FUSE37 : Embrace Impermanence. Lesbian Lifestyle (Girl Cover)

FUSE

MADE IN AUSTRALIA FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU OCT / NOV 2013

LIFE LOVE 37 24 EQUALITY

DIY PARENTING

CONCEPTION

IN A CUP

ARE YOU A MINORITY GIRL ELECTION WRAP BACK TO THE FUTURE WHO ARE THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE HOW LUCKY ARE YOU REALLY

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COULD YOU BE A FOSTER CARER?

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FUSE MAGAZINE MADE IN AUSTRALIA OCT / NOV 2013

LIFE LOVE 37 EQUALITY EDITOR Alexander Thatcher

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ASSOCIATE EDITORS Linda Djumlija Yasmin Element

FUSE FEATURES

POLITICAL EDITOR Simon Copland CREATIVE DIRECTOR Christopher Powell CONTRIBUTORS Scott Malcolm Elizabeth Gorrell Keiran Rossteuscher Rose Pappalardo Bebe Backhouse Rebecca Langham Dwayne Lennox Melisa Paz Philippa Moss Sam Killermann Kim Hefren-Webb Dr Johann Sheehan Marten Weber

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Homeless gay youth are almost invisible, if not totally forgotten. In this special feature we look at the challenges faced by LGBT people living on the streets.

38 Do you have a clear understanding of what

is a “normal” body type and what is not?

We’d like to introduce you to Minority Girl.

FUSE OP.ED 14

CONTACT FUSE 0412 309 992 hello@fusemagazine.com.au fusemagazine.com.au PO Box 3577 Manuka ACT 2603 Published + designed by: Lithium Innovation Pty Ltd lithium.net.au ISSN 1836-8387

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WWW.FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU 38 All rights reserved. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The appearance, mention or likeness of any person or organisation in editorial or advertising in no way suggests sexual or political orientation. Photographs used to illustrate editorial do not depict the real lives, behaviour or sexuality of the models. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the FUSE publisher, editor or staff. Any health, fitness or dietary advice contained in this magazine is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician and a fitness/health professional before changing your diet, doing any exercise program, or taking any supplements or remedies of any kind. Submissions of text, photographs or any other material will be taken as consent to publish said material.

SpringOUT Pride is on its way and Canberra will soon be bathed in rainbows. With lots of exciting new events, this year’s festival is shaping up to be the best yet.

24 Starting a family as a same-sex couple

takes lots of planning and careful thought.

Is conception in a cup for you?

BECOME FOSTER PARENTS P22

PHOTOGRAPHERS Doug Robinson Rose Pappalardo

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The gap between the haves and have-nots is widening. Do you know how lucky you really are? Sam Killermann lists fifteen examples of middle-to-upper class privilege you may not have thought about.

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With the Federal Election finally over and a change of Government, Elizabeth Gorrell muses over what this means for the LGBTI community and marriage equality.

FUSE REGULARS 02 04 07 10 22 26 29 31 32 40 42 45 46 48

Editor’s Rant What’s On : Movie Reviews What’s On : Events & Shows Round Up : News & Politics Parenting : Foster Care Couch Potato : Film & TV Out & About : Cube Nightclub Money Shot : Living on the Breadline Ear Candy : Music Reviews & News Out & About : Qwire Gala Ball Health : LGBTI Suicide & Depression Stargazer : Your Horoscope FUSE Community Directory Dear Rose FUSE37CONTENTS

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❂ IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE

John Lennon

Alexander Thatcher Editor

I wish we could all work better together so the world could be a better place. Watching Australian politicians — and some news outlets — manipulate people for their own gain brings me much sadness.

It’s true Australia could be a better country and there are some people doing it bloody tough, but for a nation that has come through the worst of the global financial crisis relatively unscathed, we seem to constantly want more for less. It seems that often our social conscience is only around when it either benefits us or has no personal impact at all.

Of course we are not all like this — the world is filled with many wonderful and cherished people.

Politics however seems weighted in the negative and I suppose I’m just wishing for more openhearted folk to step forward and be elected. When politicians think that compassion for others, equality, or wanting to care for our environment is “radical” then I think we should be very concerned.

This may all sound a bit on the negative side, but knowing these things and not hiding from uncomfortable truths can transform us and the world we live in.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU Check out the FUSE Magazine website for daily news, videos, special online features, what’s on listings, the latest community up dates on our popular message board, the FUSE business directory and more!

ADVERTISE WITH FUSE Interested in advertising with FUSE? Call us on 0412 309 992 or email hello@fusemagazine. com.au

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EDITOR’SRANT

In this issue we look at those who are less fortunate and often forgotten.

According to a recent study, 40% of homeless young people identify as gay, lesbian or trans* — it’s an alarming statistic. The reasons why are not hard to guess and the solutions seems obvious, but actually doing something about it is a whole different story. p16.

If you have a roof over your head and a warm place to sleep, sometimes knowing how lucky you are can help you to understand the suffering of others. We list fifteen examples of middle-to-upper class privilege you may not have thought about. p18.

Back in FUSE32 we ran a feature titled ‘So you want to be a parent’ which looked at assisted conception, surrogacy, adoption and the legalities around starting a family as a same-sex couple. In this issue we investigate an easier DIY parenting option. Find out if “conception in a cup” is for you. p24.

Feeling like you’re in the minority is something that everyone has experienced at some time in their lives. When it comes to body image, we often find ourselves — even if only subconsciously — comparing our appearance to people on the covers of magazines or models sporting the latest swimwear. It seems however that what is considered mainstream or “normal” is very skewed and far from the truth. We uncover some of the myths relating to body image, while searching for a clearer understanding of what is a healthy norm. p38.

I hope you enjoy reading FUSE37 as much as we did creating it. Alex

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IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT FACTORY FARMING...

Few people realise that factory farming is the single greatest cause of animal cruelty on the planet today. Visit MakeItPossible.com and join thousands of other caring Australians who are making a world without factory farming possible.

Watch the film.

Sign the pledge.

Inspire others.

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3

MOVIES

By Dwayne Lennox

FUSE MOVIE PICK OF THE MONTH!

ABOUT TIME : OPENS 17 OCTOBER GRAVITY OPENS 3 OCTOBER In space, no one can hear you scream. But Alfonso Cuaron’s latest film, his first since the 2006 sci-fi, Children of Men, is sure to have you on the edge of your seat if the teaser trailers are anything to go by. When debris crashes into their spacecraft, astronauts Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Kowalsky (George Clooney) are stranded in space and forced not only to survive but to somehow make it back to Earth. Gravity promises to be a 90 minute lesson in suspense.

From Richard Curtis, the writer-director of Love Actually, comes a rom-com with a time travel twist.

Not long after his 21st birthday, the unlucky in love Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns from his father (Bill Nighy) that the men in their family have the gift of time travel.

They can’t change major historical events but they can alter events in their own personal history, which Tim finds most useful after his failed attempt to woo Mary (Rachel McAdams). A good date night flick.

THOR — THE DARK WORLD OPENS 31 OCTOBER DIANA : OPENS 10 OCTOBER There’s no denying that Naomi Watts looks eerily reminiscent of the late Princess of Wales but one wonders how much suspension of disbelief will be required (too soon?) to fully engage with Oliver Hirschbiegel’s look at the last few years in the life of the People’s Princess? The film focusses on Diana’s relationship with heart surgeon, Doctor Hasnat Khan (Lost’s Naveen Andrews), and the struggle to keep their private lives private from the ever-present paparazzi. Sadly, we know how the story ends.

Aussie Chris Hemsworth returns as Asgardian hunk, Thor, in this sequel to Marvel’s 2011 hit. It sees the god with the mighty hammer and golden locks out to save his beloved Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) when she is targeted by the dark forces of Svartalfheim.

Games of Thrones’ Alan Taylor takes the reins from previous director Kenneth Branagh, promising to bring a necessary darkness to proceedings but we’re hoping there’s room for some of the humour of the first outing, and one or two opportunities for Hemsworth to get his shirt off.

✔ FREE MOVIE TICKETS

Email us and tell us what you think of FUSE, comment on an article or sign up to the FUSE eNews and you could win free tickets to these fantastic movies. hello@fusemagazine.com.au

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WHAT’SON

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CELEBRATE INTERSEX AWARENESS DAY 12.00PM – 4.00PM SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY In celebration of Intersex Awareness Day, A Gender Agenda in Canberra will be holding a public event to raise awareness of intersex issues within the broader ACT community.

CANBERRA FLORIADE 14 SEPTEMBER TO 13 OCTOBER COMMONWEALTH PARK, CANBERRA Canberra’s Commonwealth Park is set to come alive with the sights, tastes and sounds of spring as Floriade returns this September.

The national award-winning event’s stunning garden beds, exciting demonstrations, mind-boggling exhibitions and children’s entertainment have all been inspired by this year’s theme, Beautiful Innovation.

Floriade’s new destination, The Inspiration Hub, promises to enthuse and delight with a range of special guests including famed science enthusiast Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, ABC gardening guru Costa Georgiadis and fashion designer Nicola Finetti.

Gourmet Garden is guaranteed to get the mouth watering with demonstrations from some of Australia’s best-known chefs, including former MasterChef stars Julie Goodwin and Poh Ling Yeow, SBS chef Shane Delia and Ready Steady Cook’s Janelle Bloom.

Larrikin builder Barry Du Bois will demonstrate a few DIY tricks in the Bunnings Warehouse Garden and Emma Pask will entertain audiences at Stage 88.

Don’t miss Floriade’s ticketed evening event NightFest, which will be staged for the sixth consecutive year featuring spectacular lighting installations, comedians, DJs, live music and more.

Whether you would prefer to spend your evening wandering through the night markets or chilling out with a cocktail while listening to some smooth tunes, this moonlit extravaganza has something for you.

FLORIADE 2013 Saturday 14 September to Sunday 13 October 13 Commonwealth Park, Canberra. Open Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 5.00pm, weekends and public holidays 9.00am – 5.30pm.

NIGHTFEST Wednesday 25 September – Sunday 29 September 6.30pm – 10.30pm at Commonwealth Park, Canberra.

More information & event detals: floriadeaustralia.com

A Gender Agenda acknowledges that issues of intersexuality are underrepresented in the community and has chosen to celebrate Intersex Awareness by hosting an event designed to engage the ACT community with these issues in a relaxed and open environment. There will be a film screening and presentations by representatives from both local and national intersex groups such as the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group. The event is designed to engage participants in a discussion around the topics raised by the speakers and attendees.

The A Gender Agenda Intersex Awareness Day event will take place at the Canberra Museum and Gallery from 12pm – 4pm on Saturday the 26th of October. Everyone is welcome, from intersex identifying people and their friends and family to medical professionals, community groups and other interested members of the public.

For more information contact A Gender Agenda on 02 6162 1924 or email events@genderrights.org.au Online at: genderrights.org.au

WHAT’S ON! WANT TO KNOW WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING, CHECK OUT OUR ‘WHAT’S ON’ SECTION AT WWW.FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

CANBERRA CAPITAL QUEERS PRESENT

SERVING YOU REALNESS! SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER FROM 7.00PM @ BARCODE 6/26 CHALLIS ST DICKSON You’re invited to the official 2014 Mardi Gras float theme launch for Capital Queers. Come along to celebrate and find out more with a champagne or two. On the night you can also sign up to be part of the float and next years exciting Mardi Gras festivities.

Tickets are $10 including one glass of champagne on arrival.

