ISSUE 34 SUMMER 2020
08 Empathy, not judgement
Also in this issue:
04
Politicising identity
06
Syphilis
10
Pronouning the Intersex
+ Top tips for festival fun + Gay diversity
From the editor
Summer edition
AT LONG LAST, THE FESTIVE SEASONS IS HERE! IT’S TIME TO GET THAT COCKTAIL ON THE ROCKS AND MAKE AS MUCH MERRY AS WE CAN SQUEEZE INTO THE SUNNY HOURS WE HAVE FREE!
based lube $17 Recently was delighted have a candid ater based lube 75Iml $4 ater based lube 500 ml with a $10 conversation dear friend, where we
were exchanging some of the finer details of our amorous exploits. I was reminded (yet) again of how sweet it is to be blessed as a sexual humanHOBART being. Street,
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For those citizens who have several sexual partners, national guidelines recommend getting a sexual health check every three months.
DLY ORTED BY
As we wended our through retellings Thisway publication is brief an initiative of the Editor: By the end of our conversation, it seemed more of the encounters of the week, we remarked Health Promotion Program at thethe Matt Anning like: If you aren’t practicing safer sex (condoms, Tasmanian Council onthat AIDS,come Hepatitis contrasts of the joys and the woes with Contributors: PrEP etc..) and if you can’t trace every sexual Related Diseases,bonds (TasCAHRD). Matteo Senesi the cultivation ofand those emotional that encounter Sarah Lenehan that your partner has had (and those of ViewsThe expressed in Man2Man are the end up getting sexy. delight, the despair; their partners for that matter) then it is beneficial Grant Blake those of the authors and doonly not to intrigue of an affair. I felt privileged, not toNewell get tested as regularly as you can manage. Matt necessarily reflect the views of be queer, but to have the confidence of my friend Tracey Wing to the extent thatTasCAHRD. we can share our freedom, our So, book a sexual health check often, book it Our colleagues at TasCAHRD Phone: 03 6234 1242 stories, free of judgement, and with that extra eye Design soon, and take a friend! It’s easier than you think. & Layout: Email: projects@tascahrd.org.au out for each other’s welfare. Ede Magnussen Post: GPO Box 595 Hobart
courtesy of: Tasmania 7001 retracing the steps Printing At one point we were carefully PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY Xerox Hobart tascahrd.org.au through a series Web: of encounters, endeavoring Facebook: Man2ManTas to identify who specifically was in need of a sexual health check. We unturned somefrom pretty TasCAHRD receives funding the compelling stones, andthrough after double checking a Crown, Department of Health and Human Services, to provide these few facts about dental dams and oral gonorrhea, services. we decided one thing was true for the sexually active community at large:
Would you like toan seeSTIyour business or service Getting check is a great way to advertised invest into in this mag? harm reduction the community. Contact TasCAHRD forinrates – pr ojec t s@t a sc ah r d .o r g .au .
NG2 some of the content of this magazine may be offensive to some readers Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
e Resource for Men in2 Men
3
CONTENTS Politicising identity
CONTRIBUTORS: 4
Simone-Lisa
Finnian Danger Robert Johnston Randos Korobacz Sierra Murray
Silvana Bettiol
Syphilis - a night with Venus, and a lifetime with Mercury!
6
Empathy, not judgement
8
Pronouning the Intersex
10
Top tips for festival fun
12
Gay diversity
14
Artist profile
16
Red Thread Studio call for collaboration
18
NSP Outlets and Pharmacies
20
Services Directory
22
Belinda Chamley Pip Cooper
Did you know you can buy beppy sponges, condoms and lube at the TasCAHRD office? Nigel Mallett House 319 Liverpool Street Hobart Open 9.00 am – 5.00 pm
WARNING: some of the content of this magazine may be offensive to some readers. TasCAHRD receives funding from the Crown, through the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide these services. Views expressed in Red thread are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of TasCAHRD. This publication is an initiative of the Health Promotion Program at the Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases (TasCAHRD).
