Victoria
Victorian Liberal candidate Gladys Liu under fire for LGBTIQ comments
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended Victorian Liberal candidate Gladys Liu after comments she made in 2016 disparaging LGBTIQ issues resurfaced. Liu, the Liberal candidate for the seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s east, told The Guardian in 2016 that Chinese immigrants believe same-sex marriage “is against normal practice”. “The Chinese people come to Australia because …
GLOBE offering $33,000 in grants to Victorian LGBTIQ community
LGBTIQ business organisation GLOBE has announced it will award $33,000 to Victorian LGBTIQ individuals, groups and businesses through its long-running Community Grants program. Each year, Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Business and Enterprise (GLOBE) reinvests the revenue from its annual Community Awards ceremony into the state’s LGBTIQ community through the annual Community Grants program, with …
Victorian government funds program to help trans women into work
The Victorian Government has announced $227,000 in funding for not-for-profit organisation Fitted for Work, to help transgender job seekers overcome barriers to employment. Fitted for Work is a not-for-profit organisation which has assisted more than 35,000 women in securing and maintain employment over 14 years. The organisation will put the new funding towards its pilot …
Federal government backtracks on funding cuts to LGBTIQ seniors program
Federal Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt has announced it will provide $122,500 to Switchboard Victoria for its LGBTIQ elder outreach program Out and About, after federal funding cuts last year threatened the program’s future. The Out and About program seeks to address the social isolation experienced by older LGBTIQ people with regular community visits. Switchboard …
Melbourne man avoids jail for extorting money from engaged Grindr user
A Melbourne man has avoided jail time after he blackmailed and extorted money from an engaged Grindr user he threatened to “out” to his fiancee. On Friday, Timothy Ruge was ordered to serve a 24-month community corrections order and complete 220 hours of unpaid community work by a Victorian County Court judge, 9 News reported. …
Melbourne man jailed for sexual abuse of 14-year-old he met on Grindr
A Melbourne man who gave a 14-year-old boy he met on Grindr the drug GHB and sexually abused him has been jailed for at least two years. Andrew Castles, 28, admitted he met the child, who prosecutors said was a vulnerable transgender boy in state care, in 2017 through the Grindr app, AAP reported. The …
Researcher Wins Victorian Sport Award For World-First Homophobia Study
Monash University researcher Erik Denison has received a Victorian Sport Award for his work on a world-first trial of a program designed at end homophobic language in sport. The Victorian Sport Awards honours outstanding contributions to sport in Victoria across 19 categories, and Mr Denison (pictured, second from right) was awarded the inaugural Peter Norman …
Australian Social Workers Call For States To Ban ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) has welcomed the Victorian government’s recent pledge to outlaw gay “conversion therapy” and called on other states to look at similar bans. The discredited “conversion” practices attempt to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity using psychological or spiritual means, and have been condemned by …
Calls For Other States To Follow Victoria On ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ Ban
LGBTIQ advocates including new lobby group Equality Australia have welcomed the Victorian government’s pledge to tackle harmful “gay conversion therapy” in the state. Speaking at the Midsumma Pride March on Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the practices were “bigoted quackery” and consultation would begin on legislation to prohibit the discredited and harmful practices. The …
Victorian Government Pledges Ban On ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced new legislation to outlaw harmful “gay conversion” therapy in the state. The discredited practices attempt to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity using psychological or spiritual means, and have been condemned by major health bodies around the world. Speaking at the 2019 Midsumma Pride March …