CapitalQueers.com or facebook.com/cqcanberra WHAT’SON

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EMPIRE TAKES OVER! FROM 10 OCTOBER UNDER THE SPIEGELTENT CIVIC SQUARE, LONDON CIRCUIT, CANBERRA After rave reviews, sold out performances and standing ovations in New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, Spiegelworld will bring its all-new show EMPIRE to Canberra, pitching its opulent spiegeltent at Civic Square.

EMPIRE smashes the boundaries of circus, cabaret, vaudeville and burlesque, reinventing the genres for a 21st century audience and presenting the sexiest, most daring artists from across the globe.

The show had its world premiere season in New York City during the summer of 2012, where it was the first tented show ever seen in Times Square.

SEE THE SPRINGOUT HIGHLIGHTS CALENDAR P14

JOIN THE FUN AT CANBERRA’S SPRINGOUT PRIDE CELEBRATIONS When we think of Pride Festivals in Australia, we are instantly transported to the glitz and glamour of Mardi Gras in Sydney, Midsumma in Melbourne, Brisbane Pride, Feast Festival in Adelaide and even Perth’s Pride WA. But where is Canberra in this list you may well ask. Indeed, under the icy cold exterior of the Public Service beats a thriving, throbbing rainbow heart that needs to be let out once a year!

SpringOUT Pride Festival is Canberra’s annual queer cultural festival held each November, and is a celebration of the vibrancy of the local Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans* and Intersex communities.

SpringOUT has much of the pride fare that those in larger cities would be familiar with; Fairday (sponsored by the AIDS Action Council of the ACT), dance parties, drag kings and queens, youth and family events, as well as a whole range of cultural, artistic and political events showcasing the best that Canberra’s queer community has to offer.

The SpringOUT Pride Festival is a project of Canberra Pride and has been held annually since 1999. This year the two-week long festivities will be launched with SpringOUT Fairday on Saturday 9th November, held on the grounds of Westlund House, home of the AIDS Action Council of the ACT.

The 700-seat antique spiegeltent, complete with bevelled mirrors, velvet-upholstered seating booths, a speak-easy style bar and the most intimate stage in town, will host the most jaw-dropping and outrageous night out you’ll experience this year. Don’t miss this amazing event — tickets will sell fast!

‘‘

Bookings through canberraticketing.com.au, ticketek.com.au or call 6275 2700.

Left me speechless… cool live music, hot taut bodies, eye popping feats of grace and muscle New York Daily News

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WHAT’SON

You’ll find lot’s of new activities in this years calendar plus our popular annual events like, the FUSE Big Gay Champagne Breakfast at Tilley’s, the women’s only Fruit Tingles Dance Party, Canberra Pride Awards, and no SpringOut would be the same without Bushdance — hosted by the Canberra Gay and Lesbian Tennis Club — with over 700 queers from near and far coming to this diamond in the SpringOUT crown! This year we anticipate a calendar that includes events such as, musical tributes and sing-a-longs, dance parties, open-days for LGBTI community groups, movie screenings, trivia nights, tours, fundraisers and a range of other cultural events to show off the best of Canberra’s LGBTI community. Plus look our for the OUTBIZ business networking evening and what’s bound to be popular, the first every Bake Off in Canberra.

Every year SpringOUT gets bigger and we are always happy when we see our friends from across Australia (and further abroad) help us celebrate and discover that underneath all that red tape Canberra is so well known for, there are a few sequins as well!

Information about the SpringOUT Pride Festival can be found at springout.com.au — you can also follow Canberra Pride at: facebook.com/springOUT and on twitter.com/SpringOutFest.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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ROUND UP) LILY TOMLIN’S SAME-SEX MARRIAGE Actress Lily Tomlin and her partner, Jane Wagner, may finally get married after 42 years together. Tomlin told E! News that she and Wagner are “thinking” about getting married now that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been ruled unconstitutional and Proposition 8 has been struck down in the US. Lily and Jane, who met in 1971, didn’t think they would see such a milestone in their lifetime. “You don’t really need to get married, but marriage is awfully nice,” the 73-year-old said. “Everybody I know who got married, they say it really makes a difference. They feel very very happy about it.”

Just last year, Tomlin wasn’t so sure about marriage. “With the concept of marriage, I’ve been a little too flippant and I’ve said things like, ‘I was hoping the gay community would come up with a better idea than imitating heterosexual marriage,’” she told Between the Lines last September.

Tomlin’s sexuality is not something she has ever chosen to broadcast. In 1975, Time magazine offered her a cover if she was willing to come out in the issue. Even though some fans wanted her to do it at the time, she explained to the Advocate that she wasn’t “interested in being typed as the gay celebrity.”

HOW COMMON ARE INTERSEX BABIES To answer this question in an un-controversial way, you’d have to first get everyone to agree on what actually counts as intersex — and then to agree on what should count as strictly male or strictly female. That’s hard to do and many people are of differing opinions.

Here’s what we do know. According to the ‘experts’ about 1 in 1500 to 1 in 2000 births are considered as intersex. But a lot more people than that are born with subtler forms of sex anatomy variations, some of which won’t show up until later in life.

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NEWS&POLITICS

GENERATION ‘X’ — GERMANY ALLOWS ‘THIRD GENDER’ BIRTH CERTIFICATES German parents will no longer be legally obliged to register their newborn child as male or female, and will instead be officially allowed to assign the baby a “third gender” if the sex cannot be clearly identified.

The new law will come into force on 1 November, which states that as long as a person “deeply feels” that they belong to a certain gender, they have a personal right to choose how they legally identify themselves.

Parents of newborn infants will be allowed to leave the gender form on the child’s birth certificate completely blank if it is born with unusual physical characteristics making it impossible to determine the gender.

Justice Minister Sabine Leuthheusser-Schnarrenberger said the decision will have deep repercussions and will require “comprehensive reform” of all documents issued by the state. Adult passports currently require people to state their gender, partly to avoid potential problems when traveling abroad.

The ‘third gender’ designation will also have an effect on marriage laws.

As of now, only men and women are allowed to legally marry in the country. Homosexual couples can enter into a civil partnership, and no provisions are made for unions between other genders.

“A key aim of the new rule is to relieve parents of the pressure of having to decide a sex straight after the child’s birth, and thereby agreeing overly hastily to medical procedures to settle the child’s sex,” an unnamed spokesman for the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Germany is the first European country to implement such legislation.

Here in Australian and New Zealand citizens can mark their gender on a passport as X. Activists say the legislation has helped curb discrimination against transsexuals and those of indeterminate gender, whether they have had gender reassignment surgery or not.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

ADD IT UP 92

The number of seats the Australian Electoral Commission has predicted the Coalition has won in the lower house. Labor has 54, the Greens have one and the independents Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie have held on.

At the time of writing there are one seat is still undetermined.

40%

In a recent US study it was found that a massive 40% of the 1.6 million homeless young people in America identify as gay, lesbian or trans*.

1 in 1000

The estimated number of people receiving surgery to “normalise” genital appearance according to the Hastings Center in the USA.

A GENDER AGENDA ON WINNING STREAK

ACT MOVES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Back in April of this year A Gender Agenda in Canberra launched “Being True to Ourselves”, a collection of short films on DVD exploring the infinite possibilities of gender.

The ACT’s Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has announced that her Government will introduce laws for marriage equality in the Spring session of the Territory Assembly.

The highly successful film project was nominated for an “Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Services Award”.

This much sought after award recognises excellence, innovation and best practice in mental health promotion.

Census data released this year shows Canberra as having the highest proportion of same-sex couples in the country which only reinforces the responsibility of the ACT to legislate for this significant part of our community.

After being short listed as a finalist at the international TheMHS Conference the project was announced as the winner.

Australian Marriage Equality deputy national director, Ivan Hinton said, “As a long-time Canberra citizen I am proud that my community is moving forward towards full equality for same-sex couples and their families. The ACT has embraced the opportunity of showing the rest of the country what it means to achieve a truly inclusive community.”

This is really quite an achievement as it’s the first time a trans* related project has ever won an award of this kind in Australia. The award was presented by Jacinta Collins, and the films were also shown at the TheMHS Conference and received incredibly positive feedback from everyone.

A Gender Agenda is a community hub based in the ACT and serves as an informational resource for transgender, intersex, genderqueer and other gender variant people and their supporters. If you would like a copy of “Being True to Ourselves” contact A Gender Agenda on 02 6162 1924 or email them at: training@genderrights.org.au

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New Bollywood film Bombay Talkies is billed as a milestone not only for marking 100 years of Indian cinema — it is also one of the country’s few mainstream movies ever to have shown a gay kiss.

Lady Gaga says athletes should not attend the Winter Olympics in Russia

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“As long as the Federal Parliament fails to act it is important that state and territory governments pursue laws that provide for full and equal recognition and dignity for same-sex relationships.”

Marriage equality in New Zealand has highlighted how far Australia is falling behind. An ACT marriage equality law will allow Australian couples to marry the person they love in the country they love, instead of travelling overseas.

I don’t think we should be going to Russia for the winter Olympics, thats my personal opinion. I care so much about these issues and I don’t think we should be bringing any commerce to a country which enforces such a lack of equality and a lack of human rights. A country where so much abuse of youth is happening, how can we bring so much attention to that part of the world and reward them for that? For me it’s shocking, then again everyone thinks Miley Cyrus is shocking and thats the world we live in…

Lady Gaga discussing human rights in an interview with The Sun NEWS&POLITICS

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NO MORE GRINDR IN TURKEY Gay and bisexual men looking to use their smart phones to hookup in Turkey will have to consider other avenues after Grindr — one of the world’s most popular dating apps — has been banned in Turkey.

Istanbul Anatolia 14th Criminal Court of Peace has blocked Grindr as a “protection measure.” According to the main Turkish LGBT association KAOS GL the ban may have something to do with what’s termed “general morality”. Ömer Akpinar, a gay rights activist in Turkey, told news outlets that blocking Grindr is “the last step in arbitrary limitations of freedom in Turkey. Any lifestyle or identity, which does not fit to the state’s ideology, is being deprived of their rights and freedoms.”

Thomas Barrow, the gay footman turned valet, turned underbutler is played by Rob James-Collier

‘‘

I cannot hide that I find your situation revolting, but whether or not you believe me, I am not entirely unsympathetic.

You have been twisted by nature into something foul and even I can see that you did not ask for it.

Carson to Thomas Barrow Downton Abbey Season 3 Episode 8

YEAR 9 GRAFTON BOYS FOR GAY RIGHTS! When Angus Grace and Bryce Salmon found themselves at the centre of a controversy after a parent complained about them kissing at school, they decided enough was enough.

Angus told news outlets “If it was a heterosexual couple, no one would say anything, but as soon as you’re gay it’s like the world is ending.”

Within only hours a Facebook group was created, Support Same Sex in Schools - Fight For What You Believe In. With hundreds of members in just days it was a clear message that the boys were shouting what others wished they had the courage to say. Their aim to band together with like-minded youths to create a gaystraight alliance and to make people feel 100% safe at school.

On the page Bryce wrote: “I’m just sick of people judging me and Angus. They obviously don’t have a heart or soul or even a life if they are trying to ruin ours.” Angus wrote: “I love my boyfriend, Bryce. He is one of the most kind hearted, amazing and lovable people I’ve ever met... We have been bullied to almost no end...

The boys have not been suspended by the Department of Education NSW.

