Brunswick Safety Roundtable

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Within Victoria

Brunswick’s LGBT community found themselves with strong allies to address homophobia and safety fears when co-convenor of the Victorian Gay& Lesbian Rights Lobby (VGLRL), Hayley Conway, and Labor candidate for Brunswick, Jane Garrett today hosted a Safety Roundtable at Brunswick Town Hall (see them here)

They were joined by the LGBT’s Anti Violence Project of Victoria, representatives from Moreland Council, local businesses and the traders’ association, concerned residents, community health workers, queer venue management and Victoria Police with a simple but urgent agenda – to discuss initiatives to ensure the rights of LGBT people living in Brunswick are protected and they feel safe and secure, no matter what time of the day or night.

This meeting builds on previous local initiatives which responded to homophobic local incidents targeting lesbians, and brings together work undertaken individually by the VGLRL and the AVP. Further work is planned for this Roundtable that will build and strengthen community partnerships, at the same time lead to the development of responses that addresses homophobic violence in Brunswick, increase the reporting of violence and make a strong statement that being safe from hate or prejudice motivated violence is a fundamental right.

Contacts:
Hailey Conway, Convenor, Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby – 0415 314 293
Jane Garrett, Labor Candidate for Brunwick – 0408 810 633
Greg Adkins, Executive Director, Anti Violence Project of Victoria Inc. – 0407 664 442

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

White Ribbon Day – 25 Nov

// November 25th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Within Australia, Within Victoria

AVP suggests male board members, paid staff, volunteers and paid-up members of Victoria’s many GLBT organisations take direct action to eliminate violence against women by getting on board the White Ribbon Day Campaign

White Ribbon Day, 25 Nov, marks the beginning of a national campaign for all Australian men and boys to take a positive action and put an end to one of the most widespread human rights abuses taking place in our country and Victoria’s Anti Violence Project (AVP) believes that the GLBT community has a key role to play in this.

The AVP wants gay men to join in this campaign where all men are being asked to swear never to commit, never to excuse, and never to remain silent about violence against women.

Direct action is suggested for the male board members, paid staff, volunteers and paid-up members of Victoria’s many GLBT organisations by them getting on board the White Ribbon Day Campaign.

“Silence about violence is far too prevalent in the GLBT community – amongst us and against us,” said AVP executive director Greg Adkins, “so if we as men we see ANY woman being subjected to violence regardless of whether the women are gay or straight or the people directing violence towards them are male or female, gay or straight, then we as men need to stand up and put an end to the abuse of women”.

The mainstream White Ribbon Day campaign has been reported as already having the support of high profile men such as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Lt Gen Ken Gillespie, Hazem El Masri, Rove, Keith Urban, Wil Anderson, David Koch, Adam Goodes, Shannon Noll, Jason Culina, Dicko, and many more men. The AVP encourages gay men around the state to get active and get on board with these men to prove that partnerships to end violence are valued regardless of sexual orientation.

As part of the White Ribbon Day campaign, the AVP suggests gay men can join the ranks of men supporting the campaign by swearing at www.myoath.com.au

“As a community we have a lot to learn from White Ribbon Day and through activities such as the White Ribbon Day Challenge.

“The Challenge is a chance for individuals, groups and communities to take action to end violence against women. It provides support, advice, tips and inspiration for creating real change in communities and offers an opportunity for supporters to communicate, network and share their knowledge.

“The AVP looks forward to the day when state-wide strategies and community initiatives such as this will one day extend into gay-straight partnerships directed at eliminating homophobia and transphobia. After all the people mostly committing violence against the GLBT community and against heterosexual women are in a majority of times, men”, Adkins said.

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.

Community Safety Month podcasts

// November 9th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Media discussion, Within Victoria

Community Safety Month podcasts are coming on-line. First up is the launch from the Victoria Police Media Centre on 1st October 2009, plus other podcasts from the Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers segment of “The Conch”.

