Victoria
New study to support Australian ‘conversion therapy’ survivors
A new study led by a La Trobe University academic will investigate the impact of harmful LGBT “conversion therapy” in Australia. Dr Timothy Jones from the university will head a team researching how to better help survivors of the discredited practices. “Previous research has shown that attempts to change the sexual and gender orientation of …
Melbourne vandals deface Jewish golf club with swastikas and gay slurs
Police are hunting vandals responsible for vile antisemitic and homophobic graffiti at a Jewish-owned golf course in Melbourne. Cranbourne Golf Club’s management said staff and members found the graffiti on the club’s fourth green on Wednesday morning. Vandals had damaged the green by spray-painting Nazi swastikas, a homophobic slur and drawings of penises on the …
Australian Christian Lobby furious about pronouns in email signatures
The Australian Christian Lobby has demanded all levels of government ban public servants from declaring their preferred pronouns in staff email signatures. The group is furious that the City of Melbourne is giving staff the choice of adding a message about whether they’d like to be called “he, she or they” on internal emails. The …
Fifteen regional groups to unite for ‘Pride-solation’ livestream
Fifteen LGBTIQ+ organisations across regional Victoria will come together for a “Pride-Solation” livestream to mark Pride Month. On Saturday, June 20, the Pride-Solation event will bring together more than a dozen regional festivals. The event will showcase musicians, artists, burlesque, cabaret, interviews with community members, and more exciting surprises. Claudia Validum, Country Program Coordinator at …
What Victoria Police must do after ‘appalling’ leak of Dean Laidley photos
LGBTIQ advocates have called for more training for Victoria Police officers after the leaking of photos of former AFL player and coach Dean Laidley while in police custody. Laidley was arrested on Saturday night in St Kilda and faces charges including those related to stalking. At the weekend two photos, a mugshot and a photo …
Trans Victorians cheer as state’s birth certificate reforms begin
Transgender and gender diverse Victorians are applauding the state’s new birth certificate laws, which come into effect today (May 1). The new laws passed last August. They allow trans people to update the sex marker on their birth certificate without undergoing invasive and expensive surgeries, among other changes. Transgender Victoria executive director Margot Fink said …
Federal government urged to act on LGBTIQ homelessness
Four LGBTIQ organisations have united to call on the federal government to address high rates of LGBTIQ homelessness in Australia. The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, Transgender Victoria, the New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Intersex Human Rights Australia have made the submission to the federal inquiry into homelessness. In it, …
ACL backs Christian doctor Jereth Kok suspended for offensive social media posts
The Australian Christian Lobby have begun campaigning for Dr Jereth Kok, a Melbourne GP suspended for social media posts appearing to endorse “racial and religious violence and genocide” and “demeaning” views against gay and transgender people. Last August, the Medical Board of Australia suspended Dr Kok (pictured) after complaints about his Facebook posts. Dr Kok …
Big milestone in construction of Victoria’s Pride Centre
Victoria’s Pride Centre will celebrate an important milestone in its construction next week. Work on the 6,000 square metre Pride Centre in St Kilda is still underway. When it opens, it will be the second-largest Pride Centre in the world. Next Tuesday, the Pride Centre will hold a “topping out” ceremony at the site. No, …
Victim outraged as police cleared after botched gay bookstore raid
Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has cleared police of using excessive force in a botched raid on a gay bookstore that left an innocent man seriously injured. In May last year, events promoter Nik Dimopoulos was asleep in an apartment above Fitzroy queer bookstore Hares and Hyenas when he heard voices of intruders. Unknown to Dimopoulos, the …