Supporting someone who is feeling suicidal

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NEWS&POLITICS

Be a friend Listen, keep in touch Give them time

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13

SPRINGOUT LAUNCH PARTY

SPRINGOUT FAIRDAY

BIG GAY CHAMPAGNE BREAKFAST

Friday 8 November

Saturday 9 November

Sunday 10 November

We welcome you to come and celebrate with us at the official launch party at CUBE nightclub. With the hottest music and hand picked DJ’s you’ll be rocking out all night. This event will be the beginning of what is going to be a massive year for the Canberra 2013 SpringOUT Festival.

Set in the leafy and shaded grounds of Westlund House, colourful stalls, musicians, artists and fabulous food stands are spread around the green lawns of this hub for Canberra’s queer community. SpringOut Fairday is a chance to have a picnic, meet with the locals, connect with the community and learn more about the large range of queer activities available in Canberra.

It’s on again, the FUSE SpringOut big gay champagne breakfast at Tilley’s.

A lesbian, gay, trans*, bi, intersex and everyone inbetween event! Eat, drink and be merry on a beautiful spring morning with all your fabulous friends.

Time: 9.00pm – 4.00am Venue: Cube Nightclub Address: 33 Petrie Plaza, Canberra City Cost: $10.00

LET’S GET TRIVIAL Sunday 10 November Capital Queers are at it again and are busy planning yet another fabulous float for Mardi Gras in 2014.

Help support Capital Queers by coming along to a fabulous and fun trivia night.

Heaps of great prizes, lot’s of laughs and an overall good night!

Time: 7.30pm onwards Venue: Hellenic Club in the City Address: 13 Moore St, Canberra City Cost: $200 for tables of 10 Info: CapitalQueers.com 14

SPRINGOUT

There is always plenty of wonderful entertainment throughout the day, live bands, the gay & lesbian Qwire, drag shows and more for you to enjoy. Plus don’t forget the fabulous pet parade!

Time: 12.00pm – 5.00pm Venue: Westlund House Address: 16 Gordon Street, Acton Cost: Free

Time: 10.00am onwards Venue: Tilley’s Devine Café Gallery Address: Cnr Wattle & Brigalow St

Lyneham Cost: Buy your own breakfast

FRUIT TINGLES Saturday 16 November Ladies, get excited, because it’s time to dance up a storm! The totally awesome Fruit Tingles Women’s Dance Party is back! This year there will be another great line up of talented DJ’s plus a variety of entertainment including African drummers, dancers and more.

Look our for more details in FUSE38.

Time: 7.00pm – 11.30pm Venue: Majura Hall Address: Rosevear Place Dickson Cost: TBA FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

BAKE!

DISCO FEVER @ RETRO

BUSHDANCE

Saturday 16 November

Friday 22 November

Saturday 23 November

Deliciously good and heaps of fun! Grab those aprons and make a difference in the kitchen — 2013 will be Canberra’s inaugural LGBTI charity bake off! Find out more and download your entry form at fusemagazine.com.au and get baking!

Let’s do the time warp again! Galaxy Retro Nightclub will be playing all your favourite disco and gay club classics from the 70’s through to the 90’s on this super special Friday night fever event.

A night of unashamed nostalgia for those who remember and those who wished they were there the first time.

Dust off your hat, polish your boots and get ready to kick up some dust.

Please bring your entries to the EQ Cafe function room at 1.30pm for judging. The auction starts at 3pm. All weather event.

Time: 2.00pm – 5.00pm Venue: EQ Cafe (On the covered deck) Address: 70 Kent Street, Deakin Cost: Free

Don’t miss this event, it’s going to gnarly!

Time: 9.00pm – 3.00am Venue: Galaxy Retro Nightclub Address: Casino Canberra, City Cost: $10.00

Bushdance is Canberra’s largest GLBTI event and has been held for over 30 years.

Held at the Yarralumla Woolshed, it is a fun night of dancing with people of all flavours. There is a bar, BBQ and a live band to lead you through those dances that you might remember from primary school – like Strip the Willow, The Waves of Bondi, crazy polkas and some more genteel promenades. By the end of the night you’ll have danced with everyone, caught up with old friends, made some new ones and helped raise funds for the GLBTI community.

Country and western themed clothing will add to the atmosphere of dance so have fun with your Bushdance outfit. It’s a night of singlets, jeans, twirling dresses, chaps, check shirts, rhinestones, akubras, hats and boots.

Time: 7.00pm – 1.00am Venue: Yarralumla Woolshed Address: Cotter Road Yarralumla Cost: $30/$20 conc. (Cash Only)

OUTBIZ CANAPES & DRINKS Thursday 14 November Come along to the special SpringOUT 2013 gathering of Canberra’s LGBTI professional community, where queer business people and public servants network and socialise.

BUSHDANCE AFTER PARTY Saturday 23 November

Whether you are a member of the LGBTI community or someone who would like to connect with the queer community, we encourage you to come along.

Just can’t do any more crazy polkas, Strip the Willows or promenades? Is it time for some pumping dance music?

Then head back to the city and over to the Cube Bushdance After Party, because it just keeps on going at Cube Nightclub.

Time: 7.00pm – 9.30pm Venue: The Dickson Tradies (Sponsor) Address: 2 Badham St, Dickson Cost: Free

Time: 9.00pm – 4.00am Venue: Cube Nightclub Address: 33 Petrie Plaza, Canberra City Cost: $10.00

Other events during the SpringOUT Pride Festival will include: Musical tributes, sing-a-longs, dance parties, open-days for LGBTI community groups, movie screenings, trivia nights, tours, fundraisers and a range of other exciting cultural events to show off the best of Canberra’s LGBTI community! More event details at springout.com.au or fusemagazine.com.au Look out for the full calendar in the next issue of FUSE, out 6 November.

SPRINGOUT

15

By Elizabeth Gorrell

Forgotten people

HOMELESS LGBT YOUTH AS A JOURNALIST IN THE MODERN WORLD, THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE ASSIGNED A PROJECT IS GOOGLE. When I Googled ‘homeless LGBT support Canberra’ I was shocked at the lack of resources that popped up. When I simplified my search and just used ‘youth services’ I came across ‘SomaZone’, which claimed to be the one-stop-shop for finding youth services in any given region. Unfortunately, when I used their search engine and selected the criteria: Canberra, issues with sexual health/sexuality, for homeless people, low cost or free services, I was met with this message: “Your search did not return any results.” I immediately felt a sense of despair, and saw in this simple rejection a reflection of the struggle a young gay person must feel when they are searching for support, only to hear: sorry, we can’t help you.

There are a number of reasons why young LGBT people find themselves homeless or living on the streets at a young age, and there are many reasons why they get stuck there. The general consensus for the leading cause of homelessness is family conflict, violence and sexual assault. This finding has been supported in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness. The 200 page report was researched and compiled by Nicholas Ray on behalf of the US National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce and the National Coalition for the Homeless. The report found that many LGBTI youth “actually felt safer on the street.” What keeps young gay people on the streets, or permanently looking for another couch to crash on, is the vicious cycle that leaving home at a young age can begin. For example, in NSW it is illegal for the homeless to beg, so law enforcement will charge these persons and fine them (for money they don’t have), thereby labouring them with a criminal record, which makes finding gainful employment harder.

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The cycle of homelessness and poverty has many other contributors. The Epidemic of Homelessness report also found that instances of substance abuse are much more common for queer youth living on the streets than any other group. The report also found that many homeless LGBT persons had been engaging in ‘survival sex’, which is defined as “exchanging sex for anything needed, including money, food, clothes, a place to stay or drugs.”

Unfortunately, gay homeless youth are three times more likely to participate in survival sex that their heterosexual peers. The research also found that fifty per cent of the homeless youth that find themselves in a situation where they have to engage in survival sex “considered it likely or very likely that they will someday test positive for HIV.” As for our T’s, saddly trans* youth are also disproportionally represented in homeless shelters across the world; most of which do not have any specially trained staff in regards to trans* people. This can lead to queer youth feeling extremly alone and misunderstood, causing even more problems.

One of the first organisations to see this lack of specialised services as a genuine concern is the Forty To None project. Forty to None was spearheaded by Cyndi Lauper, as part of her ongoing True Colours fund which focuses on gay rights, especially for young people. Lauper started Forty to None when she discovered that over 40% of 1.6 million homeless young people in America identified as gay, queer, or transgender. The project began with extensive research and has now started to release a series of targeted programs to assist gay youth who find themselves on the street. The program’s long term goal is to reduce the rate of LGBT homelessness by implementing intervention with families in the early stages of the coming out process.

Research shows that “When trying to seek refuge from the challenges they are facing on the streets, not all of the facilities they come in contact with, like shelters and drop-in centres, can FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

guarantee a safe environment free of discrimination and violence.”

Advocates say that the remedy for this problem is to conduct surveys of shelters and score them based on their safety for young gay people; but one wonders how achievable that really is.

When we’re talking about the impoverishment of LGBT people that leads to homelessness; it’s important to remember that a person can be held in gainful employment, and have a place to live, while still living just on, or below, the poverty line. Earlier this year, slate.com published findings from the Williams Institute of UCLA that showed that double the amount of LGBT persons were living in poverty compared to straight people. Furthermore, the Institute showed that lesbian couples, and gay couples of diverse ethnic backgrounds were even further behind when it came to steady income. Additionally, the Institute found that gay couples living in rural areas faced poverty more often than those living in cities. It seems difficult to believe that despite the obvious disadvantages which gay couples suffer, the problem can continue to go unacknowledged. Interestingly, there is plenty of research to suggest that standard representation of gay and lesbian people in mainstream media may contribute to hiding the poverty problem.

For example, both the Williams Institute, and a piece published on workers.org point to the portrayal of “white, gay affluence” in shows like The L Word or Will and Grace has the public convinced that there is no such thing as a poor gay person. It is arguable that portraying gay people in a normalised manner on television is a good thing, and is not suggesting to make all gay characters destitute. The argument is more that with this kind of cookie-cutter portrayal, it is easy to forget the difficulties still faced by LGBT people in first world countries.

NOT ALL SHELTERS AND DROP-IN CENTRES CAN GUARANTEE QUEER YOUTH A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FREE OF DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE. The good news is, there are organisations around Australia and the world which are beginning to change the damaging cycle that sees young gay people (especially females and persons of diverse ethnic backgrounds), at an even greater disadvantage than white, straight youth facing homelessness. Operations like Forty To None and Open Doors (in Queensland) are working on the discrimination experienced by queer youth both at home, school, homeless shelters and other community social services.

The bad news is, for Canberra at least, there is no such organisation in the Nation’s capital. At this stage, the only three listed LGBT support services in Canberra are the AIDS Action Council, the still very young Diversity ACT and a telephone counselling service available through an already established NSW Service called the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service of NSW. Otherwise, the closest LGBTIQ service available is Twenty10 in Sydney.

But we’ve heard all of this before, we’ve seen people struggling on the streets, or heard stories of friends whose parents have kicked them out and have been sleeping on someone else’s floor while they try to find a job at 15 or 16 and with no qualifications.

The real question is: what can be done? To approach a systemic problem as big as this one is no mean feat, and there are several levels at which the issue needs to be tackled: community, state and federal. It is clear what the state and federal governments can do to

help: increase funding for shelters, education programs, community outreach and school based counselling. But unfortunately, the problem of homelessness amongst gay youth is so invisible it loses any sense of priority at a federal level.