Check through the list of podcasts here!

Community Safety Month activities in the GLBT community were presented by the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria, JOY 94.9 and the Victoria Police.

Gay overseas student still missing in Melbourne

// October 16th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Incidents, Media discussion, Within Victoria

Update: 11 November 2009 – Missing student Timothy Wing Keung has been located in Sydney and is returning to Melbourne today. Police investigating his disappearance have spoken personally to him and he is safe and well. The Anti Violence Project thanks the GLBT and extended community for actively networking to ensure this man’s whereabouts became known and safety was ensured.

Update: 22 October 2009 – The location of missing student Timothy Wing Keung remains unknown. Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer Acting Sergeant Gabby Tyacke and AVP head Greg Adkins joined JOY 94.9 “Conch” host today to request anyone within the GLBT community with information about Tim’s whereabouts to come forward and assist in locating his whereabouts.

Please contact Knox Police on 09 9881 7000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au

Previously:
Distraught parents of missing student plea for help
Courtesy of The Age (Andra Jackson), October 14, 2009

Missing student Timothy Wing Keung.

The distraught mother of a Hong Kong student missing in Melbourne has begged him to get in touch.

Timothy Wing Keung, 29, was last seen at his Ferntree Gully home about 6.30am last Monday.

Mr Keung, who is studying IT security at Deakin University’s Burwood campus, left behind a number of personal items he usually carried with him.

Police are concerned for Mr Keung’s wellbeing.

His mother Sau Ying Ng said she spoke to her son regularly over the internet but when she last rang him about noon on the day he disappeared, he did not want to talk.

‘‘Tim sounded really tired. He didn’t want to talk. He just hung up the phone,’’ she said speaking in Melbourne through an interpreter and family friend Koonju Wang.

Two days later, his family in Hong Kong was contacted by police and told their son was missing.

‘‘He just walked out and didn’t bring anything with him. He didn’t bring a jacket or money. I am really worried,’’ Mrs Ng said.

She has visited the house where Mr Keung lives with two other students but found nothing amiss.

Mrs Ng appealed to her son to make contact saying, ‘‘Mum just wants to know that you are safe and well.’’

She asked her son to leave a message on the internet to reassure his family that he is safe.

Mrs Ng was accompanied to Australia by one of her two daughters Lai Wah, 26, who described her missing brother as ‘‘really helpful’’. When family friends sent their son or daughter to Australia to study, Mr Keung would look after them.

They affectionately called him ‘‘Uncle Tim’’.

Mr Keung, 29, had been in Australia a year and loved his new home.

‘‘He was really confident and studied hard,’’ his sister said.

Mr Keung is described as Asian, 176 centimetres, 60 kilograms, with straight black collar-length hair, dark-coloured eyes and of thin build.

He speaks Cantonese and reasonable English and was believed to be wearing tracksuit pants and runners.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact Knox police on 9881 7000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestoppers.com.au

Click here to link to associated article from The Age & view a picture of Timothy Keung.

Click here to reach related article from The Herald Sun.

Alert: Organised and targeted violence in Maribyrnong (updated)

// October 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Incidents, Within Victoria

Update: following the posting of this report and the Gay and Lesbian Liaison police then discussing this matter on-air Thursday 15 October 2009, a caller provided information to police about the alleged perpetrators of these assaults. Armed with this information, Police are now further investigating these matters. PLEASE CONTINUE TO BE AWARE and report any information to “000” or via the AVP’s online violence reporting service (click here)

Males in the Maribyrnong area are requested to be on alert for three man acting together who have targeted individuals on-foot and individuals in motor vehicles for five months. Victims are people that these perpetrators perceive to be gay, regardless of their actual sexual orientation. The outcome is violence against the person and damage to property.

Three reports of violence in the Maribyrnong area have now been received by the AVP in addition to information about a further three and definately more incidents – and all are linked.

