Archive for Relationships

Andrews Govt delivers new $$ support for LGBTi community during postal plebiscite

// August 20th, 2017 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Relationships, Within Victoria

Equality Roadshow

The Victorian Government, through Equality Minister Martin Foley, has announced it will provide $1 million to support the LGBTI community through the federal government’s postal survey on marriage equality.

This includes today’s announcement of a $500,000 funding package to help mental health services and LGBTI organisations keep up with heightened demands as a result of the vote.

Read Star Observer’s report here: http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/national-news/victoria-news/victoria-pledges-support-postal-vote/161065

Real fears of hateful rhetoric in marriage survey

// August 15th, 2017 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Relationships, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The federal government’s proposed marriage equality postal survey heads to the High Court of Australia and behind the scenes planning continues and debate in the community has commenced. we hold real concerns that some of the debate threatens to expose vulnerable same-sex attracted and gender diverse people to prejudice and hatred.

In the La Trobe Valley, AVP Traralgon representative, Rob Mauger, fears the upcoming same-sex marriage postal ballot could expose the LGBTI community to hateful behaviour.

“I’m 63, and I’ve heard everything everyone has said.. that my love is so dangerous it will destroy the fabric of Australian society,” Mr Mauger told the La Trobe Valley Express.

“How does anyone think being told that feels?” Amid hearing ongoing discrimination that “makes you want to shrink as though you have no place”, Mr Mauger found satisfaction in the recent Pride Cup and wanted to thank the AFL community in the Latrobe Valley

Read the full discussion here: http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/story/4853181/fears-marriage-ballot-could-divide/

LGBTI Pride Centre is also a coup for Regional Victoria

// April 21st, 2016 // No Comments » // AVP news, Relationships, Within Victoria

A GAY Pride Centre to be built in Melbourne will be a coup for regional LGBTI people, according to a AVP’s Ballarat director consulted for the project.
Luke Gahan told the Ballarat Courier that he and another regional spokesperson from Shepparton were part of a wide consultation process for the centre.

Read more here:
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3862958/pride-centre-a-huge-win-for-ballarat/?cs=62

White Ribbon Day – Walk Against Family & Relationship Violence

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

Grace

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.

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

The Struggle Is Real – Dating In The Gay Hookup Culture – GayGuys.com

// May 3rd, 2015 // No Comments » // Relationships, Within Australia, Within Victoria

How do we appear to others in the online dating culture? Is the sometimes negative experience a sign of people out of touch with those around and themselves, or is it another pointer towards lateral violence with our community.

David Arabia (gayguys.com, April 30, 2015) writes “In order to be comfortable with intimacy, we must turn it into a new habit. The more we focus our energy and patience in that realm, the more it will become part of our lifestyle. Pretty soon, casual sex will be as uncomfortable as dating used to feel.”

Read the rest here:

http://www.gayguys.com/2015/03/dating-gay-hookup-culture/

Beautiful App unpacking trust feelings and teenage intimate relationships

// March 12th, 2015 // No Comments » // Around the globe, International, Relationship violence, Relationships

A brilliant concept – not just for teenage intimate relationships but for all of us! Download via Google Play and check it out.
http://stiritapp.eu/