So the answer really lies at a community level. The simplest of steps can change an entire community’s perspective on the existence and importance of this problem. For example; a report by Blanch Consulting found that if local GP surgeries put up posters, flyers or signs indicating their surgery was LGBT friendly a shift can occur in which young queer people are comfortable coming forward with the health issues that affect them, and the community at large is made aware of the issue in a normalised manner. The report found that many LGBT people feared homophobic treatment in medical facilities, and therefore did not address the health issues that are so prevalent amongst the homeless community.

Designed by David Fleming as part of a community competition, many shops, cafes and other businesses around Australia are now displaying a brand new Safe Place logo, showing they’re welcoming, supportive and actively engaged with LGBTI communities.

Another step that the individual can take is putting up a sign that indicates your home, shop or place of business is a safe place for queer youth who are in danger or are living on the streets.

This small gesture gives another option for LGBT people who feel they have nowhere else to turn, and brings the issue to the attention of friends and neighbours who may be either oblivious of the problem or wondering what they can do to help. There are so many other things that you can do to draw attention to this issue and to provide support for those who so desperately need it and have been forgotten by established social services. Put up a flyer, start a small community group, or talk to your local member of parliament about state funding for youth centres in your area. If the research undertaken is correct, it may only take one or two specially trained staff members in local youth centres to make a difference in a young gay person’s life.

So let’s keep talking about homelessness amongst LGBTI youth, as the biggest obstacle in resolving this issue seems to be invisibility. As with any form of discrimination, to ignore it is to feed it, and keeping this issue in the spotlight is crucial to having it recognised by government and state service bodies. Without the funding and support of local and federal government, independent shelters and care organisations (which are often underfunded and under-trained) are left to cope with an influx of young people without homes or help.

But we as a community can help, by directing a collective voice toward those institutions that can make a long term difference to the lives of young people.

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AUSTRALIAN INCOME, HOUSING AND WEALTH DISTRIBUTION

Number of millionaires in Australia is around 178,000 June 2013

5 million+ Australians live in low economic resource households, that is about 22%

The median house price in Canberra is $576,248

Australian Average Weekly Earnings are $1,422.70

July 2013

May 2013

Low economic resource households weekly disposable household income is only $374

68% of low economic resource household are renters and spend over 30% of their wage on rent.

Canberra has the highest level of wealth, around 28% higher than the Australian average.

The median house price in Sydney is $690,064 July 2013

Over 640,000 Australians are disadvantaged by low income and poor health and have been that way for several years.

Nationally, the apartment median price is $427,573

Aug 2012

July 2013

HOW LUCKY ARE YOU REALLY?

Since the 1980’s the bottom 10% of wages earners rose by 3% compared with 4.6% for the top 10%

15 EXAMPLES OF MIDDLE-TO-UPPER CLASS PRIVILEGE

The gap between the haves and have-nots in Australia is widening. The BT Australian Financial Health Index recently released statistics that tells us that one in three families are actually living from one payday to the next and many Aussies have it even worse, living below the breadline and often perceived as the ‘lower class’. Below is a list of middle-to-upper class privileges. If you are a member of the middle or upper class (or, in some cases, perceived to be) listed below are benefits that may be granted to you based on your group membership — benefits not granted to folks in the lower class. The goal of the list is to help people who have access to these privileges be more cognisant of their privilege, encouraging better understanding of class-based difference in our society.

1. Politicians actually pay attention to your class, and

fight for your vote during election seasons.

10. As a kid, you were able to participate in sports and other

extracurricular activities, like trips away with friends.

2. New products are designed and marketed with

your social class in mind.

11. As a kid, your friends’ parents allowed your friends to

play and sleep over at your house.

3. If you see something advertised that you really

want, you will probably buy it.

12. Growing up, university was an expectation of you

(whether you chose to go or not), not a lofty dream.

4. You can swear (or commit a crime) without people

attributing it to the low morals of your class.

13. People aren’t surprised if they realise you are intelligent,

hard-working, or honest.

5. You can talk with your mouth full and not have people

attribute this to the uncivilised nature of your social class.

14. Regardless of the season, you can count on being able

to fall asleep in a room with a comfortable temperature.

6. You understand the difference between healthy and

unhealthy food, and can choose to eat what you wish.

15. People don’t assume you’ve made an active choice to be

in your social class, but instead assume you’re working

to improve it.

7. Your eyesight, smile, and general health aren’t

inhibited by your income.

8. If you choose to wear hand-me-down or second-hand

clothing, this won’t be attributed to your social class,

and may actually be considered stylish.

9. You can update your wardrobe with new clothes

to match current styles and trends.

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FUSEOP.ED

Image & article by Sam Killermann Sam Killermann is a social justice advocate and has just launched his new book The Social Justice Advocate’s Handbook: A Guide to Gender and it’s a couple of hundred pages of awesome. To find out more visit Sam’s website: “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual” — a site that helps people help people be better people — itspronouncedmetrosexual.com

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

A lesbian, gay, trans*, bi, intersex and everyone inbetween event!

Eat, drink and be merry on a beautiful spring morning with all your fabulous friends.

It’s on again, the FUSE SpringOut big gay champagne breakfast at Tilley’s.

SUNDAY 1O NOVEMBER @ 10AM

SERVING YOU BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS THE CALL IS YOURS! TILLEY’S CAN DO IT FOR YOU! Monday to Saturday 9am –10pm Sundays 9am – 6pm Reserve your favourite table or booth call 6247 7753 ~ www.tilleys.com.au

CORNER OF WATTLE AND BRIGALOW STREETS, LYNEHAM FUSEARTICLE

19

KEEP CALM AND

EMBRACE IMPERMANENCE

By Elizabeth Gorrell

ELECTION WRAP 2013

AT AROUND NINE THIRTY ON THE NIGHT OF SATURDAY THE 7TH OF SEPTEMBER, KEVIN RUDD STOOD IN FRONT OF THE COUNTRY AND CONCEDED HIS POSITION AS PRIME MINISTER; BRINGING TO A SOMEWHAT PREDICTABLE END, ONE OF THE MOST CONTENTIOUS ELECTION PERIODS IN RECENT YEARS. Though most Australians knew it would be Tony Abbott moving his budgie smugglers into the lodge on Sunday morning, there were still some surprises to be had in this election. Some were pleasant; like Greens MP Adam Bandt holding his seat of Melbourne after a tight race, and some were confusing; who knew that the Australian Sports Party could make it to the Senate? And, The Palmer United Party has won at least two seats in its first run, and Clive Palmer is no doubt cackling with glee in a pile of his own money (according to Forbes magazine his net worth is estimated at US$895 million) at his impending win in the House of Representatives.

So what does new government mean for the progression of marriage equality? Despite the Liberal party holding an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives, marriage equality representatives are far from losing hope. Statements released after the election are optimistic about the number of MP’s and senators showing public support for gay marriage, and are confident that Tony Abbott will not be able to ignore the importance of the issue to the Australian public.

And, as the issue will most likely be decided by a conscience vote, the likelihood that Tony Abbott will be able to impose his personal views about gay marriage being a ‘fad’ on national legislation is dwindling.

The question on so much of the nation’s lips is now: “what kind of Prime Minister will Tony Abbott be?” Abbott is facing what the national press are calling a ‘personal minority government nightmare’, but the monster under Tony’s bed lives in the Senate, rather than in the house of Representatives, where Julia Gillard met so many of her demons.

With such a diverse mixture in the Upper House this time around, policy negotiation could become a serious headache for the Liberals.

And, for a man so many have seen as simply sitting back and watching his opponents tear each other to pieces, it will be interesting to see how Mr Abbott will approach turning his famous three word slogans into policy with a divided Senate standing in his way.

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FUSEOP.ED

On a local scale, Canberrans can look forward to another few years of Andrew Leigh, who retained his seat of Fraser without breaking a sweat. The popular Labour MP, who FUSE magazine interviewed earlier this year, is a staunch supporter of gay rights, and we can be sure to see his hand up when it comes to a conscience vote on the issue of marriage equality.

As I write this, the Canberra Senate seat however, is still in contention. With so many Canberrans voting below the line on this year’s senate ballot, complex preference deals are still complicating the race between Zed Seselja of the Liberals and Simon Sheikh from the Greens. Five days after the election, as I sit writing this, there is still no clear winner. Seselja has had a much tougher time than the previous Liberal Senator in Canberra; the recently retired Gary Humphries was well liked by the local community, and it seems that affection from the community cannot easily be inherited.

With Tony Abbott planning to slash public service jobs and make swinging cuts to government programs, there will be major ramifications on life in the capital.

Our local economy is under threat and many public servants now fear for their jobs. Just before the election Kate Lundy Tweeted: “Cutting 8400 jobs from the APS will rip $650 million from the #Canberra economy.”

It now seems it’s more like 20,000 jobs and it seems natural attrition is not really going to cut it — we may be headed for some difficult times.

As for the outgoing Labour government, talks amongst the party about who will lead them as the Opposition have been surprisingly uneventful. Bill Shorten, the favourite to take the lead, has officially put his hand up for the position, and, apart from rumours that former Deputy Leader Anthony Albanese will contest, Shorten looks sure to step up. Tanya Plibersek may take the position of shadow deputy. The game continues.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

21

They ensured the children maintained regular contact with their parents while the courts decided whether they could return home. “It was a really difficult time “, says Melissa, “as the girls’ behaviour would settle and then escalate at regular intervals as they transitioned between us and their birth parents. It must have been such a confusing time for them”.

The courts decided that the girls’ birth family were not able to provide a safe home for the girls and placed them both in foster care until their 18th birthdays. Felicity and Melissa were delighted to welcome Liana and Mia into their ‘forever family’, while they remained committed to ensuring the girls maintain a relationship with their birth parents by seeing them every few months.

Since then, the couple have successfully undergone IVF and have added another beautiful little girl to the family — now a happy and settled family of five girls — smiling and laughing together. Felicity points out that it isn’t all smiles as “we have good days and bad days just like any family”.

Can you invite just one child into your family?

By Kim Hefren-Webb Marymead Child & Family Centre

IT’S 5.30PM ON THURSDAY AT THE DAVIS-BOWLES HOME — ANY FAMILY’S BUSIEST TIME WHEN THEY HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN.

Felicity picked up Mia from after-school care and Liana from childcare on her way home from work while Melissa cooked up a delicious aromatic curry for the family. The girls both love their curries and sit down eagerly to eat dinner. Felicity and Melissa take turns in feeding their five-month-old little baby girl, Annabel, who in between mouthfuls smiles widely and stares lovingly at her mums and her big sisters.

“We had each thought that one day we would like to become foster carers and when we knew that our relationship was solid we started to consider our options. After a lot of careful consideration we decided that we wanted to offer a home and family to a foster child”. They researched the local foster care agencies and chose Marymead to support them through their foster care assessment and training process. “We just found that Marymead were the most welcoming and accepting of our family”, says Felicity.

Melissa and Felicity have been fortunate in their foster care journey.

They wanted to offer children a life-long home and family, but began by committing themselves to offering children a home when they were first removed from their birth family and were in crisis. They welcomed two beautiful young girls, Mia and Liana then aged 3 and 2 respectively, into their family.

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SAME-SEXPARENTING

There are over 600 children currently in Out of Home Care in Canberra and many more need a home. Can you help just one? The needs of children in care are diverse and we need a broad range of carers who can meet those needs — singles, couples, families with children already, employed or staying at home. What we do require is stability, a suitable criminal and child-safety history and a commitment to providing a child or young person with a safe and loving family for anything from a week, 18 years or occasional weekends for planned respite.

