AIDS Trust New CEO: Nick Toonen – a past General Manager of the Tasmanian AIDS Council and board member of the Australian Federations of AIDS Organizations – has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the AIDS Trust of Australia.
A Ray of Sunshine: In an on-air debate for ABC Radio, Sunshine Coast Mayoral candidate Joe Natoli accused rival Bob Abbot of pushing for Noosa to become the new gay capital of Australia. Mr Natoli then said he was protecting the Sunshine Coast’s family image. The public response condemning these comments has been welcomed by local GLBTI group the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities.
Same Old Census Questions: Due to budget pressures, the 2011 Census will ask the same questions as in 2006 and not include new questions to better identify gay and lesbian residents. ACON president Mark Orr has appealed to Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan for intervention, stating that access to comprehensive information assists in the development of health and wellbeing programs.
Baywatch Boy to Wed Boyfriend: Tasmanian-born Baywatch boy Jaason Simmons came out in national magazine New Idea and discussed plans to marry his partner, Irish actor John O’Callaghan. The couple, who have adopted a six year old Ugandan son, will marry in Canada.
New Booklet for Poz Women: A new information booklet ‘Treat Yourself Right: Information for Women with HIV/AIDS’ for women living with HIV/AIDS was released nationally on International Women’s Day. The guide discusses treatment decisions, disclosing HIV status, sex, contraception, pregnancy and menopause. The booklet is available from local AIDS councils, PLWHA organisations, sexual health clinics, HIV prescribing GPs, and www.afao.org.au.
Dental Plan Schemes and Concerns: Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced the current dental health scheme will be discontinued. The nation’s leading HIV/AIDS organisations have raised concerns that people living with HIV will lose access to the subsidised care the current Enhanced Primary Care Dental Access Scheme provides.
Sydney Survey Reveals…: The 2007 Sydney Gay Community Periodic Survey, conducted every six months, shows that regular HIV testing rates have increased significantly recently and that there is a continued decline in unprotected sex with casual partners among gay men.
Mourning Yvette Snedden: Dr Yvette Sneddon, former convenor of Tasmania’s North West Gay Support Group, died on Good Friday in a hit-and-run accident near Burnie. Dr Sneddon will be best remembered for her ground-breaking research into the health and well-being of lesbian women and their families and her involvement in the Tasmanian gay law reform date during the late 80s and early 90s.
