antiviolence.info

Soften the Fck Up – www.softenthefckup.com.au

// July 19th, 2011 // No Comments » // Media discussion, Within Australia

This campaign targets young men at risk of suicide. Its great, but it does come with a LANGUAGE WARNING.

MindOUT Survey – LAST DAYS!

// May 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // Research, Within Australia

Dear Alliance members, associates, and friends,

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The MindOUT survey is coming to a close.  Mental health and Suicide Prevention played a huge part in this week’s federal budget which makes it even more important for you to have your say in how to develop frameworks and services for the LGBTI community.  The surveys are open till Friday  – so complete the survey for yourself and for your organisation
Remember MindOUT is the first national LGBTI mental health and suicide prevention project in Australia.

And It’s for ALL of us in, or connected with, the LGBTI community – young, old, friends and in-betweens!

So CLICK HERE  or go to http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/mindout

The good news…

Since we mentioned that 1588 community members had completed the community member survey a further 200 have got on board!   Fantastic effort – but with only a few days to go we need more response to to reach our 2,000 target.

We especially need more responses from south Australia, Tasmania and Northern territory – if you know people there – send it OUT!

So, how can I help?

Yep, there are a few…..
1.   Complete the LGBTI Community survey at www.lgbthealth.org.au/mindout
2.   Complete the community member survey yourself – it should only take 10 – 15 minutes
3.   Tell your friends, staff, colleagues about it and encourage them to complete
4.   Distribute, distribute –  please use your networks to get this message out before the end of the week.

Thanks for your assistance,
Craig Gear

National survey of GLBT Health and Wellbeing

// February 4th, 2011 // No Comments » // Research, Within Australia

Private Lives 2 is an on-line survey of the health and wellbeing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Australians.

Undertaken by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, in partnership with the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, LaTrobe University, Private Lives 2 aims to be the largest and most comprehensive assessment of the health of Australian GLBT communities to date.

Private Lives 2 will revisit many of the questions used in the original survey (2005) to see if and how things have changed for GLBT people. It will include questions on physical and mental health and wellbeing, use of health services, alcohol and drug use, the impact of legislative reforms, including recognition of same sex relationships, GLBTI people’s experiences of discrimination and their connections to family, friends and community.

The survey will have a greater emphasis on GLBT mental health and depression and will include questions looking at the impact of social connection, including the use of the Internet, on GLBT people’s wellbeing.

It will only take 20 minutes to complete. Find out more & get involved via www.privatelivessurvey.org.au

Visionary leadership shown in Brumby government’s vision for the GLBTI community

// October 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // AVP news, Media discussion, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The Anti-Violence Project of Victoria (AVP) welcomes state premier John Brumby’s announcement of major social policy initiatives supporting GLBTI community as visionary and ground breaking.

AVP head Greg Adkins said “If Mr Brumby is successfully re-elected at the 27 November state election, the $2.5million next-stage of the Labor government’s decade long commitment to celebrating diversity and ending discrimination and violence in our society will deliver:

• The establishment of a whole-of-government advisory committee on GLBTI issues
• Provision of $200,000 over four years to the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria to support victims of homophobia and help GLBTI people to report physical or verbal abuse or harassment
• An investment of $100,000 in a campaign to reduce homophobic harassment and highlight the contribution of GLBTI communities in Victoria
• Strengthening of laws against homophobic harassment

In addition a re-elected Brumby Labor Government would continue its support for same-sex attracted youth by:

• Providing $320,000 over four years to build on a pilot project to help combat homophobia in schools. This project, delivered through Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, would develop and distribute quality resources to schools, provide professional development to staff to support students and school communities, help develop a whole-of-school approach to combating homophobia, and help develop students’ own networks and further builds on work by the government which is already underway;
• Establishing a $500,000 grants program over four years to help 10 projects a year provide a safe space for same-sex attracted youth, informal mentoring and peer support; and
• Investing $500,000 in a partnership with Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, Sane and Headspace to train health professionals in helping same-sex attracted youth at risk of suicide

Further to this, the GLBTI community will be asked to step-up and determine what its “voice” would look like and where the provision of a GLBTI community voice will find a home, after the Brumby Government committed a further $100,000 a year for four years for a GLBTI peak body to represent the interests and act on behalf of the community.

The Anti-Violence Project notes that the Premier’s announcement is the first ever of this magnitude by a head of an Australian state or federal government setting-out a plan to deliver state-wide social policy initiatives to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and communities are (in the Premier’s words) “safe, valued and respected.”

“Brumby’s GLBTI policy initiatives are further evidence that the ground has shifted politically in Victoria.  The AVP invite all other political parties to come on-board to support the Labor government’s  leadership in seeking to provide more support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

Read the complete announcement from the Premier: More support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

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 » // 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.

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 https://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 » // 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