When asked what message the couple would like to send to the community, Felicity answered, “Think very carefully before you decide to become a foster carer, children coming in to care have already been let down so you need you to be committed, but if you do think it is right for you don’t let your sexuality hold you back”.

If you’d like to know more about Marymead’s Foster Care Program, telephone 02 6162 5800 or email fcinfo@marymead.org.au

The names in this article have been changed to protect the privacy of the children in foster care.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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23

THERE IS NOTHING PARTICULARLY ROMANTIC ABOUT DRAWING SPERM INTO AN EMPTY 1ML SYRINGE TO THEN INJECT THIS INTO YOUR SOUL MATE’S CERVIX. IT IS, HOWEVER, A MOMENT THAT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO CONCEIVE WILL ALL EXPERIENCE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. When I read that FUSE Magazine was looking for a columnist to write about same-sex parenting, an array of discussion topics burst their way into my once writers-blocked mind. From my own experience, subjects such as birth, parental rights, foster care and education seemed the logical choices. Then, for some reason, I remembered the smell as I twisted open the small sterile jar that first time we tried to conceive a baby.

Without going into too much detail, let’s simply accept that I am definitely a lesbian.

Sorry boys, nothing personal.

The saga from start to finish was something deeply emotional. We went through many things; obsessively trawling online forums to ask “did it work for any of you?”, having a few drinks to break the ice the first time we tried, travelling between Sydney and Canberra where our donor lived, the negative pregnancy tests and, at the end, the birth of our daughter. Backyard conception simply had to be the focus of the first column.

Despite what a small number of radical politicians and religious figures would have us believe, “children of same-sex parents are doing as well or better than the rest of the population on several key health indicators, according to initial findings of the world’s largest study of such children.”[1] There are also twice as many children with same-sex parents as there were in Australia in 2001. [2] Nice work on that, by the way.

CONC EP T

ION

CHILDREN OF SAME-SEX PARENTS ARE DOING AS WELL OR BETTER THAN THE REST OF THE POPULATION ON SEVERAL KEY HEALTH INDICATORS.

By Rebecca Langham

Success rates for artificial insemination can be very misleading, since many factors including the age and health of the recipient, have to be included to give a meaningful answer.

Success rates are around 10% to 20% per menstrual cycle and about 60 to 70% of people have achieved pregnancy after 6 cycles.

Many of these children are the result of some kind of artificial insemination. Most have female parents due to the unfortunate, but not insurmountable, difficulties that face male couples who wish to be fathers. IVF can be an expensive adventure, so where there are no fertility concerns and where, as was the case in my own situation, women have access to a generous and trustworthy friend, backyard conception is an attractive option.

The first concern is that of a donor.

Being upfront and honest is highly important. People may trust each other at one point in life, but a child binds you to a man (or a lesbian couple) and his family forever. The laws in each state are different in regards to who can be listed as the parent/s of a child on a birth certificate. In ACT and NSW, things worked in our favour: two female parents may be listed on a birth certificate thus making both women legal guardians of the child.

The first reported case of artificial insemination by According to the 2011 donor occurred Census, there were in 1884.

6120 children under 25 in same-sex-couple families. However, The lead researcher Dr Crouch from Melbourne University said due to under-reporting, the true figure could be more than double this.

CU P

IA N

The Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families (ACHESS) found there was no statistical difference between children of same-sex couples and the rest of the population on indicators including self-esteem, emotional behaviour and the amount of time spent with parents.

JULY 2013

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FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Some points of discussion should be: • Where will insemination take place?

• Under what conditions will insemination take place?

Are there accommodation or privacy concerns?

DIY PARENTING

Everyone needs to be protected. Men who volunteer their sperm (and potentially their love) need to know that they are financially safe. Similarly, women who don’t want a donor to be involved in their son or daughter’s life need to know that he is unlikely to show up on Christmas Day with a sleeping bag. Sit down and have what could be a very awkward conversation before that sterile cup is even purchased.

It’s a lot more awkward when that kid is already kicking.

• How many attempts are you all willing to take part in?

• Will the donor have any involvement in the pregnancy — for example, attending ultra sounds.

• Who will be the legal parent/s?

• Who will have financial responsibility for the child?

• Who will make major and minor life decisions regarding the child’s future?

Talk to other DIY parents. Often the best source of support and insight comes from those who’ve had first hand experience.

• Do you have any major philosophical differences regarding child rearing? An example might be a disagreement regarding public or private education.

• Visitation. How much is allowed? When?

•

Involvement of the extended family. A donor may not expect to play a father figure, but maybe his mother would like to participate as a grandparent. Making a baby isn’t just about the parents.

•

Health. Is there anything you need to know about in either family? Also, have both biological parents had recent STI tests? If they haven’t: do it. Accepting sperm into your body from a syringe doesn’t lessen your chance of an infection.

IVF can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 depending on your circumstances.

It isn’t always necessary to make a legal contract regarding all of these issues, but it’s a good idea to write down a few things so that everyone knows where they stand. We have known our donor since we were seventeen, but we still wrote a mammoth e-mail laying down our hopes and wishes, on top of many face-to-face discussions. Once you all feel confident about the situation, the fun part begins.

For the donor, the job is a little less complicated. It does help, however, to abstain from alcohol for a few days before it all happens, just to keep those swimmers at their best. For the woman who will be carrying the child, there is a large range of apps that can help. Do some searching using terms such as conception, ovulation, menstruation and pregnancy planning. Ovulation tests are helpful, but only to an extent.

Generally, the best time to conceive is in the day or two before that test can tell you that you are ovulating. We found them more helpful for planning before we got started. Use the apps and the ovulation tests to work out the time during the cycle when she will be ovulating. Then, have your ‘conception party’ two days before that time.

Sperm tend to live inside the fallopian tubes for anywhere up to one week or even more. You want them sitting in there waiting for the egg to be released, rather than having them chase after an egg that is already well on its way. Remember, an egg may only live for 1-3 days inside a woman’s body. Half of your window has already disappeared by the time you confirm that you’re ovulating with a test.

This may not be a problem if you live near your donor though, so don’t panic. If he lives two streets away, give it a go.

Safety is obligatory. There are conceptions kits that can be purchased online if that’s the way you want to go. If not, go to your local chemist. Buy some gloves, sterile sample cups (the kind a doctor would ask you to pee in, they usually have a yellow lid), and some 1-2ml syringes. Each item is single use only.

Be as comfortable as you can be. The first few times it all feels a bit strange, but the discomfort tends to disappear. On our first go, all four of us shared a bottle of wine or two. I remember standing on the balcony to our hotel room with my partner and my donor’s partner, waiting for our friend to ejaculate in a separate room. I think we talked about the view and the weather.

It’s hard to remember.

After our donor and his partner left, the lid came off, the syringe came out and I crossed my fingers. Suffice to say, a baby was not made that night. A few months later however, on the very first occasion that we got the timing just right, a little girl began to grow. One of these days, I’ll go back to all those forums I spent hours reading through and make sure that everyone knows: it can work.

[1] Australian Institute of Family Studies, http://aifs.govspace.gov.au/2013/06/11/newsaustralian-children-with-same-sex-parentsare-doing-well/, accessed 24/08/2013.

[2] Jessica Wright, ‘Number of Children With Same-Sex Parents Soars’ in The Age, July 25 2013.

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CHASING MAVERICKS

IRON MAN 3 Picking up after the events of The Avengers (referred to here as the New York incident), this third installment in the Iron Man franchise (and the highest-grossing film of 2013) finds our billionaire playboy philanthropist/superhero suffering a crisis of confidence. Shaken by his near death experience, Tony Stark (the always terrific Robert Downey jnr) fears he is unable to protect himself let alone those he loves, like PA-turned-girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

But there’s little time for doubts with the arrival of The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a terrorist with a penchant for destruction who sets his sights on Stark. A return to form after the somewhat disappointing second film, new director Shane Black takes Iron Man 3 into darker territory without losing any of the series’ fun.

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potato

DID YOU KNOW? Australian filmmakers were at the forefront of cinema and film, having created what is considered the first feature length narrative film with the release of The Story of the Kelly Gang in 1906.

Surf’s up in this big wave drama starring Gerard Butler and Jonny Weston.

The ‘Mavericks’ of the title is in fact a mythic surf break, one of the biggest on Earth, located near Santa Cruz and which piques the interest of keen young surfer, Jay Moriarty (Weston), who enlists the help of surfing legend, Frosty Hesson (Butler), to ride and survive the wave. Based on actual events, Chasing Mavericks boasts impressive big wave cinematography which should appeal to the wax head in everyone.

THE GREAT GATSBY The critical response to Baz Lurhmann’s razzle dazzle take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel of the American dream corrupted may have been lukewarm but the audience said otherwise: $300+ million at the international box office, including $27m here. The Great Gatsby certainly boasts the director’s signature style - loud, glittery and romantic - as he captures 1920s New York and the doomed love affair between the mysterious self-made millionaire, Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and the object of his affections, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan).

THE MINDY PROJECT

THE BIG WEDDING Not for the first time Hollywood has remade a French comedy but director Justin Zackham has managed to enlist an unusually high calibre cast - Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Amanda Seyfried, Katherine Heigl - for just his second film.

Divorced couple Don (De Niro) and Ellie (Keaton) have to pretend to be married for the sake of their soon-to-be married adopted son (Ben Barnes), whose birth mother, who will attend the wedding, is a traditionalist and does not believe in divorce. Naturally, farce ensues.

By Dwayne Lennox

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COUCHPOTATO

Mindy Lahiri is a successful Ob/Gyn, partner in her own practice and living in her own New York apartment. She is also obsessed with the rom-com fantasy and finding the perfect man. The Mindy Project, created by its star, Mindy Kaling, is a hilarious comedy series following Mindy’s not-so-graceful navigation of love and life in the Big Apple. It has a colourful supporting cast, including the handsome Chris Messina as Danny Castellano, one of Mindy’s colleagues and the cynical realist to her romantic optimist.

You’ll find all these titles at JB HIFI, online or at all good DVD outlets. Check out fusemagazine.com.au for DVD giveaway details. Reviewed for FUSE by Dwayne Lennox — thelennoxfiles.blogspot.com.au FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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OUT&ABOUT

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♥ FREE ENTRY & HAPPY HOUR There is nowhere else you should be! Come and join us at Cube nightclub. We do free entry and happy hour every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night until 11pm.

OPENING HOURS • THURSDAY 9PM-5AM • FRIDAY 9PM-5AM • SATURDAY 10PM-5AM • SUNDAY 10PM-LATE 33 PETRIE PLAZA CIVIC, CANBERRA CITY CUBENIGHTCLUB.COM.AU

♥ GLITZ & GLAMOUR @ CUBE Cube has had some fabulous events with the super sexy girls from Rogue Dolls Australia performing at the club followed with their always big MasQUEERade party and Cube’s 8th Birthday Party. Coming up is Haunted House on 25 October and Broke Back Mount-em on 22 November, plus the Bushdance After Party on 23 November. To keep up to date with all the up coming events join the Cubes mailing list at cubenightclub.com.au or checkout facebook.

OUT&ABOUT

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Call 02 6257 5557

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By Scott Malcolm Director of Money Mechanics

LIVING ON THE BREAD LINE NO MATTER YOUR SEXUALITY, WITH A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT AND MASSIVE CUTS PLANNED TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE THE NEXT FEW YEARS MAY PROVE TOUGH FOR OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND MANY CANBERRANS.

THERE IS A LUDICROUS ASSUMPTION THAT ALL MEMBERS OF THE GAY COMMUNITY ARE WEALTHIER THAN HETEROSEXUAL PEOPLE.

