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Queensland LGBTI Services Funding Withdrawn
Save ‘Healthy Communities’
Healthy Communities, Queensland’s only LGBT health and wellbeing organisation, needs your urgent help to save the organisation, after the Minister for Health withdrew all Queensland Health funding.
With no warning or negotiation, we have been informed that all our funding from Queensland Health will cease in 3 months time. Queensland Health is our main funder and without their funding it puts in jeopardy our capacity to deliver all our other services.
“We need your support now more than ever. This is matter of survival for our organisation and the future of the LGBT community in Queensland. Any action in support of us that you can make would be appreciated. But you must act quickly” said Mark Morein, President.
What can you do?
Contact the Health Minister and Premier and call for our funding to be reinstated.
Minister for Health – Lawrence Springborg
Phone: 07 3234 1191
Fax: 07 3229 0444
Email: Health@ministerial.qld.gov.auPremier – Campbell Newman
Phone: 07 3224 4500
Fax: 07 3221 1809
Email: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.auJoin the campaign on Facebook http://www.qahc.org.au/facebook or use the hashtag #saveQAHC on Twitter
Contact your local member of parliament and ask them to support us and the LGBT community. Contact details available from http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list
Encourage your friends, family, colleagues and other contacts to take action.
Express your views online, in newspapers, or the radio – anywhere…
Donate to our fighting fund – http://www.healthycommunities.org.au/donationWhat will be lost if our funding is stopped:
No one-to-one support about HIV & safe sex
No HIV prevention skills building workshops
No condom & lube distribution
No LGBT awareness training for health & community services
No sexual health information line
No support for reducing or giving up cigarettes or illicit drugs
No printed resources on HIV prevention and sexual health for gay/msm
No social marketing campaigns like ‘Rip & Roll’ promoting safe sex
No peer education or volunteering
No outreach at pubs, clubs, events and SOPVs
No sexual health promotion in LGBT magazines and other media
No support to LGBT groups and networks
No participation in LGBT community festivals
No voice for LGBT people on HIV prevention and related LGBT health issuesFurther information and background at http://www.healthycommunities.org.au
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3 Replies
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It didn’t take long for the QLD conservative right to show their real colours towards LGBT people.
I well remember a spokesperson for Joe Bjelke in the ” Joe for PM ” days saying that ” real Australians are sick of hearing from Aborigines , homosexuals , single mothers and this kind of rubbish!’It appears that Campbell has not lost any of his mentor’s attitudes.
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*ON BEHALF OF
Dear Family of Healthy Communities
In the week since the announcement that Healthy Communities will no longer receive any funding for all of our funding for its HIV, STI and Hepatitis C prevention work with gay men in Queensland (for reasons that are not based on fact or review) along with the LGBT Awareness Training Program and LGBT ATODS Project being defunded, it’s nice to have some good news about all of the support and fundraising activities supporting us and report on the response from our community.
Since Sunday we’ve received over $3400 in donations with many coming from interstate and some even coming from overseas! We’re very grateful and this will help fund our fight to remain an important service for the community, but we know that this won’t be enough to continue in our present capacity. You can help by donating at http://www.qahc.org.au/donation
Rally
You will want to be a part of this! It is going to go down in history! Equal Love are organising a rally to start at 5pm in King George Square and we will then march around 6pm to Parliament House where we’ll arrive by 6:30pm. So join us on the way when you finish work. They are giving us half their donations and we’ll also be there collecting donations too.
The rally will make an impact with a massive number expected to turn out for a peaceful protest (we’re hearing in the thousands). There will be a silent candlelight vigil to remember those we have lost to AIDS and commemorate the fight against HIV that our community initiated in Queensland 28 years ago. This action will celebrate those that have fought along the way and stand for the prevention efforts with gay men that should continue. The vigil will also symbolise those we have lost to suicide, and drugs and alcohol and send a loud message with its silence. Download the candle app and make sure your phone is charged or bring your own candles and we’ll have some to share too!
If you haven’t yet joined the thousands who have signed the petition, help us create a call they can’t ignore at PETITION LINK
We’ve had feedback that many of our supporters have taken a few minutes to write to their MPs. If your views haven’t been heard yet, it’s important politicians hear that the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders, including a community-based approach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health and HIV prevention is important to you. Their contact information is here http://www.qahc.org.au/actions
A lot of people who have written to their MPs have contacted us to let us know that they have received the same form response which unfortunately contains some serious errors and inaccuracies.
For other information please check out website http://www.qahc.org.au join our event.
If you could help further by sharing this issue with all of your friends and loved ones and ask them to support in whatever way they can too, it would be greatly appreciated.
Everyone at Healthy Communities would like to give heartfelt thanks for the tremendous support that we have received. You have given us strength during this crisis. With your support we will go on and we will keep fighting for the best health and wellbeing outcomes for all of Queensland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. If you have any further ideas or events that will help us in this fight please contact Jason Russo on 07 3017 1728 or email jrusso@qahc.org.au
Thank you for your support
Mark Morein
President
Queensland Association for Healthy Communities
http://www.qahc.org.au
07 3017 1728
jrusso@qahc.org.au -
*ON BEHALF OF HEALTHY COMMUNITIES LESBIAN HEALTH ACTION GROUP (LHAG)*
Hi,
The Healthy Communities Lesbian Health Action Group (LHAG) has NOT been directly affected by the recent funding cuts to the Healthy Communities by Queensland Health to the HIV prevention work with gay men.
LHAG is operated completely by volunteers and uses funds that have been donated or raised through our fundraising activities.
LHAG will continue to provide Lesbian, Bisexual women, Same-sex attracted women and Trans* women with health and wellbeing support, information and social activities.
Upcoming events include:
Yoga for Lesbians on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm Earth Awakening at West End
LezTouch on Sunday afternoons at 3.30pm at Yeronga Memorial Park.LHAG are also currently working on
Women’s Safe Sex Packing Day,
18+ women’s space at the Brisbane Pride Festival in September and
International Lesbian Day in October.Our next planning meeting is on Tuesday 5th June at 6.30pm at Healthy Communities. Please come along to contribute to this group.
HOWEVER, Healthy Communities needs your support now more than ever. Any action in support of us that you can make would be appreciated. To find out what you can do, please visit http://www.qahc.org.au/saveQAHC or the Save Healthy Communities Facebook event http://www.facebook.com/events/312518542160186/
You also might be interested in attending the Community Rally on Wednesday 30th May http://www.facebook.com/events/400528649991673/
Sally Morris
Client Support CoordinatorQueensland Association for Healthy Communities Inc.
PO Box 1372, Eagle Farm BC, QLD 4009
30 Helen Street, Teneriffe Q. 4006
Ph. (07) 3017 1740
Mobile: 0411 151 689
Fax (07) 3852 5200
http://www.qahc.org.au
http://www.qahc.org.au/InsideOut
http://www.facebook.com/sallymorrisQAHC
