Continue reading »]]> Applications are now open for our next 6 week telephone counsellor training course, starting May 13, 2012. Prior counselling experience is not required. The course is also open to people who may have previously completed the GLCS counselling course and wish to return to the organisation. For more information go to our Counsellor Course information page and apply online. Applications close Tuesday 7th May.

Continue reading »]]> Gay and Lesbian Community Services Award training  helps organisations tackle discrimination and become more accessible for people with diverse sexuality, sex and/or gender.

THIS FULL DAY TRAINING WILL:
• Increase your knowledge of the needs of people with diverse sexuality, sex and/or gender
• Provide models and frameworks for understanding sexuality and gender
• Promote your service as a gay-friendly environment for staff and clients
• Explain your obligations under the revised Equal Opportunity legislation
• Provide strategies for better supporting clients

FACILITATOR:
Sandra Norman has been working for Gay and Lesbian Community Services for over 10 years and has extensive experience training in the field of sexuality. She has also worked on projects in the fields of homelessness and domestic violence and is currently also employed by secca, where she runs training on sexuality and disability.

DETAILS:
Date: June 8th, 2012
Venue: City West Lotteries House, 9am to 4pm. Morning/afternoon tea provided. Kitchen facilities available.
Cost: Fees Payable: unfunded NGO $120; funded NGO $140; corporate/government $170

Click here to download the registration form Registrations close Tuesday 29th May 2012.

For more information, to book your place or to find out more about GLCS Training and Consultancy Services
including policy coaching and support or to discuss options for your organisation email Sandra at admin@glcs.org.au,
or call 9486 9855.

Continue reading »]]> Thank you to all those who attended the community forum on the 31st of January 2012. It was inspiring to see so many of you there to support LGBTI suicide prevention, and we value your support and input. It was also a privilege to be able to hear from Barry Taylor, Senior Project Officer for the National LGBTI Health Alliance). Barry presented the results of the recent MindOUT survey, the first national survey of LGBTI mental health in Australia.

We have received a fantastic response rate for our online community survey given the short time frame available, with up to 182 respondents. A summary of the survey findings will be made available online via the GLCS website in March.

Now what?

Your feedback and ideas will now be used to inform the Community Action Plan that will be submitted for funding consideration by the Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention at the end of this month.
Our ideas will need action and we need the support of dedicated community members like you to help make a meaningful impact on LGBTI suicide prevention. There are many ways to help, including:

• Joining our mailing list to keep informed about the suicide prevention initiatives
• Becoming a public face for LGBTI suicide prevention
• Volunteering for community based initiatives
• Becoming an educated advocate – break down barriers in our community by learning about LGBTI issues
• Talking about it – suicide prevention, education and understanding starts with us.

For more information about anything to do with the LGBTI Suicide Prevention Community Action Plan, please email Tamara Bezu at community@glcs.org.au

Continue reading »]]> Media Release, 09 January 2012 from the National LGBTI Health Alliance

“2011 was a significant year for the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Health Alliance”, said Paul Martin, Chair of the Alliance Board.  “Considerable progress was made in priority areas that had been worked on for some time.  In the short space of a year, the Alliance has grown from three part-time positions to 5 full-time and one part-time position, and has become involved in many new areas of health promotion for LGBTI Australians”, Martin said. 

The Alliance was established in 2007 by a number of community-based organisations from across Australia with an HIV/AIDS focus.  They saw the need for a national organisation to work more broadly across LGBTI health issues, rather than focusing specifically on HIV.  In 2011 the foundational work of the Alliance bore fruit with funding secured for several important projects and Alliance involvement in a number of Commonwealth initiatives.  In brief:

• MindOUT! the first national LGBTI mental health and suicide prevention project in Australia.  The Department of Health and Ageing provided $1.1 million for a two-year project to establish a knowledge base and sustainable structures that will facilitate LGBTI inclusion in the development and delivery of programs, policies and research.  With two staff positions the project will be rolling out several initiatives over the next 18 months, working with both LGBTI organisations and mainstream mental health and suicide prevention organisations. The Alliance Mental Health Working Group, with representatives from around Australia, provides knowledge, skills and experience to support the project.
• A funding boost for the work of the Alliance has increased the Membership and Information Services officer to a full-time position, and provided a new full-time Health Policy Officer, who is focusing mainly on LGBTI Ageing and Diverse Sex and Gender.
• The Alliance was involved in helping to support the first event of the Parliamentary Friends of LGBTI group in Canberra.  The group is co-sponsored by Warren Entsch (Lib, Qld), Graham Perrett (ALP, Qld), and Greens Senator Sarah Hansen-Young.  The inaugural function was held in the Mural Hall in Parliament House, with Olympic Gold Medallist Matthew Mitcham and Alliance Board Member Peter Hyndal among the speakers, and with many MPs and Senators from all the parties attending.  Further activities are planned for 2012.
• The National LGBTI Ageing Roundtable in October, organised by the Alliance and ACON and funded by the Department of Health and Ageing, brought together people from around the country with an interest in LGBTI Ageing.  The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, The Hon Mark Butler, spent two hours in dialogue with the group, and has since invited the Alliance to propose a representative to the DoHA Ageing Consultative Committee.  A new Alliance Ageing Working Group is also forming as a result of the Roundtable, with 20 Alliance members sending in an Expression of Interest.
• The Alliance was also invited to propose members for an LGBTI Working Group for the Department of Human Services.  Then-Minister Tanya Plibersek attended the group’s first meeting in December.  The Department is looking to improve its service delivery to LGBTI Australians.  The Working Group is asking for case studies of LGBTI people’s interactions with the Department and its Agencies (such as Centrelink and Medicare); details of existing LGBTI-sensitivity training to inform the ongoing training of the Department’s 40,000 staff, and suggestions about the kind of terminology to include in Departmental forms that will help LGBTI people feel sufficiently safe and respected to reveal their sexuality and or sex and gender identity.