The Census data also shows that approximately 12.5% of Australian’s live below the poverty line but unfortunately LGBTIQ people are invisible within this data.

A recent study from the US confirms this assumption and while most of the numbers I am about to quote are from the US I would imagine that if a study were conducted in Australia the results would be similiar. The poverty line in Australia is calculated by the Melbourne Institute and states that for a single person the average income required is $391.85 per week (including housing costs). If you earn less than this you are deemed to be living on or below the poverty line.

As stated in the report from the US is it expected that members of the LGBTIQ community are at least as likely, if not more likely, to experience poverty when compared to hetrosexual people. This is due to factors such as vulnerability to employment, discrimination, lack of access to marriage, higher rates of being uninsured, potential for lack of family support or family conflict over coming out.

Although legislation in Australia has changed over the years to improve equality in many areas for same-sex couples, individuals are still faced with discrimination or lack of family support when coming out.

A study by the Williams Institute, looks at the socioeconomic status measures of education, income and occupation for members of the LGBTI community in the US. The study found that while LGBTI people tend to have more education on average than the general population ‘we’ actually make less money than our heterosexual counterparts. Some of the key points from the study show that poverty rates in the community are as high, or higher, than rates for heterosexual adults with gay men earning 32 percent less than similarly qualified heterosexual men whilst up to 64% of trans* people report incomes below $25,000 per year.

In Australia, the 2011 Census data for same-sex couples found that those who are living in a relationship are better off than the general population due to the emotional and economic support that relationships provide. Many community organisations in Australia have anecdotal evidence that individuals within our community experience financial hardship and live below the poverty line.

THE POVERTY LINE IN AUSTRALIA IS BASED ON A SINGLE PERSON WITH AN AVERAGE INCOME OF $391.85 PW If you are experiencing financial hardship there are a number of services which you can access and people you can talk too. Angelcare have financial counseling services.

If you want to support young LGBTI people check out The Pinnacle Foundation at thepinnaclefoundation.org who offer a scholarship program for young LGBTI people to help them get into study. They also provide a mentorship program to guide, empower and offer a step up to young LGBTI People in Australia. Read more about The Pinnacle Foundation in my article on page 25, FUSE23 — July 2011.

If would like to ask Scott any questions, you can email him at scott@money-mechanics.com.au or call 02 6257 5557. (http://money-mechanics.com.au) Scott Malcolm is Director of Money Mechanics who are authorised to provide financial advice through PATRON Financial Advice AFSL 307379.

The information provided in this article is of a general nature only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting on this information you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.

MONEYSHOT

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By Bebe Backhouse

EAR CANDY LADY GAGA APPLAUSE

HOLD YOUR EXCITEMENT, LOVERS OF TELEVISUAL MEDIOCRITY The X Factor, that Logie-winning (yes, really) extravaganza, hosted by that guy with a weird love of v-necks, has returned for its fifth season.

How many music reality TV shows do we need anyway? What point of difference can a new season of The X Factor bring to today’s world of TV musical talent contests? Which brings me to the judges. Unfortunately, Scary Spice and her scary slurs are gone and she was replaced by Dannii Minogue... and all of Australia shrugs in unison. Similarly, Guy Sebastian has been replaced by LMFAO’s Redfoo. While I’ve been questioning what the maker of ‘Sexy and I Know It’ knows about spotting the X factor, the show has been making the most of his famous family contacts. He’s already recruited the big-name likes of will.i.am and Bon Jovi as guest mentors for the program. Even Seal could only hook-up that lady from Sneaky Sound System. If the pleasure of witnessing how a winning run can fail to overhaul a young person’s life as they had always dreamed, isn’t enough incentive to tune in to the new season, then I don’t know what is. Maybe you’re better off sticking to that dome show.

Lady Gaga’s official lead single ‘Applause’ from her third studio release ARTPOP has finally been released in the market.

‘Applause’ does rely on a simpler approach in how the song was mixed because it doesn’t have the pulsating beat of her songs like ’Just Dance’ and it lacks some of the singalong appeal of some of her previous mega-hits from her Born This Way album. However, ‘Applause’ does have that familiar frenetic energy that her listeners connect with and which has become extremely reassuring to her ‘Little Monsters.’ In this single, Lady Gaga hasn’t strayed too far away from her signature formula — production value wise — that has worked out immensely well for her in the last few years.

MUSIC REVIEWS

John Mayer featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine

JOHN MAYER : PARADISE VALLEY

ELLIE GOULDING : HALCYON DAYS ~ DELUXE The expanded edition of Ellie Goulding’s fine Halcyon is no mere recycling job, as it helps expand the range of her musical vision with ten new tracks. The propulsive slice of electro-pop Burn is already a hit, but it’s not reflective of the dimension and diversity of the mix of originals and covers. The singer-songwriter and her producers are both inventive and reverent with the album’s new songs. Where Halcyon combined moody sentiments with swirling beats and effects, the deluxe edition finds her in a different place. Beneath the electronics lies real soul.

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Paradise Valley feels like the result of John Mayer sitting at home bored on a Sunday afternoon. Not a lot on his sixth studio album really makes sense. It’s a shame since Paradise Valley gets off to a promising start. ‘Wildfire,’ the album opener, features Mayer’s best guitar work and best lyrics of any song on the album. Mayer, for the most part, does his best to inch toward that perfection in the other 10 songs, but he never quite seems to find it. A little more than a year separated the release of Mayer’s last album, Born and Raised, and Paradise Valley. Maybe taking some more time between the two would have given his fans something a little more refreshing.

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BRANDY’S BIG FLOP Brandy was supposed to be the surprise grand finale for the Mandela Sports and Culture Day in Johannesburg, South Africa but the surprise turned out to be a great big flop. Instead of performing to a full house, she found herself performing to a near-empty stadium after concert-goers left ahead of her spot.

The singer walked off stage after just two songs at the FNB Stadium. The stadium holds up to 90,000 people and had been packed throughout the day in celebration of the life of former president Nelson Mandela, but with the packed schedule almost finished, it emptied out before Brandy made her surprise entrance.

DEMI LOVATO AND LESBIAN LOVE Demi Lovato is set to make a bang when she returns to the small screen on the upcoming season of Glee, with the show’s star Naya Rivera confirming that the singer will be playing her lesbian love interest on the hit musical comedy. “I mean, she’s playing my love interest, so I’m very, very excited about that,” the actress, who plays Santana on the show, told MTV News at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards. “We get to sing a song together. It’s gonna be good. I’m excited to work with her – we’re bringing her to the dark side.

She comes in in a Beatles episode, so we’re singing a Beatles song. I’m excited.” And Naya isn’t the only one eager to get stuck into the storyline, with Demi herself taking to Twitter to reveal she’s starting on the set this week. “Wayyyyy too excited to be starting @GLEE this week!!!!!!!” she wrote adding, “I can’t believe I’m going back to acting but the best part about it is that I get to act/sing with some of my really great friends.”

MUSIC NEWS

Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) Lesbian Kissing Scene from Glee Season 2, Episode 4: Duets.

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MUSICNEWS&REVIEWS

While Brandy is popular in the country, her surprise performance was not revealed to fans, who left thinking the day was over.

According to sources who were present at the time, there were no more than 40 people present. After successful performances by several other artists there was almost no one left for Brandy.

“Brandy performed to an empty stadium...with the stadium lights on,” tweeted South African musician, Kabomo. Brandy’s performance was also cut out of the televised broadcast of the event. The SABC ended their coverage just before she performed.

BLINK-182 NEW ALBUM IN 2014 Pop-punk juggernauts Blink-182 have recently confirmed that they will release a new album next year.

Bassist Mark Hoppus revealed that while they haven’t started writing any fresh material yet, the new record will arrive by mid-2014. “We haven’t thought about any new songs yet. It always happens when the three of us are together in a room.

Because when we’re not touring, Tom lives in San Diego, Travis lives in Los Angeles and I live in London, so we don’t really talk all that much,” Hoppus said. “But then when we get in a room together, it all falls into place and we start making jokes. That’s when we start writing songs and reconnecting with everything.”

The new material will be the band’s first since the release of their ‘Dogs Eating Dogs’ EP in December 2012. Let’s cross our fingers for an Australia and New Zealand tour announcement to follow.

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Girl2Girl is a website for lesbians and bisexual women.

Get the low-down on the down and dirty with lesbian sex 101.

Find out why you should bother with safe sex; how to use latex barriers; how to stay safe emotionally before, during and after sex; and so much more.

Check it out today!

Knowing what you want is an important step to emotional safety

Girl2Girl.info 35

By Marten Weber

VAN BUUREN AND BACH ON A I’M PROBABLY THE LAST GAY MAN ON THE PLANET TO DISCOVER THE ALLURE OF TRANCE MUSIC, AND AT MY AGE THAT’S SLIGHTLY RIDICULOUS. But you see, I’ve spent the last twenty years listening exclusively to classical music, mostly of the baroque variety, so I may be forgiven. I claim to have a thorough understanding of the compositional techniques as well as the social applications of J.S. Bach’s music, and that of his sons and heirs. I love classical music, period.

Never bothered with pop. For years I thought trance music was written for silly young people on E.

I discovered trance by accident. I was at a bar with some friends, and “Intense” came on. The violin caught my attention, and it suddenly hit me: This is the structure of a baroque concerto. Bach’s music and van Buuren’s trance compositions are essentially the same thing. They feature a basso continuo (“the beat”), a simple theme with ingenious variations that span a usually narrow harmonic range and a right hand on the keyboard that carries the subtly evolving melody. The repetitions and modulations make up a musical landscape that creates patterns in the mind of the listener. So I wondered: Was Bach the first trance composer?

I won’t bore you with a detailed analysis of the techniques involved, but whereas before, I was a snob and a purist when it came to classical music, I now understand that the true heirs of baroque music are not the serious classical composers of our day but the van Buurens and other creators of intricate networks woven of musical patterns.

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EARCANDY

RAVE

Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, a seminal book on the importance and meaning of patterns that I must have read eight or nine times over the years, should have pointed me that way long ago. Yet it took a boozy night at a club to make me realize the full implications.

The next morning I sat down with my musical reference works to test my assumptions. It turned out that my alcohol-induced epiphany was spot-on. A Bach cadence — meant to extend musical tension to the breaking point — is exactly the same tool van Buuren uses to get the crowds screaming. (Numerous countesses are reported to have fainted during the ultra-long cembalo cadence of the fifth Brandenburg concerto!) In almost every aspect, including the religious overtones and the mind-altering qualities, down to the substitution of harmonic elements and the “far-off point” structure of the melodies, van Buuren and Bach are essentially of the same stock. Compare “Sound of the Drums” with any of the more dramatic Bach cantatas. In trance (and modern pop) we’ve replaced Bach’s “Gott” (god) with “love,” but I’m told those two are also the same thing.

Socially, Bach’s concertos served a very similar purpose as van Buuren’s sessions. They brought together people in search of closeness, in pursuit of a form of social interaction that transcended gossiping and laughing and instead lifted them onto another plane, that of human-to-human connectedness through a third medium — the shared experience, part-drug, part-ecstasy of group sensuality.

Now think of a dance party on the beach with hundreds of shirtless bodies heaving, swaying, jumping, gyrating to a van Buuren trance session. The purpose is the same, even if the drugs aren’t.

That is not to say that Bach’s music was drug-free. In fact, yours truly has always enjoyed the Brandenburg concertos with a whiskey or two. However, it is the music itself that is the drug.

