Loneliness is an awful emotion to experience. The thoughts, feelings and beliefs we have about loneliness makes us feel like a failed human. Even reading an article in a magazine about loneliness can have us wrestling with some uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.

If that’s you: thank you for starting to read this article. I’m proud of you. Simply reading this has taken some courage. Even if you’re ‘lonely curious’, I want to say hi and thank you for reading these words.

For some queer people, lockdown and time at home has meant time away from communities and friends that recognise and support their gender and sexual identities. Trying to keep safe in a world marked by risk and uncertainty.

When subcultures get co-opted by capital and become a moneymaking bonanza.

When coronavirus restrictions threatened the famous American White Party, an annual circuit party held in Palm Springs, California, the organizer, Jeffrey Sanger, decided to move the festivities to Jalisco, Mexico. Gay partygoers from around the world descended on the small coastal state for the New Year’s Eve bash. Stars from Ru Paul’s Drag race made appearances, and even some doctors and nurses, fresh off their first COVID-19 vaccine doses, got in on the action.

LGBTQ+ people impacted by sexual, domestic and family violence (SDFV) from across Australia will now have access to relevant, culturally appropriate and state-specific information and resources with the national rollout of the digital support hub, Say It Out Loud.

Produced by ACON, Australia’s largest sexuality and gender diverse health organisation, Say It Out Loud is an online platform on sexual, domestic and family violence designed specifically for LGBTQ+ people. First launched as a NSW specific site in 2017, the resource received funding from the Department of Social Services in 2019 to be expanded nationwide. 

Media Release: Meridian | A Gender Agenda

La Trobe University research released today found 57.2% of more than 6,000 surveyed lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people were experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress, while 41.9% reported thoughts about suicide over the past 12 months. Mental health in the LGBTIQ community is in crisis, and the La Trobe research makes it clear that action and investment in LGBTIQ mental health and suicide prevention is sorely needed.

Free Qwire Concert  and Picnic in the Park
Saturday 28 November 2020.
Glebe Park, 12noon–2.00 pm

“Canberra Qwire, Proudly LGBTIQ+, is very happy to be able to sing for the public this year”, said the Convenor, Anne-Marie Delahunt.  “It's been a hard year but we stay strong and we continue to support each other in this time of difficulty.”

‘Qwire in the Park’ is a free concert in a relaxing picnic setting out in Glebe Park, which has hosted many of Canberra’s cultural activities celebrating the beauty of diversity that enriches our society.

This Women’s Safety Summit brought together many voices calling for the government to take substantive action to address violence against women. This is happening ahead of the finalising of the next National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children in 2022. However, the national safety summit failed to adequately include a significant part of our population: LGBTQ+ communities.

This is an important Public Cervix Announcement! Regardless of your gender or who you have sex with, if you have a cervix, are between the ages of 25 – 74 and have ever sexually active then you need to participate in regular cervical screening.

 “The fact is, all LGBTIQ people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 74, need cervical screening every five years to reduce their risk of cervical cancer, no matter who they have as a sexual partner.”

Drawing on a campaign developed by Cancer Council Victoria and Thorne Harbour Health, Women’s Centre for Health Matters and Meridian (formerly AIDS Action Council) are raising awareness of the importance of regular cervical screening for everybody with a cervix. We hoping to reignite conversations in our communities about the importance of looking after our bodies. We know that regular testing and prevention is the key to reducing incidence of cervical and other cancers in our community.

 The Boys in the Band, a remake of a 1970 film based on a 1968 play, has arrived on Netflix.

The film tells the story of Michael, a Hermés scarf-loving, Manhattan-dwelling gay man who is hosting a birthday party for a friend. Intended as a small event for seven gay men, a straight former college buddy of Michael’s also arrives unexpectedly. The party, to put it mildly, does not go well.

Image: Andrew Rannells, Robin de Jesus, Jim Parsons, and Michael Benjamin Washington in The Boys in the Band (2020). Netflix Inc

After a chance encounter at an anonymous sex party, a sixteen year old boy hunts through the world of a hook-up app to track down the mystery man.

Favouring the instant gratification of anonymous, no-strings sexual encounters over meaningful relationships, high schooler Sequin is part of the always logged-on, but never-engaged, hook-up generation.