“None of these achievements would have been possible without the continual input and support of our Members, through serving on the Board and various Working Groups, and helping with research and submissions”, Martin said.  “We look forward to building on these achievements in the year ahead,” he added.

Media Contact:
Paul Martin, Chair, 0407 376 540, (07) 3017 1791
Warren Talbot, General Manager, (02) 8568 1120, 0437 876 824.

Continue reading »]]> The Western Australian Government has committed $13 million over 4 years to implement the One Life Suicide Prevention Strategy from 2009 – 2013. Gay and Lesbian Community Services (GLCS) have recently received a 3-month contract to consult LGBTI Western Australians and their allies in order to identify strategies and initiatives that could benefit the community and help prevent suicide in LGBTI people.

We need your support to help make a difference in preventing suicide in LGBTI Western Australians by taking a quick survey and giving us your ideas about what can be done for our community. Click here to take the survey.

For more information about the consultation go to our Community Action Plan page.

Continue reading »]]> Gay and Lesbian Community Services WA has received a three-month contract to consult the LGBT community for the One Life suicide prevention strategy.

GLCS has signed the contract and will be working to create a comprehensive community action plan which will then go before the Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention for approval.

Consultations will start in January and community members are invited to have their say on initiatives and activities that would benefit the community. GLCS Chairperson Nadine Toussaint said she was looking forward to working with the community on this initiative.

‘This is a much needed and fantastic opportunity for raising awareness and building the capacity of our community around suicide prevention and mental health,’ Toussaint said.

‘We are hopeful that there will be some very positive outcomes and long term benefits for the community as a result of this project.’

GLCS has been working in collaboration with the WA AIDS Council’s Freedom Centre to secure this funding since February 2011.

Article courtesy of OUT In Perth

Continue reading »]]> 06 December 2011 Media Release from LGBTI Health Alliance

The new LGBTI Working Group for the Department of Human Services met for the first time today, with Intersex, Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay representatives from around the country. The Minister, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, told the group she wants them to identify how service delivery to LGBTI Australians can be improved by identifying the key issues they face and how best to address them.

National LGBTI Health Alliance Chair, Paul R Martin, welcomed the Department’s initiative in setting up the first such Working Group at a Commonwealth Government level as part of its commitment to community engagement. “As Minister for Social Inclusion, Ms Plibersek has demonstrated her very real commitment to having all Australians, including LGBTI Australians, feel valued and having the opportunity to fully participate in the life of our society, by setting up this group,” Martin said.

“The National LGBTI Health Alliance recommended to the Minister a number of our members to be on the Working Group, following an expression of interest process. We thank all those who volunteered to be on the Group,” Martin added.

The Department of Human Services has the largest footprint of all Commonwealth Government departments, with the addition of Centrelink, Medicare, and CRS Australia on 1 July 2011, as well as delivering payments and other services on behalf of at least nine other government policy departments. As part of the Minister’s fundamental commitment to community engagement and social inclusion, the Department is looking to engage with LGBTI communities about any issues they’ve encountered in service delivery. Furthermore, while DHS is not responsible for policy in many important areas, its delivery of services provides important information that can inform policy.

“We are confident that this exercise will make a real difference to LGBTI Australians who are experiencing disadvantage in many areas of life,” Martin said, “such as employment, housing, appropriate health care, and access to services that really understand their unique needs.”

Contact:

Paul Martin, Chair, 0407 376 540, (07) 3017 1791
Sujay Kentlyn, Health Policy Officer, 0417 624 749; 02 8568 1126

Continue reading »]]> 06 December 2011 Media Release from LGBTI Health Alliance

The National LGBTI Health Alliance congratulates Tony Briffa on his election as Mayor of Hobsons Bay in Victoria. Briffa has been notable for his commitment to honouring diversity during his career as a councillor, working not just for LGBTI people, but also in the areas of disability, multiculturalism and youth.

Briffa was born with both male and female physical attributes, as a result of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS). Even though he was genetically male, doctors decided he would be better off assigned as female, and he was subjected to a series of unnecessary examinations, surgeries and hormonal treatments during childhood and adolescence that left him physically and emotionally damaged.