In the historical literature we find numerous references to the “intoxicating effects of Mr. Bach’s compositions.”

So there you have it. I took a very circuitous route to arrive at what 18-year-olds have known for two decades. Trance music isn’t half bad! And having sex to “Intense” by van Buuren is simply brilliant (especially if you top — give it a try!). Almost as brilliant as Bach & Co. “who aroused the women in the audience with the cadence in this concerto so very much that their faces flushed to a crimson red and they began to fan themselves so hard that the noise of the fans grew louder than the music itself.” Hmmm. Sounds like a rave to me.

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BODY IMAGE Less than 5% of people naturally possess the body portrayed by the media.

MINORITY

GIRL DON’T JUDGE YOURSELF FROM MODELS

UNREALISTIC BODY EXPECTATIONS According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents, and 86% of students in the US report an onset of an eating disorder by the age of 20.

SERIOUSLY... LIKE THEY AREN’T HOT ENOUGH ALREADY!?

Most of what you see in magazines, on billboards and in press ads is retouched with Photoshop!

Fat is trimmed, muscles re-shaped, wrinkles smoothed, eyes bightened, blemishes removed, skin colour enhanced, teeth whitened.

WANT A BETTER YOU? 30% of women and 20% of men are considering cosmetic surgery in the future.

EATING DISORDERS 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

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HEALTH&WELLBEING

AWESOME ABS Did you know that the number of people with a ‘6 pack’ is only .004% of the population and most of these poeple are under 25.

63% OF AUSSIE ADULTS ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE Although we like to look at this muscular guy, it’s important to remember that he’s actually not representative of the general population.

HUMAN NATURE! The better looking our cover models are the higher our readership is!

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

According to the 2013 report from the Bureau of Statistics, 63% of Australian adults are overweight or obese.

An estimated 280 Australians develop diabetes every day. By 2031 it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes. These statistics are nothing short of frightening. Every day we are inundated with conflicting impressions — both in reality and in the media — of body image.

By Philippa Moss

OBESITY Lesbians are at greater risk of obesity than their heterosexual counterparts.

HEALTH IS ABOUT WAKING UP EXCITED FOR THE DAY, HAVING A FEELING OF CALM, VITALITY AND STEADY ENERGY

On the one hand we have a population becoming so obese it is bordering on terrifying. If the trend is not halted, the cost of health care is going to spiral up at a frightening rate. On the other hand, we are inundated with images of sculpted 6 packs, biceps and pecks which are almost impossible for us to obtain, let alone maintain.

What seems to be missing is a clear understanding of what is a healthy norm.

Eliminating LGBTI health disparities and enhancing efforts to improve health are necessary to ensure all people can lead long and healthy lives. Efforts to improve LGBTI health include curbing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with interventions that work. Early intervention and culture change in schools and appropriately inquiring about, and being supportive, of a person’s sexual orientation is necessary to enhance the health care interaction.

PEOPLE WHO DON’T VALUE THEMSELVES OFTEN USE SEX AS A WAY TO GET ATTENTION AND APPROVAL FROM OTHERS.

LGBTI people experience health care disparities which could be eliminated if health care professionals elicit information about sexual orientation and gender identity from their patients through thoughtful, nonjudgmental discussion and history-taking.

The lesbian & gay community is not exempt from this problem. In fact, everything but! We have developed a sub-culture which celebrates over-weight men and recent studies find lesbians and bisexual women are at greater risk of obesity than their heterosexual counterparts. Whilst this may reflect differences in attitudes concerning weight and body shape, it is still alarming. Don’t get me wrong I’m not suggesting that ‘skinny’ equals healthy, when we feel great, looking great is a by-product. Health has nothing to do with the size of our jeans or where we land on the body-mass index.

Forgive me for being controversial but maybe it’s time we started talking about it.

SEX DRIVE According to sex therapists the biggest libido killer is poor body image and low self esteem.

Maybe sexuality and gender identity should be recognised as social determinants of health, alongside other determinants including Indigenous and ethnic status. The stigma, discrimination and other forms of exclusion experienced by LGBTI people greatly influences health behaviours and access to health services. Is this, in fact, the problem?

IT’S ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 45% OF MEN ARE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR BODIES, COMPARED WITH ONLY 15% 25 YEARS AGO. GAY MEN, MODELS, DANCERS AND ATHLETES ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO POOR BODY IMAGE. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE JUDGED (OR BELIEVE THEY WILL BE JUDGED) ACCORDING TO THEIR APPEARANCE.

LGBTI people are represented in most medical practices, and their health issues, can generally be managed in traditional health care settings. Physicians need to become more comfortable asking patients about sexual health, identity, and behaviour, and make such queries more routine.

DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS 3% of men have problems with binge eating, while 4% of men are force purging.

BODY IMAGE IS CLOSELY LINKED TO SELF ESTEEM. LOW SELF-ESTEEM CAN LEAD TO EATING DISORDERS, UNSAFE SEXUAL ACTIVITY, SUBSTANCE USE, AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. Sexual behaviour is not always congruent with routine understanding of sexual identity. For example, many men who do not identify themselves as gay occasionally have sex with men, as do many self-identified lesbians. It is important to know this, to provide appropriate preventative screening and care.

Health is about waking up, excited for the day, having a feeling of calm, vitality and steady energy. Health is about cooking the best food ever and enjoying it. Health is about the sense of empowerment that comes when we take control of our health as an active participant in the process.

Philippa Moss is the Support and Education Officer at the AIDS Action Council of the ACT

SELF ESTEEM Around 90% women and 45% of men are unhappy with their bodies.

HEALTH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF OUR JEANS OR WHERE WE LAND ON THE BODY-MASS INDEX HEALTH&WELLBEING

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QWIRE GALA BALL IN HONOUR OF ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY — PHOTOS BY ROSE PAPPALARDO

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SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM IN LESBIAN, GAY, BI-SEXUAL AND TRANS* (LGBT) COMMUNITIES REMAINS AN ISSUE OF SERIOUS CONCERN

IF YOU ARE FEELING OVERWHELMED

BY LIFE, TALK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST.

By Dr Johann Sheehan

If you are feeling overwhelmed by life, talk to someone you trust. If you are worried that someone close to you might be at risk of suicide, it may be appropriate to ask him or her if they have thought of ending their life.

People are often worried that asking this question will place the thought in someone’s mind. This is not the case. Often people are relieved to be asked and to have someone to talk to.

Recently, the Australian Government has introduced a number of new services to better support LGBTI people experiencing emotional and mental health problems: MindOUT and the QLife National Telephone Support Service.

MindOUT is funded by the Commonwealth Government to work with LGBTI organisations and mainstream mental health organisations to improve mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for LGBTI people and populations.

The ACT Government has funded A Gender Agenda to deliver a range of LGBTI community education and awareness workshops for consumers, carers, health workers and the wider ACT community. As part of this program, A Gender Agenda will contribute to a volunteer ‘peer support’ service for members of the ACT LGBTI community.

ACT Mental Health Services is participating in the MindOUT program. ACT Clinical Mental Health Services has identified an LGBTI champion, who will help the service identify ways it can be more responsive to the needs of individuals from the LGBTI population.

SAME-SEX ATTRACTED AUSTRALIANS HAVE UP TO 14 TIMES HIGHER RATES OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS THAN THEIR HETEROSEXUAL PEERS, [I] WITH SAME-SEX ATTRACTED YOUNG PEOPLE SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY TO END THEIR LIFE BY SUICIDE. [II] Feeling connected to others is important for positive mental health.

When things get tough, it is important to have someone to talk to.

Research indicates that GLTBI Australians are twice as likely as heterosexual Australians to have no contact with, or no family to rely on, for serious problems. [iii] Like their heterosexual peers, LGBTI people are more likely to seek or receive primary emotional support, health information and advice from friendship/peer support networks and in particular LGBTI friends. [iv] At the same time, less than half of LGBTI people felt that they would by confident in dealing with the situation if someone close to them had a mental health problem or had thoughts of suicide or self-harm. [v] The ACT campaign which encourages everyone to talk about suicide is called “Let’s Talk for Suicide Prevention”. Given the higher rates of suicide amongst the LGTBI community, it is important for people to talk about how they are feeling and to know that they can help someone else who is feeling suicidal.

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HEALTH&WELLBEING

QLife is Australia’s first nationally oriented counselling and referral service for LGBTI people. QLife is a nation-wide, early intervention, peer supported telephone and web-based service for gender diverse people of all ages experiencing poor mental health, psychological distress, social isolation, discrimination and other social determinants that impact on their health and wellbeing. The QLife national telephone support 1800 184 527 operates seven days a week between 5:30pm and 10:30pm on 1800 184 527 or email support at ask@qlife.org.au If you think that someone is in immediate danger, stay with them and call either QLife national telephone support 1800 184 527, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Emergency Services 000.

HELPFUL RESOURCES • health.act.gov.au/suicideprevention • lgbthealth.org.au/mindout • QLife support line1800 184 527 • qlife.org.au • Lifeline on 13 11 14 • lifeline.org.au • Emergency Services 000 [i] Commonwealth Department of Health & Aged Care (2000); Suicide Prevention Australia (2009). [ii] Dyson et al. (2000). [iii] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Unpublished. Data. [iv] Institute of Medicine (2011); Leonard et al. (2012). [v] Price Waterhouse Coopers (2011).

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A Little Laser Cosmetic Laser Clinic

Jennifer Dromgold is the owner of a boutique clinic providing hair removal and skin rejuvenation with medical grade treatments at affordable prices.

Jennifer has clients ranging from gay boys & girls to people in the trans* community who need a professional that understands their needs.

Trans Health Survey People Wanted Transsexual? Transgender?

Sistergirl? Genderqueer?

Researchers from Curtin University are looking for trans people to take part in an anonymous internet survey of mental health and wellbeing.

OVER 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH LASER TREATMENTS

For more information call 6232 6629 Located in Manuka Arcade “As somebody that supports and understands the needs of GLBTI people I’m very keen to offer my services and help individuals look and feel better.”

Find out more here: transoz.org Make tomorrow better.

CRICOS Provider Code 00301J CU-HS-0108/BRAND CUHS0325K Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology

At Canberra Sexual Health Centre Level 1, Building 5 (Off Hospital Road) Canberra Hospital, Garran, ACT PH: 02 6244 2184

No time to get an STI check? Now it’s easier...

FREE AFTER-HOURS HIV/STI CHECKS for men who have sex with men, with HIV results in 24 hrs

4:30pm – 7:00pm Canberra Sexual Health Centre

First business Monday of every month

5 August 2 September 14 October

4 November 2 December 6 January

© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, August 2013 www.health.act.gov.au | www.act.gov.au | Enquiries: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132281

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By Melisa Paz

OCT & NOV 2013

YOUR HOROSCOPE

Mercury will be pretty much running the next two months, encouraging us to reconsider important things in ours lives including our directions and goals. By 21 October it will be in retrograde which means that everyone should be organised and try to stay calm as you may feel unsure about many things, especially in relation to work. Don’t worry if during October everything seems a little bit crazy, because by early November the Universe is going to give us all — especially those under the sign of Scorpion — lot’s of wonderful creativity energy to help make many great things possible. By 10 November Mercury will go direct again and everything will seem to be back where it belongs.

Aquarius

January 21 – February 18 Though you’re usually more sensitive and intuitive than others, by October you will feel especially so. Listen to everything that your heart is telling you and put some extra attention to love and family. Tip: There may be a surprise coming related to money and finance.