Would you like to see your business or service advertised in this mag? Contact TasCAHRD for rates – projects@tascahrd.org.au
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Impulse Control
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Australia says YES!
12
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
3
By Randos Korobacz
Politicising identity THE SIGNS OF OUR TIMES: NAVIGATING IDENTITY IN AN AGE OF POLITICAL BACKBITING. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE BATTLE FATIGUE WHEN IT COMES TO DISCUSSING MATTERS OF IDENTITY? EVERY FRIEND I HAVE SPOKEN TO IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS HAS SAID THEY FEEL OVERWHELMED AND DRAINED FROM THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS BATTLES OF IDENTITY POLITICS WITHIN QUEER CIRCLES. FROM PRONOUNS, TO GENDER IDENTITY CATEGORIES, TO TRIGGER WARNINGS AND THE POLITICS OF HARM, IT FEELS LIKE THAT HARDLY AN EVENT OR SIMPLE CONVERSATION CAN GO BY WITHOUT SOMEONE FEELING HURT, WOUNDED, OR TRAUMATIZED BY SOMEONE’S VIEW POINT, POORLY PHRASED QUESTION OR SOMEONE’S CLUMSY CHOICE OF WORDS.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
The mood in the community makes conversations difficult. Instead of entering spaces of conversation with open hearts and minds, we increasingly find ourselves engaged on the defensive or offense to call out, cut down and takeout others before anything is really discussed. Amidst the crossfire of wounded and fed-up feelings, you can be forgiven for believing this situation is a product of people’s lack of resilience or selfishness. It is easy to come to those conclusions given that identity can be quite brittle and is indeed all about the need to invest in personal expression.
However, this situation is more a reflection of the signs of our time and the fact that we are all navigating a remarkable and poignant moment in the history of human social evolution. Although we are individuals, we act through the pressures and freedoms of society. Our fatigue and snipping at one another, is not caused by a lack a resilience or egotism, which I might add is often aimed at young people, but by the complex history and pressures of our political system, the digital revolution and our own important task of legitimatizing the sophistication of queerness. Over the last three decades government politics has been organized into different identity groups. Progressive vs Conservative, Male vs Female, Black vs White, Young vs Old, strait vs LGBTIQ and so forth. This is specifically called ‘identity politics’. Over time the language style or speech climate of politics, which has become quite shouty has filtered down to the rest of us. Now of course, identity politics is a perfectly legitimate way of highlighting inequalities and systems of oppression. Cue the women’s liberation movement, the US civil rights movement and our own LGBTIQ battles. However, the speech climate between all of us has shifted from commonality to common enemy, with us fracturing off into our little corners. Adding to this pressure is the digital revolution – more specifically the internet which has been both a blessing and a curse
Make no doubt about it, some of our strain and pressured conversations is also fuelled by a litany of emotions stacked on top of us by the dimensions of internet exposure. It’s a place of both identity construction and identity decimation. Many of us have formed our identity online but it’s also a place which can be bombarded with relentless anti-queer agendas, rife with misinformation and hysteria – many of us are feeling battle fatigue. Amongst all of this we are trying to go about the important work of recognizing emerging identity categories, which in the west, have been 200 years in the making. For example, the most recent controversies involve the expansion of gender identity categories, with debates surrounding the legitimacy and differences between genderqueer, gender non-conforming, nonbinary and issues of trans-representation. These conversations are important for the sake of human expression. But under the pressure of angry identity politics and the rush to discover, define and defend of our queer identities, we run the risk of losing perspective and dismissing viewpoints within our own.
We are all in this together and I can assure you the battles are far from over. It’s time to remember what matters. If the argument you find convincing doesn’t resonate with someone else, find out what does. And take the time to listen, a change heart needs a safe space to be heard. As a community we must unite in commonality and work toward a future of diversity and love – which has always been the core principle of queer.
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
5
By Silvana Bettiol and Belinda Chamley
Syphilis
- a night with Venus, and a lifetime with Mercury!