As an adult he started hormone replacement therapy to reverse the medical treatment he had as a child. He is now very accepting of being biologically both male and female. Briffa’s courage and resilience have led to a productive and successful life, including advocacy on many issues. He is especially committed to stopping genital mutilation of intersex children, and is Vice-President of the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group of Australia (AISSG of Australia) which is a member of the National LGBTI Health Alliance. Please see: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aissg/.

Alliance Board Member, Gina Wilson, said, “We share Tony’s hope that his election will break down taboos associated with Intersex differences. Tony is a wonderful example of how intersex people can overcome the devastating and unnecessary medical treatment meted out to so many intersex children, and go on to become champions of human rights and cultural diversity for everyone.”

“Tony is an Inspiration and a role model for a whole generation of Intersex people, both those who have suffered early interventions and those who have come to their differences later in life.”

“The National LGBTI Health Alliance recognises the unique challenges faced by Intersex people, and has decided to make the health and wellbeing of Intersex Australians one of its top priorities,” Wilson said.

Contact:

Gina Wilson, Chair, Organisation Intersex International (Oii) Australia and Board Member, National LGBTI Health Alliance, 0418 290 336.
Paul Martin, Chair, National LGBTI Health Alliance, 0407 376 540, (07) 3017 1791
Sujay Kentlyn, Health Policy Officer, National LGBTI Health Alliance, 0417 624 749; 02 8568 1126

Continue reading »]]> Suicide rates among people in Australia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities will be tackled with a $1.1 million Gillard Government grant.

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, today announced the Gillard Government will provide $1.1 million over two and a half years to the National LGBTI Health Alliance for MindOUT, a new national mental health and suicide prevention project.

“The LGBTI community reports higher levels of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems with evidence suggesting they are 3.5 to 14 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general community,” Mr Butler said.

“The MindOUT proiect will help address these needs by building the capacity of the LGBTI community members and mainstream health services to respond more effectively.

“As the peak national body representing organisations and individuals that work to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTI Australians, the Alliance is best placed to lead this important project which I’m confident will lead to better support and service provision for the LGBTI community.

“During the 2010 election, we committed to take action against suicide, particularly for high risk groups such as the LGBTI community. Today’s announcement shows we are delivering on this commitment.”

The National LGBTI Alliance welcomed the new funding.

“The medical and scientific evidence concerning increased suicide by queer people is clear. Now we have a chance to respond to this and offer national frameworks for training for both LGBTI and mainstream mental health services,” Dani Wright, Chair of the Alliance’s Mental Health Working Group and GLCS WA Board Secretary said.

“We know the problem all too well. What we need to do is to learn more about which interventions are most effective for LGBTI people. The needs of young gay men in rural areas will be different to those of transgender and intersex people. We need a comprehensive approach. The Alliance is committed to that.

“The Alliance will be undertaking work in policy and capacity development for the LGBTI and mainstream, mental health sectors.

“We will be working with our members to develop national approaches to mental health and suicide prevention, building on the great work already taking place, but sharing it nationally.”

Alliance Board Chair Paul Martin said that “mental health is an important priority. The funding is a recognition by the Australian Government that LGBTI health concerns are an important part of a health system which respects diversity and social inclusion.”

Paul Martin said that the mental health project would not limit the Alliance’s other high priorities which include aged care for LGBTI people, sex and gender diversity health issues, and research into LGBTI health needs.

For more information, please contact the Minister’s Office on (02) 6277 7280

Background information:

MindOUT! aims to improve the mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) population by establishing networks and linkages between the LGBTI sector and existing Commonwealth projects and other significant suicide prevention and mental health projects, programs and research.

MindOUT! aims to:
support generic mental health and suicide prevention service providers to

• develop best practice access to and delivery of services reaching LGBTI people, both regarding the treatment of mental health problems and the maintenance of better mental health outcomes;
• develop national mental health and suicide prevention initiatives to effectively target LGBTI communities, utilising and building existing capacity
• contribute evidence-based policy advice to the Commonwealth and other national stakeholders for best practice in mental health and suicide prevention activity for this high-risk population
• ensure that research is conducted and disseminated that contributes to the evidence base around LGBTI mental health and well-being

In order to meet these aims the National LGBTI Health Alliance will be establishing networks and linkages between the LGBTI sector, the Commonwealth and other relevant stakeholders to assist them in their efforts to improve LGBTI mental health and reduce suicide among LGBTI people. For more about the National LGBTI Health Alliance go to www.lgbtihealth.org.au

PDF printable version of Tackling Suicide in LGBTI Community (PDF 24 KB)

Continue reading »]]> $4000 travel voucher from the Flight centre up for grabs – participate in the CONNECT study and you will have a chance to go into the draw to win!

If you are male, over 18, have had sex with another man in the last 12 months and live in Perth, Melbourne or Sydney – what are you waiting for? Contact Rita Freijah r.freijah@curtin.edu.au, visit www.connectstudy.net or  download the CONNECT Study flyer for more information on how to register.