New South Wales
Flood of support for first LGBTI Domestic Violence Awareness Day
Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate, so this Thursday (May 28) is Australia’s inaugural LGBTI Domestic Violence Awareness Day. The initiative aims shine a light on the high levels of domestic violence within Australian LGBTI relationships but low levels of reporting. Ben Bjarnesen, Queensland Police officer, DVConnect board member, and domestic violence survivor, founded the LGBTI Domestic …
Newcastle Pride Festival cancelled due to COVID-19
The organisers of the Newcastle Pride Festival have announced they have cancelled this year’s event due to COVID-19 fears, after months of preparation. Newcastle Pride President Lee-Anne McDougall said the committee had put in 7 months of planning for the 2020 Newcastle Pride Festival. However, with the “heaviest of hearts” she said the 2020 festival …
Gay venues around Australia react to COVID-19 crowd bans
LGBTIQ nightclubs and bars across Australia have reacted to the federal government’s new coronavirus crowd bans, with some closing their doors indefinitely. On Wednesday (March 18), the federal government banned non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people as Australia responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Brisbane, The Sportsman Hotel said as of Wednesday they …
NSW woman Kimberley McRae remembered at candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil has been held to honour the memory of NSW woman Kimberley McRae, following her tragic death this month in Coogee in Sydney’s south-east. Police found the 69-year-old, who was transgender, dead in suspicious circumstances at her unit earlier this month. The memorial was held in the suburb last Friday evening (January 24), …
Aussie gay men on PrEP suffer less anxiety, study finds
An Australian study has found gay and bisexual men taking HIV prevention medication PrEP also have significantly lower levels of HIV-related anxiety. PrEP was made available in Australia through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in April 2018. When taken as directed, the once-daily pill is up to 99% effective at preventing an HIV negative person from …
WATCH: Trans Aussies reflect on the Transgender Day of Remembrance
A group of trans and gender diverse Australians have reflected on the significance of today’s Transgender Day of Remembrance in a moving video. The Transgender Day of Remembrance began in United States in 1999 to honour the memory of Rita Hester, murdered the previous year in Boston. Now every year on November 20, the day …
Here’s your complete guide to the Tropical Fruits NYE Festival 2019
Don’t know what to do for NYE this year? Don’t worry, because the Tropical Fruits have you sorted. The Tropical Fruits New Year’s Eve Festival has been bringing people from all over Australia to Lismore for decades. The festival is one massive themed party, with the theme for 2019 is one close to our rainbow …
Man allegedly held hostage by Grindr hookup jumps from moving car
A man was allegedly held against his will and forced to jump from a moving car after a man he met on Grindr became “erratic” and “paranoid”, a court has heard. Steven Matthew Lonesborough allegedly picked up the man from his Wollongong home on October 11. He drove the man to Nowra on New South …
More Australian Anglicans vote to support same-sex marriages
Newcastle’s Anglican diocese has voted in favour of allowing ministers to bless same-sex marriages, defying Sydney Archbishop Glenn Davies on the issue. A majority of the clergy and lay people voted in favour of two bills on the issue at the diocese’s synod – the church’s parliament – on Saturday. One bill permits ministers to …
Byron Bay guys bare all for 2020 Manscapes calendar
Another crop of Byron Bay men have bared all for the new Manscapes calendar by northern New South Wales artist John Bortolin. The calendar blends regional Australian landscapes and male nude photography, to raise money for men’s mental health. Bortolin says the calendar is a tribute to some of my friends who have lost their …