Taurus

April 21 – May 21 October will be a great month to hang out with friends and bond with co-workers — let this amazing energy do its job.

Tip: Take some free time to enjoy life, summer and all the wonderful people around you. During November expect some extra energy and motivation.

Leo

July 23 – August 23 Around November 10 expect an amazing day to come your way. Every aspect of your life will work if you relax and go with the flow. Enjoy, as the Universe guides you through a joyful day full of wonderful energies. Tip: Don’t spend money on things you don’t need.

Scorpio

October 24 – November 22 These two months will bring special attention to you and your goals. By mid October you will be full of inspiration, so listen to your heart, especially when it comes to changes you want to make in your life. Tip: Take some days off and go camping.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20 October will be full of new experiences and feelings, so breath deep and stay relaxed. Whether your single or attached, being romantic with someone will only bring rewards in October. Tip: Try to remember that no matter how much work you have, your health comes first.

Gemini

May 22 – June 21 It’s important you re-evaluate your goals. You may feel a bit crazy or lost, but during October the Universe will give you a clear direction to head — amazing things are about to happen, so keep positive and motivated. Tip: Stop comparing yourself to other people.

Virgo

August 24 – September 23 The last few months may have been emotional for you dear Virgo, but hopefully by now your feeling more secure again. This month Mercury and the Sun will give you back your motivation. Tip: Around 3 November don’t react to discussions about money.

Sagittarius

November 23 – December 22 This is a time full of amazing energy which will certainly give you plenty of motivation, especially at work. Use it well — it’s a great time to impress a boss or co-worker, reaping the rewards.

Tip: Pay special attention to your health and be mindful of the way you eat.

Aries

March 21 – April 20 You’ll be forced to re-think certain things, especially when it comes to money and finances. Listen to your intuition; you will be grateful you did.

Tip: Mid November will bring amazing new feelings and ideas; enjoy them and share them with the ones you love.

Cancer

June 22 – July 22 By the middle of October the universe will encourage you to spice up your love life — try new things and be brave! Tip: Take special care of yourself and remember that getting out of negative habits and routines is always a plus. Your body may be craving some extra fitness activities.

Libra

September 24 – October 23 It’s time to re-think how you spend your time. By the third week of October you may feel tired and there is good reason for that. Tip: The beginning of November is a great time to spice up your sex life — try something new, be adventurous, let go and have a bit of fun.

Capricorn

December 23 – January 20 With Saturn on your side, during the last weeks of November your love life may get pretty interesting. Stay open to new experiences and enjoy the ride. Tip: October will be a month about improving yourself. Stop trying to impress others and put your energies into being authentic.

STARGAZER

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COMMUNITY DIRECTORY AIDS Action Council The AIDS Action Council provides information, support and services.

More info: aidsaction.org.au

PFLAG-ACT A support and friendship group for parents and friends of LGBTI people.

More info email pflag.act@gmail.com

A Gender Agenda A resource for transgender, intersex, gender queer and gender variant people. genderrights.org.au

Long Yang A friendly social club for Asian and non-Asian gays and their friends.

Canberra: lyccanberra.org Sydney: sydney.longyangclub.org

ACTQueer A free email list for LGBTI people in Canberra and surrounding region. groups.yahoo.com/group/actqueer Bit Bent Youth Group Meet other young people, get support or just hang out. Mondays at Belconnen Youth Centre 6pm–8pm and Thursdays at the Woden Youth Centre 5pm–6.30pm.

Email: bit_bent@hotmail.com Canberra Gay & Lesbian QWIRE Want to be involved with Canberra’s own gay and lesbian choir? Singers and non-singers encouraged. More info: canberraqwire@yahoo.com.au

OUTBIZ : LGBTI Business Network Connect with other like-minded people, expand your business, find new customers or suppliers, network and support the LGBTI business community.

Email: outbiz@yahoo.com.au Pink Tennis Gay & Lesbian Tennis Group meets Mondays 6pm–9pm at Turner Tennis Club, Cnr McCaughey & Condamine Sts.

Capital Queers Canberra’s Mardi Gras group.

More info at capitalqueers.com

Qnet : Queer Youth Cyberspace GLBTI people under the age of 25.

Check out qnet.org.au

Dyke Dinner & Movie Group More info on FUSE website or see Canberra Lesbians on Facebook.

Queanbeyan GLBTI Youth Support Mondays 4pm–6pm at Axis Youth Centre, Campbell Street, Queanbeyan Park.

Diversity ACT A LGBTI community and service centre, for more information call 1300 794 717 diversityact.org.au

Radio Q Canberra LGBTI community radio show on 2xx 98.3FM 2xxfm.org.au

Gay ACT Squash Group Wednesdays 6.30pm–7.30pm. National Sports Club, Mouat St, Lyneham. groups.google.com/group/gayactsquash Gaycrash Canberra Taking over the coolest Canberra straight bars one night at a time! facebook.com/gaycrash.canberra/info

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Motafrenz GLBTIQ Car Club Contact Stuart Poole ACT Convener Motafrenz on 0420 523 238 or email act@motafrenz.org motafrenz.org.au

FUSEARTICLE

Rainbow Bubs A playgroup and support group for same sex parents and their kids.

Email: hoogied@yahoo.com Uni of Canberra LGBTI group A social group for all LGBTI students and staff. Queer Space is located at the UCSA building 1 at the Uni of Canberra.

Info email: sexuality@theucsa.org.au

✪ Come and play at CUBE Nightclub!

CANBERRA HANGOUTS Cube Nightclub Canberra’s premier gay nightclub venue.

33 Petrie Plaza Civic, Canberra City. cubenightclub.com.au Barcode Barcode is Canberra’s newest LGBTI venue. Yummy café by day, cool lounge come bar at night — it’s a place for everyone. 2/26 Challis St, Dickson. barcodecanberra.com.au Tilley’s Devine Cafe For over 26 years Tilley’s has been a gathering place for the gay and lesbian community. Warm and sumptuous, it’s famous for its food and fabulous coffees and cake. To reserve your favourite table or booth call us on 02 6247 7753.

Cnr of Wattle & Brigalow Sts, Lyneham.

Westlund House Westlund house is a welcoming space and community centre for the whole LGBTI community. You’ll find us at 16 Gordon Street, Acton, ACT Online at: westlundhouse.org.au Ranch Men’s Lounge Canberra’s mens’ space. They are located at Unit 19, Molongo Mall in Fyshwick ACT. A safe venue for men who want to meet men. See ad p47.

Want to know “what’s on” or be listed here, then visit us at www.fusemagazine.com.au

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Bewong River Retreat MOTEL FOR SALE A fantastic opportunity at Lake Bolac in Victoria This sunny and well maintained motel in beautiful Lake Bolac Victoria has real potential.

Perfectly located on the highway, you and guests can enjoy fishing, boating water sports and so much more in this idyllic and friendly tourist location.

We offer the perfect holiday or short break in a secluded natural setting with luxurious bungalow accommodation. The perfect place for civil unions, commitment ceremonies and hopefully very soon same-sex marriages.

riverretreat.com.au Telephone 02 4443 6999

The motel has nicely appointed guest rooms, includes a comfortable 3 bedroom home and is only 100km from Ballarat. Reduced to sell due to illness this is a wonderful opportunity for a lifestyle change.

Call Nell on 03 5350 2218

Imagine a world without factory farming...

Few people realise that factory farming is the single greatest cause of animal cruelty on the planet today. Most pork, bacon, ham, chicken and egg products come from animals who live lives of abject misery in factory farms. These are highly intelligent animals who are forced to endure intense confinement and surgical procedures without pain relief. They have been denied the same protection from acts of cruelty that are

afforded to dogs and cats, despite having the same capacity to suffer. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Our choices can set them free. By refusing factory-farmed, consuming fewer animal products, or going meat-free, you can create a kinder world for animals.

Visit MakeitPossible.com and join thousands of other caring Australians who are making a world without factory farming, possible.

Watch the film.

Sign the pledge.

Inspire others.

Animals Australia, 37 O'Connell St, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051

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‘‘

Dear Rose, I’m a vegan and it’s a pretty important part of my life. I’ve met a girl who I kinda like, but shares none of my values. Should I pursue a relationship with this girl?

Vegan Girl

Dear Vegan Girl, I feel maintaining your core values is vitally important in any relationship, but don’t be too quick to dismiss someone who could be a significant person in your life because they think differently. My partner is gluten intolerant and a vegetarian, so meal times in the beginning of our relationship were a little challenging.

Surprisingly over the years her influence and views have changed how I look at the humble vegetable and I now have a very different outlook on how to cook and eat vegetarian. But that doesn’t mean that I have stopped having the occasional steak or piece of fish when I feel like it! My point is that having diversity in a relationship can be a healthy thing as you both learn and teach each other different things. If you are really interested in this girl, try to look past the obvious differences for now and see if there are other overall qualities that may turn this into a potential relationship.

Dear Rose, Something kind of strange has happened to me. I introduced my BF to my parents and the first thing my Mum did was drag out an old photo “OMG he looks exactly like your father when he was twenty something” she said. And yes he does. Now making out kinda freaks me out… all I see is dad now. Help!

JJ

Dear JJ, Do you know how many studies exist which discuss how common it is to date someone who has similar qualities — and sometimes looks — to one of your parents? Tons and tons, I checked it out! Apparently, because the first relationships we have as children are with our parents, as we get older we look for some of those qualities, consciously or subconsciously, in a prospective partner.

I looked at my partner the other day and realised that perhaps the reason I have an affinity for tall people, is because one of my parents was a tall, long-legged person. Guess what my partner is, tall, but she’s also very different in many ways.

Understandably though, a physical likeness can be a bit weird, but I’m sure if you look closely you’ll see that your boy friend is actually very much his own man.

By Rose Pappalardo

EMAIL DEAR ROSE WITH YOUR PROBLEM TODAY!

Dear Readers, Please excuse my variance from the usual format, but I felt that it was important to begin spring with some positive and encouraging words.

Over the last six months there has been a massive increase of visibility on some of the issues and injustices facing the global GLBTI community. There are new anti-gay laws in Russia and Rwanda, shootings in New York and Jaimaca and more locally the discovery of over 80 gay men suspected as murdered in Sydney from 1980 to 2000. All reasons for us to despair and ask when will this insanity stop? At times I have to switch off and just stop reading or watching the news. It’s very troubling and all this constant negativity can be a soul killer.

Recently, I came across a copy of a famous speech by Martin Luther King and it has reminded me that there is still hope.

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you my friends today — so that even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”

Martin Luther King Jr 1963 Sometimes it feels like we have not moved very far on equality, but in fact we have witnessed Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) become unconstitutional in the US and watched as NZ, the UK and France all passed same sexmarriage laws — wonderful things. Events that 40 years ago were never thought possible.

So as we approach summer, dust off those winter blues, be hopeful, care for yourself and be gentle with each other, be positive, have compassion, reject negative rhetoric and look forward to the “the dream’ becoming a reality.

Love Rose “I would say that although my music may be or may have been part of the cultural background fabric of the gay community, I consider myself an outsider who belongs everywhere and nowhere... Being a human being is what truly counts. That’s where you’ll find me..”

Annie Lennox

Is life just too hard? Support is available for anyone in distress by phoning (24 Hours) QLife 1800 184 527 or Lifeline on 13 11 14

ASK DEAR ROSE 48

DEARROSE

If you need help or have a question email : dearrose@fusemagazine.com.au FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU