp@antiviolence.info and make contact and we’re more than happy to assist you!

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