The violence involves the throwing of eggs at people and vehicles, in and around a local park by what appears to be the same group of men. Language used by the perpetrators is anti-gay and possibly on occassions, racially motivated.

The AVP are investigating a possible connection between these incidents and recent local newspaper publicity which has:
(1) identified the location where men socially meet each other, and flagged to the perpetrators when to find gay men to act out against them, and
(2) relayed to the perpetrators that they may escape consequences of their violent actions towards others.

The AVP has requested the Victoria Police Gay & Lesbian Reference Group address these reports urgently at their next meeting.

Generation Next continues Community Safety Month partnership!

// October 2nd, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Within Victoria

A huge team of presenters and guests contributed to the JOY 94.9 “Generation Next” program’s Community Safety Month activities on Tuesday 6 October. This great show was the latest of the many radio programs shaping up to challenge and promote community discussion during Community Safety Month in Victoria – part of the three-way partnership between JOY 94.9, the Anti Violence Project and Victoria Police.

Hosts Micah, Kyle and Petro anchored the “Generation Next” show and were joined by Aden and Amber, two participants on the Q&A Victoria, Young Emerging Leaders program, Mark Camilleri from Family Planning Victoria’s Action Centre and the YAK group, as well as Region One Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer, Gabby Tyacke and AVP head Greg Adkins. A podcast will be available online soon so check back here for details.

The Community Safety Month partnership launch took place on 1 October with a four-hour live broadcast from the Victoria Police Media Centre during which Chief Commissioner Simon Overland announced he would be marching in the next Pride March, shoulder to shoulder with his police officers, building on the strong relationship built by his predecessor, former Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, further growing the strong and trusting relationships between Victoria Police and the GLBT community. Listen to Chief Commissioner Overland’s interview here.

A prequel to Community Safety Month took place with the “Been there Done That” show on JOY 94.9 on Wednesday 30 September at 11am – stay tuned for the podcast details so you can listen in.

Additionally, the “Hide & Seek” program with Dean and James overnight on the 5 and 6 October showcased their Community Safety Month program going to air live at 11pm on 19 October (covering sexual assault amongst other issues). Tune in to JOY 94.9 for the next show in the Community Safety Month schedule http://joy.org.au/listenlive

Bookmark this page for further information about the many other programs taking place in October within the Victoria Police, JOY 94.9 and Anti Violence Project partnership.

GLHV’s new anti-homophobia poster is at the printers!

// October 2nd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Within Victoria

GLHV have suggested we keep an eye on their website www.glhv.org.au for details of the launch date for their new anti-homophobia poster resource “So Gay, So What!”. They have also passed a big THANK YOU to all the models who kindly offered their services.

UPDATE (13 October 2009): Anne Mitchell from GLHV is hoping the new posters come in today from the printers… you can email GLHV at info@glhv.org.au and they’ll send them out to you!

Law changes target hate motivated crime – follow-up now needed

// September 24th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Media discussion, Within Victoria

The GLBT community and state government have joined forces support Sentencing Act changes aimed to tackle crimes motivated by hatred or prejudice. Now the discussion commences about long-term follow-up action and funding for the Anti Violence Project.

Attorney General Rob Hulls views this as “where the motivation for a crime was hatred or prejudice, or victims are targeted by offenders because of the offender’s prejudice, or their conduct indicated that prejudice was the motivation, the courts will specifically take that into account when sentencing.”

Follow this discussion currently running in the two GLBT weekly print publications:-
Victoria Targets Gay Hate Crimes, reported by Rachel Cook in the MCV.

GLBT community has also questioned how effective the measure will be without it being underpinned by increased levels of reporting of violence, and government committment to follow-up action. Read Andie Noonan’s article Hate Crime Laws May Not Work in Southern Star.

Numerous reports and research papers have backed up calls over recent years for the AVP to be funded to provide long-term and generational change through an expansion in their currently volunteer-driven work addressing violence within and against Victoria’s GLBT community.