On April 29 the 2010 Health in Difference conference begins in Sydney.
The conference aims to bring together key health organisations and individuals to address the significant health issues affecting people of marginalised sexualities and genders.
2010 marks the seventh Health in Difference, which is organised by the National GLBT Health alliance.
‘Doing Diversity’ is the overarching theme of the 2010 conference, with speakers arranged around five major strands; Social Inclusion, Exclusion and Resilience: A Social View of Health; Indigenous Health and Wellbeing: Culture, Context and Colonisation; Sex and Gender Diversity: Differences Within Diversity; Community: The Changing Nature of Our Relationships and Politics, Evidence and Practice: Creating Change.
Included amongst the five organisational strands are presentations addressing GLBTIQ ageing, mental health, families, youth, access to health services, and health promotion strategies in queer communities.
Executive Director of the National LGBT Health Alliance, and conference chair, Gabi Rosenstreich, told OUTinPerth;
‘Although we’ve achieved a lot of areas of legislative reform around relationship status there are still areas where there’s a long way to go… in particular antidiscrimination legislation and issues around identity documentation.
‘But I think it’s important to remember not all issues that affect our community start and stop with legislation. Social inclusion and exclusion are far more complex than just legislation though they obviously relate to that to too.
‘At this point in time the health outcomes of our population are disproportionately bad across a whole range of areas including mental health, suicide, drug and alcohol use, so there’s still a long way to go in terms of developing policy and appropriate service provision that responds to those issues.
‘A big emphasis for the conference is on networking and helping people connect with others that are working in specific areas or share particular experiences. It brings a lot of people who have incredible expertise in these areas together and others who perhaps have less expertise but interest. It brings people together to learn from each other, to share their information to develop strategies, to make connections.
‘So in a whole range of ways we see it as a base to help progress work to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTI people.’
Health in Difference 2010 ‘Doing Diversity’ runs from April 29 to May 1.
For more information see www.lgbthealth.org.au/health-in-difference-2010
Zoe Carter