DESPITE THE WELL RECORDED HISTORY OF SYPHILIS, ITS ORIGINS REMAIN SHROUDED IN MYSTERY. IT WAS THE FIRST “NEW” DISEASE TO BE DISCOVERED AFTER THE INVENTION OF PRINTING WITH THE FIRST RECORDED OUTBREAK IN 1495 IN THE CITY OF NAPLES. THERE CONTINUED TO BE LARGE OUTBREAKS RECORDED ACROSS EUROPE AND SEVERAL CONTINENTS, BUT BY THE EARLY 18TH CENTURY SYPHILIS HAD BECOME MORE OF THE EPISODIC DISEASE WE SEE TODAY. THE DISEASE WAS COMMONLY CALLED “LUES”, “SYPH”, OR THE “POX.”
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
In 1905, the bacteria that caused syphilis, Treponema pallidum, was finally discovered. The following year in 1906, the first test for diagnosing syphilis was developed called the “Wassermann Reaction”. Previously doctors were only able to diagnose the infection if a patient had symptoms. Unfortunately, this was not a foolproof diagnosis method, as syphilis has many stages that are symptomless. Early treatments for syphilis were few and difficult, and often included harmful substances, including mercury. Mercury had terrible side effects including neuropathies, kidney failure, severe mouth ulcers, and loss of teeth – many patients died of mercury poisoning rather than syphilis. Treatment typically continued for years, and gave rise to the saying, ‘a night with Venus (goddess of love), and a lifetime with Mercury’. When doctors realised how toxic mercury was, they looked for other treatments, however none were effective.
It wasn’t until 1910 that the first effective treatment of syphilis was developed - an arsenic compound called Salvarsan, followed by NeoSalvarsan in 1912. It was later shown that for arsenic to be effective it had to be combined with small doses of either mercury or bismuth. This treatment was used until Penicillin was introduced in 1943. This was a turning point in syphilis treatment, as Penicillin is highly effective when used in the primary or secondary stages of syphilis and has few side effects when compared to mercury or arsenic. Penicillin remains the mainstay of syphilis treatment.
Rates of syphilis infection varied before the discovery of Penicillin. Australia’s peak infection rate was in 1920, when there were 173.1 cases per 100,000 population. These rates decreased after the introduction of Penicillin, reaching the lowest rate in 1990 of 9.6 cases per 100,000 population. But since the 1990s syphilis rates have started to rise again worldwide. Australia has also seen infectious syphilis rates rise; there were 20.3 cases per 100,000 population in 2018. So, if we can easily and successfully treat syphilis why is this old disease making a big comeback? There are several reasons: • Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at greatest risk of acquiring syphilis infection, but syphilis is being spread more broadly in the population and affecting previously lower risk groups such as heterosexual males, females and babies (passed from mother during pregnancy). This is partly due to sexual-network-bridging between men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual women. • The rise of apps such as Tinder and Grindr mean sex is more readily available and more anonymous, helping people hook up more efficiently than ever before. • A decrease in condom use, which has been partly linked to the rise in apps, successful HIV treatment and the advent of PrEP. • Reduced number of easy access sexual health clinics. In many countries, easy access sexual health clinics have had their funding cut, and this has reduced the number of clinics open, or reduced the opening hours of the remaining clinics.
So, while we can now say ‘a night with Venus, and a short time with Penicillin’ it is important that we prevent the resurgence of this ancient and invisible disease.
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
7
By Pip Cooper
Empathy, not judgement THINKING ABOUT THE REASONS YOU SMOKE CAN BE A GREAT FIRST STEP TO QUITTING. QUIT TASMANIA CREATED A WHOLLY TASMANIAN CAMPAIGN BASED ON RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN WITH TASMANIAN SMOKERS RECENTLY. BY LISTENING, QUIT TASMANIA FOUND OUT WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT THEIR SMOKING AND WHAT WOULD HELP THEM TO BE BETTER PREPARED TO QUIT SMOKING.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
The research found that Tasmanian smokers: • Had generally ‘heard it all before’ – they already know why they should quit • Don’t want to be told to quit - they want ownership over their decision •
Wanted empathy and understanding
• Don’t like being spoken down to negatively
listen to you and support your quitting goals. You can call them for advice and guidance on managing triggers and relapses, information about medications and products to help you in your quit attempt. You can call even if you are only thinking about quitting and haven’t made a decision yet. Most of our Quitline counsellors know what it’s like to quit - so you will be getting support from people who understand what it’s like.
