ACON Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

ABC Media Watch’s most recent episode has been criticised for platforming anti-trans talking points and targeting LGBTQI organisation ACON and its Pride in Diversity Program. The episode broadcast on Monday, October 17, claimed to be looking at the “relationship” between ABC and ACON, which runs the Australian Workplace Index Awards. “Can the ABC remain impartial when it partners with a lobby group and gets ranked in a competitive index?” the programme asked. The programme appeared to suggest that ABC’s coverage of LGBTQI issues, especially issues of the transgender community, was impacted by it participating in ACON’s Pride In Diversity initiative. Media Watch raised the issue of  independence of ABC‘s editorial coverage in  light of the fact that it participates in ACON’s AWEI program.

Victoria has not seen a new Monkeypox infection in the past few weeks. While it is too early to celebrate, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton thanked gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men for the turnaround. Sutton’s comments came even as Australia’s health minister Mark Butler said that the growth of monkeypox infection in the country appear to be stabilising. “It does appear that new infection numbers are stabilising significantly in the area of monkeypox.

By Karl JohnsonHistory has taught us how to effectively respond to an infectious disease outbreak – but we must work together and act fast.  For many of us, this feels familiar.  We are watching the exponential growth of an infectious outbreak overseas while having more mild impacts here at home, yet that might likely change. Much like the early days of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics, our local situation lags behind what we see in places like the United States and Europe.

Australia will roll out its monkeypox vaccinations from Monday, August 8. Initially, the vaccines will be prioritised for gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men who are at high risk of exposure. The Australian government had last week announced that it had secured nearly half a million doses of JYNNEOS, 3rd generation Monkeypox vaccines from Bavarian Nordic.

NSW Health has confirmed 11 cases of monkeypox in the state and urged the community, especially men who have sex with men, to look out for symptoms. Of the 11 cases, nine persons are likely to have acquired the infection overseas and while two were infected in Australia. NSW Health said that this could point to local transmission. US Gay Man Shares His Monkeypox Diagnosis In Viral TikTok Video“People need to be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox, which can include fever, headache, body aches and a rash or lesions on the genital area,” Dr McAnulty said in a statement.‘So far, in the cases we have seen in NSW, monkeypox is not presenting the way some people expect, such as an extensive rash or lesions all over the body.

Being handed a trophy for outstanding achievement in business, social service, or the arts is undoubtedly special, but when the award comes from your own community in recognition of your contribution, that’s another level again. The Honour Awards is one such accolade, recognising individuals in the NSW LGBTQ community who have distinguished themselves as leaders, providers, ambassadors, advocates, or inspirational heroes. Organised by ACON, the Honour Awards have been held annually since 2007, with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

A public launch is being held this Saturday, June 4, 2022, for the Bondi memorial dedicated to victims and survivors of the spate of homophobic and transphobic violence that occurred from the 1970s to 1990s in Sydney and New South Wales.Located in Marks Park in Tamarama, the memorial titled ‘Rise’ was installed through a collaboration with LGBTQ health organisation ACON, Urban Art Projects (UAP) Design Studio and Waverley Council.The memorial is being launched to the community in a commemorative event at Marks Park. In attendance at the event will be representatives from organisations involved, as well as political figures and special guests. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said in a statement to Star Observerthat the memorial is “dedicated to the recognition of the recent history of gay and transphobic hate crimes that occurred in Bondi and along the east coast of Australia.”Designed by John Nicholson and UAP, the memorial’s composition is embedded with meaning, as the layers mirror the nearby cliffs but appear instead to be moving towards the horizon. “Each of its six sculpted stone layers represents one of the six bands in the pride flag” Masselos said. “The Bondi Memorial in the public domain provides an opportunity for healing by making space for recognition and confrontation of the past, giving light to changing attitudes, and inviting ongoing reflection.”Some of the victims of gay hate crimes in Sydney.The location of the monument is recognised as a place where a significant number of hate crimes occurred throughout the 1970s to 1990s.

NSW government and ACON on Wednesday announced that it was setting up the first state-funded health care centre for the LGBTQI community. Schembri said that he felt “uncomfortable” as a gay patient. Schembri was speaking at the launch of the LGBTQI Health Strategy at Kinghorn Cancer Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney.Earlier this year in January, he was diagnosed with “a rare and random life changing illness” and spent eight weeks  “in and out of hospitals across the public and private systems”. Schembri said he had come out at the age of 14 and had lived and worked for over 25 years in clinical, managerial and chief executive roles in the New South Wales health system.“I thought I knew our public and private systems well. What I wasn’t prepared for was the number of times as a patient, I was asked if my wife was coming to pick me up after a procedure or whether my partner –  pronoun, ‘she or her’ – was joining the consultation,” said Schembri, who rejoined work last week. The historic NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022-2027 is built on the voices, experiences and insights of over 1,600 LGBTIQ+ people across the State and more than 750 NSW Health staff.

Australian experts, researchers, advocates, health professionals and members of the community will converge online on November 4 as the 5th annual LGBTIQ Women’s Health Conference kicks off.

Among the signatories of the joint open letter were The NSW Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, The Gender Centre, ACON, Intersex Human Rights Australia and The Public Interest Advocacy Centre.As Lawrie points out NSW Anti-Discrimination Act in 1982, was the first anti-discrimination law in Australia to cover homosexuality.“This is why it so disappointing that it now the worse in the country in terms of LGBTQI coverage.”“The specific exemptions for private educational authorities are also unique in that

With Sydney’s current COVID-19 Delta strain lockdown, LGBTQI migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers struggle to access their communities, as organisations lack funding.

PrEPARE we’ve also found that younger men (aged under 25), guys on lower incomes, or those not in full-time jobs are significantly less likely to use PrEP,” Professor Holt told Star Observer.“To me, that indicates the cost of going to the doctor (particularly if the doctor doesn’t bulk bill) and of getting a regular prescription are barriers to PrEP use.

HIV diagnosis among overseas-born gay and bisexual men, especially those who have come to Australia from Asia, has increased from 28 per cent in 2008 to 52 per cent in 2017, according to the Australian Annual Surveillance report.

For more information on ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, visit www.prideinclusionprograms.com.au 2021 AUSTRALIAN LGBTQ INCLUSION AWARDSAUSTRALIAN WORKPLACE EQUALITY INDEX  Platinum EmployersPlatinum Project Acknowledgements:Platinum Qualifiers for 2021:Gold Employers Silver Employers Bronze EmployersSmall Employer of the YearAchievement Award for Most Improved Small EmployerGold Small EmployersSmall Silver employersSmall Bronze employers HEALTH + WELLBEING INDEXService Provider of the YearMost

https://t.co/CqvYNx1B5Y pic.twitter.com/AZEUSB0aMu— Shayne Mallard MP (@ShayneMallard) May 4, 2021The committee noted the case of Simon, a gay man from Newton, who went missing in July 2005.

The New South Wales government on Wednesday introduced a new mandatory HIV testing law in Parliament, a move condemned by experts and community organisations.The proposed legislation, Mandatory Disease Testing Bill, seeks to enforce compulsory testing of persons whose bodily fluids have come into contact with frontline health, emergency or  public sector workers. ACON said the “misguided and ineffective” law, ignores science, incites fear and harms marginalised communities.

Retired Australian Federal Police Superintendent Cath Grassick was named Out Role Model of the year, while investment firm J P Morgan and RMIT University bagged top honours for the LGBTQI Employee Network of the Year at the 2020 Australian LGBTQI Awards.The awards luncheon, originally scheduled for May and postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was held in Sydney at the Hyatt Regency on Monday.

The 2020 Good Design Awards have been announced, with TransHub  included among the recipients of the prestigious Good Design Awards Gold Accolade.TransHub is an initiative that was developed as an important resource for the trans and gender diverse community to access support and information and was formulated by ACON in response to it’s landmark document, ‘A Blueprint to Improve the Health and Wellbeing of the Trans and Gender Diverse Community in NSW’.From the TransHub website: “TransHub

In a recent update, it has been announced that the Parramatta Pride Picnic 2020 has been cancelled. In a post, ACON announced that “Due to the ongoing situation around COVID-19, we regret to announce this year’s Parramatta Pride Picnic has been cancelled.”The statement goes on to say, “We regret the cancellation of this much-loved community event but the safety and welfare of attendees is our top priority.”According to the New South Wales government website, the restrictions around outdoor

Australian’s general healthcare needs are being put on the back burner, unless they are one of the symptoms of this horrendous virus.Members of the trans and gender diverse community have been impacted severely, by not being able to access trans services and appointments face-to-face. ACON and Trans Pride Australia have taken it upon themselves and are using their fabulous initiative to hold a four-part event, which has been supported by the City of Sydney, for Trans Pride In A Pandemic.

The word on the street is to mask-up! Victoria was the first state in Australia to make masks mandatory in an effort to control the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, other states including NSW and Queensland appear to be coming around to ‘encourage’ the wearing of masks.NSW Health has encouraged the wearing of masks, especially while on public transport in Sydney, after public health warnings in relation to a CBD cluster named a bus route, gym and a pub.

A design has been finalised for the Bondi memorial to victims and survivors of homophobic and transphobic attacks in Sydney. ACON and Waverley Council on Wednesday announced that Urban Art Project’s design Rise will be constructed at Marks Park, Tamarama. The construction of the memorial is scheduled for 2021, with the Waverly Council putting in $100,00 and ACON contributing $64,000 raised through donations.From the 1970s to 1990s, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were the target of

2 min read A gay American man who was murdered in Sydney almost 32 years ago may finally have justice. Scott Johnson’s naked body was discovered at the bottom of a cliff in December 1988.

Do LGBTQI communities think of domestic and family violence (DFV) or intimate partner violence (IPV) as a heterosexual problem? A new Australian study says, yes!

In light of struggles being experienced by transgender and gender diverse (TGD) Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic, ACON and the National LGBTI Health Alliance will be hosting a special online forum ‘Living Trans During C19’.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues for the foreseeable future, experts and organisations are warning LGBTQI Australians to be careful if they plan to come out during self-isolation.

In another historic move, health and legal advocates are again calling on LGBTQI community members to tell their stories to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into gay and transgender hate crimes from 1970 to 2010.

The hate crimes that devastated the NSW gay and trans communities during the 1970s through to 2010 were an example of the deplorable level of indifference and injustice suffered by the LGBTIQ people at the time.

Fighting For Our Lives is a new book by Nick Cook that looks at how the Australian LGBTIQ community fought AIDS and won.

A NSW Parliamentary Inquiry will re-examine violent crimes committed against gay and transgender people during the 1970s through to 2010. The Inquiry is currently accepting submissions from members of the LGBTQI community regarding their experiences and the consequences of hate crime during that period which ACON estimates to have resulted in around 40 deaths.