01 September 2012: Press Release
Queensland Transgender Conference leading the way in
Trans Health Care
Cairns is leading the way for Transgender health in Australia with the recent success of the Queensland Transgender, Sistergirl and Gender Diverse Conference held on the 24th and 25th of August. This conference attracted over 160 participants from not only Queensland but also interstate and internationally. There was a great mixture of community members and medical professionals attending including the renowned Prof Milton Diamond from Hawaii and activist Peter Hyndal from A Gender Agender ACT.
Currently the Queensland government does not count or acknowledge the existence of diverse sex and gender people in its community and does not provide any funding for transgender health. The conference provided the opportunity to celebrate and make visible the health needs of diverse sex and gender people in Queensland.
This conference was the first opportunity for a Thailand surgeon who specialises in sex reassignment surgery (SRS) to speak to such a group in Australia. Dr Sanguan Kunaporn said, “According to my research 1 in 500 people are of Diverse Sex and Gender”.
Conference attendee, Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, The Hon Mark Butler said, “This conference is very important for Australia and I will continue to support trans health through the National LGBT Health Alliance.”
Other noted politicians also made favourable comments, Hon Warren Entsch said “I firmly believe in the need to improve health for transgender people as a nationally important issue” and Senator Louise Pratt from WA noted “All government departments need to have a trans inclusion policy similar to the department of foreign affairs so transgender people do not have to have life changing surgery just to access legal rights.“
Shelley Argent, the national spokesperson for PFLAG released their new resource to support parents of transgender children at the conference and highlighted the work that PFLAG is doing to support the parents of members of the Transgender and Sex and Gender Diverse community.
The conference also provided a rare opportunity for Sistergirls (Indigenous Trans women) to meet. Sistergirls travelled from right across the country to attend. Healthy Communities 2Spirits program launched a new Sistergirl awareness raising resource.
Some key points that were raised at the conference included:
• To promote Transgender health as a cutting edge, exciting and rewarding area of medicine to be involved in
• To form a Transgender skilled professional medical network of GP and mental health workers to act as peer supports and share skills to medical professionals across Australia
• To lobby for the reopening of Gender Clinics in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
• More Transgender people are having children and will need advice and support from the medical profession
• Puberty blocking and cross-sex hormonal medication to be available to people under 18 without having to go through the Family Court system.
• Medicare needs to fund surgery for trans people as an essential medical requirement
· There are more genders then just male and female
· To improve mental health and reduce high trans suicide rates
In the words of Prof Milton Diamond, "Nature loves variety. Unfortunately, society hates it". The conference has been a critical step to highlight the importance of Trans Health issues and reducing stigma and discrimination.
Currently the Queensland government does not count or acknowledge the existence of diverse sex and gender people in its community and does not provide any funding for transgender health. The conference provided the opportunity to celebrate and make visible the health needs of diverse sex and gender people in Queensland.
This conference was the first opportunity for a Thailand surgeon who specialises in sex reassignment surgery (SRS) to speak to such a group in Australia. Dr Sanguan Kunaporn said, “According to my research 1 in 500 people are of Diverse Sex and Gender”.
Conference attendee, Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, The Hon Mark Butler said, “This conference is very important for Australia and I will continue to support trans health through the National LGBT Health Alliance.”
Other noted politicians also made favourable comments, Hon Warren Entsch said “I firmly believe in the need to improve health for transgender people as a nationally important issue” and Senator Louise Pratt from WA noted “All government departments need to have a trans inclusion policy similar to the department of foreign affairs so transgender people do not have to have life changing surgery just to access legal rights.“
Shelley Argent, the national spokesperson for PFLAG released their new resource to support parents of transgender children at the conference and highlighted the work that PFLAG is doing to support the parents of members of the Transgender and Sex and Gender Diverse community.
The conference also provided a rare opportunity for Sistergirls (Indigenous Trans women) to meet. Sistergirls travelled from right across the country to attend. Healthy Communities 2Spirits program launched a new Sistergirl awareness raising resource.
Some key points that were raised at the conference included:
• To promote Transgender health as a cutting edge, exciting and rewarding area of medicine to be involved in
• To form a Transgender skilled professional medical network of GP and mental health workers to act as peer supports and share skills to medical professionals across Australia
• To lobby for the reopening of Gender Clinics in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
• More Transgender people are having children and will need advice and support from the medical profession
• Puberty blocking and cross-sex hormonal medication to be available to people under 18 without having to go through the Family Court system.
• Medicare needs to fund surgery for trans people as an essential medical requirement
· There are more genders then just male and female
· To improve mental health and reduce high trans suicide rates
In the words of Prof Milton Diamond, "Nature loves variety. Unfortunately, society hates it". The conference has been a critical step to highlight the importance of Trans Health issues and reducing stigma and discrimination.
23rd of August 2012
ABC Life Matters interview- TRANSGENDER HEALTH: THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF GPS
15 March 2012: Conference Notice for Newsletters
Please feel free to use the A6 newsletter style Conference Notice attached below, or to contact the Committee if you require this in a different format hivandhcvprojects@uq.edu.au
Please feel free to use the A6 newsletter style Conference Notice attached below, or to contact the Committee if you require this in a different format hivandhcvprojects@uq.edu.au
| tsgd_conference_e_flier.pdf |
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11 February 2012: Press Release
Queensland Transgender, Sister Girl and Gender Diverse Conference: Health and Well-Being Into the Future.
Community members and people providing transgender care will have the opportunity to meet and learn from each other at a ground breaking conference to be held on 24th-25th August 2012 at the Cairns Rydges Esplanade Resort.
The Transgender, Sister Girl and Gender Diverse Conference is “long overdue” says Dr Darren Russell of the Cairns Sexual Health Service. “The need for better Trans health care is at an all time high. This conference is a partnership between the community and medical profession so it’s an opportunity for clinicians to share and learn from each other, and to share and learn from the trans community”.
Amanda Dean, a community member and an organiser for the conference said “the conference planning committee has gone to great lengths to ensure that the program and conference content respects the diversity of needs and issues that represent the different members of the transgender community. I am so excited to have this opportunity to help my community.”
Conference organising partners the Cairns Sexual Health Service, the HIV & HCV Education Projects of The University of Queensland and the Queensland Association of Healthy Communities will be taking registrations from the 1st March via the conference website.
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11 February 2012: Press Release
Queensland Transgender, Sister Girl and Gender Diverse Conference: Health and Well-Being Into the Future.
Community members and people providing transgender care will have the opportunity to meet and learn from each other at a ground breaking conference to be held on 24th-25th August 2012 at the Cairns Rydges Esplanade Resort.
The Transgender, Sister Girl and Gender Diverse Conference is “long overdue” says Dr Darren Russell of the Cairns Sexual Health Service. “The need for better Trans health care is at an all time high. This conference is a partnership between the community and medical profession so it’s an opportunity for clinicians to share and learn from each other, and to share and learn from the trans community”.
Amanda Dean, a community member and an organiser for the conference said “the conference planning committee has gone to great lengths to ensure that the program and conference content respects the diversity of needs and issues that represent the different members of the transgender community. I am so excited to have this opportunity to help my community.”
Conference organising partners the Cairns Sexual Health Service, the HIV & HCV Education Projects of The University of Queensland and the Queensland Association of Healthy Communities will be taking registrations from the 1st March via the conference website.
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17/09/12 Being transgender in Indigenous communities
A program in Queensland aims to break down stereotypes about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Indigenous communities.
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/233139/Being-transgender-in-Indigenous-communities
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/233139/Being-transgender-in-Indigenous-communities
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