• Need skills and resources to quit smoking successfully.
Using a professional service such as Quitline will greatly improve your success in becoming a non-smoker.
The new campaign recognises that smokers need to be encouraged to think about their reasons for smoking such as nicotine addiction, habits and emotion or stress.
There are many benefits to quitting. Besides significantly reducing your risk of contracting smoking-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases, you will:
The “Think” campaign puts a completely new spin on messaging to smokers – empathy, not judgement. It’s an Australian first. Take a peek at www.quittas.org.au
Thinking about Quitting? Quitline 13 7848 is a welcoming, free confidential service delivered by professional counsellors based here in Tasmania. Over the past 25 years Quitline have helped thousands of smokers. Quitline counsellors are warm and friendly, professionally trained, and are there to
•
be fitter and have more energy
•
breath more easily and smell nicer
• your skin will glow, and your sense of taste and smell will improve • cigarettes will lose their control of you and your bank balance will be a lot healthier.
You can also check out our website on www.quittas.org.au for more tips and for more information about our service.
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
9
By Simone-Lisa
Pronouning the Intersex
GET READY FOR AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE... PERHAPS… AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO SAY MY ENDORPHINS ARE PUMPING AT THE PROSPECT OF WRITING THIS, SADLY THEY ARE NOT… IN FACT, I FEEL ALL TEACHER-ISH AND SAGE LIKE, BESTOWING KNOWLEDGE LIKE WATER FROM A FOUNTAIN.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
Sadly, not many people drink from this side... it’s like I’m spruiking from the other side of the line – Well, we have cookies, so come and join us!
There are three main spectrums that rule my life. First, the autism spectrum. Go that genetic mutation that makes life so fun. Second, the sex spectrum (no, not THAT sex spectrum...) but the one where on one end is totally female and the other end is totally male, with all those glorious bits in between. Again, genetic mutations present us the most amazing people, almost like a Loooook! - hey, we made this happen! (statement directly from the DNA working committee). Disclaimer…. Completely female/ males are also glorious – totally, no discrimination here. But let me digress for one moment...
On this note... I still firmly believe that even if it cannot “be done again”, those beings are perfect just..the..way..they..are. Unless... and this takes me to the third and final spectrum which rules my life, the gender spectrum. Surprisingly enough, gender is the physiological knowledge of who you are (I just made that up, but I think it works). I know I am inherently female on both spectrums; this has never faltered... However, a number of my children know that how they were born is not how they feel. For example, from a very young age, my intersex child has chosen one gender from the very outmost end; even though on the sex spectrum that child is very much in the middle. Again, this is just one example; not all intersex people feel the same way. Another of my children does not feel any specific permanence on that gender spectrum, floating from one side to the other and sometimes staying in the middle. When gender dysphoria occurs...
Mutation: the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes (taken from Google dictionary, 26/10/2019) Mutation is such a misunderstood word, sometimes it’s misused where mutilation would work better… Mutations include double daffodil flowers (way too happy looking, but beautiful nonetheless); Dexter cattle (beautiful short cattle (not projecting about my lack of height or bovine type anatomy)); and many variants of the sex spectrum who are all beautiful as well…. My child is doubly beautiful… not biased at all. Mutilation however reminds me of overly enthusiastic surgeons with newborns and sharp objects ready to cut and change and scar and reduce and minimize and traumatize – to project their ideas of perfection, when already that DNA working committee has completed their perfection-ideal with a let’s see how this works...
Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth (taken from Google dictionary, 26/10/2019). ...and when it feels necessary, surgeons with their sharp objects and cunning ability to change bits and pieces can be welcome – with consent, always with consent.... That kind of change can’t easily be undone. Which takes me ... finally… to the educational part of this article… A google search for non-binary pronouns will get the ball rolling. No matter how someone looks, always ask for their preferred pronouns. Don’t assume, even if they tilt their heads with quizzical expressions – he/him, she/her, they/ them, and the all those pronouns that are making their way into our language xe/xir, ze/ zir... take the time to ask properly, you might be gifted with friendship, knowledge, or not... nothing in this world is a given. This is my I-story…
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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By Robert Johnston
Top tips for festival fun ‘TIS THE SEASON FOR MUSIC FESTIVALS. HERE ARE SOME TIPS THAT CAN MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE UNFORGETTABLE FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
1. Check out festival website before you go. Major festivals nearly always have websites and downloadable phone apps that provide safety info including including emergency phone numbers to call, what First Aid and support services are available on site, and where they will be situated. And because it sucks dumping stuff out of the car on entry or having it confiscated later, use website to find out what things you can and can’t bring to their festival. Some banned items are just common sense, other items might not be so obvious. 2. Know your surroundings. Before you start your party, familiarise yourself with the festival area and take note of the location of essential safety services, toilets etc. Some festivals supply maps from their info tents, so make use of them. 3. Stay Hydrated! It’s easier than you think to become dehydrated and harder than you think to recover. Most festivals have water stations, so take a few drink bottles and don’t wait to feel thirsty; instead, drink regularly throughout a music festival. 4. Dress for success. Summer temperatures all over Australia can be relentless. And some parts of Australia can deliver weather that goes from boiling hot to freezing cold in the same day. So, be prepared! A good pair of sturdy shoes is a great place to start. 5. Slip, slop, slap. The suns a killer…literally. So, slip on a long sleeve shirt, slop on a wide brimmed hat and slap on buckets of sunscreen. I think this one is so obvious that sometimes we forget to take care. But remember, sun burn is really, really painful and skin cancer is a real bummer. 6. Pace yourself and prepare yourself. Music festivals are often held over a few days that makes them a marathon; not a sprint. So, sit out a few rounds occasionally and you’ll be in it for the long haul. And in the week leading up to a festival, eat well and get plenty of sleep - believe me, it can make a world of difference. Going to a multi-day festival half-baked will zap your energy levels and lower your fun factor. 7.
ractice safer sex and look after your sexual P health. Please ensure a condom is used when hooking up and then get regular
sexual health checks. Your summer of fun can quickly turn to crap if you contract a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Blood borne viruses like HIV and Hepatitis can spread during sex also, so rubber up buttercup. 8. NO means NO and ‘maybe’ or ‘I think so’ is not good enough! If you have sex, everyone involved needs to ABSOLUTELY agree. And just because someone is doing some things, like kissing or oral sex, doesn’t mean they have to do everything or anything else. And another thing, Mates don’t let mates harass or sexually assault others. 9. Have a buddy system that ensures you and your friends stay connected and looking out for each other for the duration of the festival. Don’t rely on your phone to keep in contact with a buddy during a music festival either, as there might be issues with network coverage or dead batteries. Instead, organize a central meeting place to meet at certain times. 10. Party safe and make the most of your music festival experience by keeping tabs on how much alcohol you’re drinking and please avoid mixing alcohol and other drugs – including prescription medication. The combo can be deadly. Don’t take drinks or drugs from people you don’t know. While the use of recreational drugs should arguably be a health issue as opposed to a law enforcement issue, the reality is police and sniffer dogs will often have a presence at music festivals and they ‘ll be on the lookout for illicit drugs. Just saying.
Final word Look after yourself and keep an eye on your friends. Be kind to others. If you or someone else is in trouble, don’t wait to seek help. Festival organisers and medical services just want you to be safe - they are not obliged to notify the police or your parents. And be careful travelling home. We all know that driving, drink and drugs are a lethal combination. Add lack of sleep and busy holiday roads and you have a recipe for a catastrophe. Make sure the person driving the vehicle you’re in is fit to do so. Rock on.
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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By Finnian Danger
Gay diversity
HOW OFTEN CAN YOU SAY YOU’VE SEEN MEDIA THAT DEPICTED GAY MEN AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN SKINNY, HANDSOME, AND WHITE? IF WE TRUSTED TV, WE’D BELIEVE TRANSGENDER WOMEN WERE ALL SKINNY AND WHITE AS WELL. LET’S GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT - QUEERNESS IS NOT A WHITE, WESTERN TRAIT. SINCE OUR SHOW ON BENT AIR ABOUT QUEER MUSLIMS BACK IN APRIL, I HAVE BEEN ALARMED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE STATEMENTS LIKE “I JUST DIDN’T THINK GAY MUSLIMS EXISTED” OR ASKING HOW A MUSLIM PERSON COULD BE TRANSGENDER. GIVEN THAT BEING GAY OR TRANS ISN’T A CHOICE, IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ME THAT SOME PEOPLE COULD BELIEVE THAT THE MYTHICAL GAY GENE ONLY EXISTS IN WHITE PEOPLE. THAT IT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A GAY MAN TO BE MUSLIM.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer Winter 2019 2020
So, let’s talk a little bit about being queer in a predominantly Muslim country. I’ll use the example of Nareem, who gave an interview to BBC UK. Nareem is a lesbian, and she has known this since she was a very young girl. However, Nareem also comes from an area where a lesbian would likely be murdered for her identity. She tells us of the secret codes that other lesbian women in the area use as a calling card - emojis, letters, even small insignia stitched to their shirts. They find each other through this language of love and talk via secret, encrypted apps. Nareem’s case is not special; all over the world, queer people live like this. In shame, speaking in tongues to remain hidden, and praying that they aren’t caught. To an outsider, it may seem like queer folks simply don’t exist in these regions. But this is false, and a dangerous narrative to push.
In Nareem’s town alone, she tells BBC UK that there are approximately thirty other Sapphic women aged in their twenties and thirties, and that’s just the ones she’s found. This concept that queer Muslims don’t exist is also perpetuated by the notion that Muslims hate gay people. And sure, some do. Some Christians do, too. Some Atheists do. It certainly doesn’t help that many queer folks in predominantly Muslim regions and countries must live in secret for their own safety, but we often forget that in parts of the US and even here in Australia, it’s no different. Love will bloom even in the harshest of climates, and gender identity cannot be ignored. Even those who are terrified cannot deny their truth.
the psychologist replied, “I know Muslims folks don’t accept transgender people. What was that like?” J notes that his father was actually his biggest supporter and that his religion had absolutely no effect on that. The assumption that a Muslim father would immediately turn on a transgender child, or a gay child, is a very common one. Because of this, J was unable to access proper grievance counselling. Being Muslim was all people could focus on. Think about that for a moment; a bereaved child could not talk about his father’s life and death without being bombarded with questions from psychologists about how his father handled his transgender identity. Even trained professionals have these assumptions so deeply embedded in their minds.
Thankfully, the world is changing. LGBTI Muslims are able to be out in safer spaces. People of other races and religions are more likely than ever to stand up and champion the cause of queer Muslims receiving the recognition of existence that they deserve. There is no magic wand that swings over babies and sprinkles only pretty white ones with queerness. Being queer encompasses every single race, religion, size, shape, and colour and those of us who are white and Western need to stop forgetting this. If we don’t start including Muslims in our narrative of queer identity, we will continue to be implicit in their suffering.
Another example I’d like to use is J Mase, a transgender Muslim person living in America. Something that he said really stuck with me, and that was talking about his father’s passing with his psychologist. He told the psychologist that his father knew he was transgender, and Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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By Sierra Murray
Artist profile: Sierra Murray
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
Hello! My name is Sierra Murray. I am a seventeen-year-old, Cis lesbian who has just graduated high-school. I live in Sydney and find myself either planning out stories, creating art, playing dungeons and dragons or finding ways to represent queer and LGBT+ culture as well as people of colour. I am inspired by many things including art, history, culture, fantasy, animation and entertainment as well as my own experiences and imagination. I find that the experiences and expressions of other people and culture are fascinating. I try to make everyone feel invited and welcome with my bright colours and concepts. I work with many mediums but mostly digital and watercolour, though I am progressively working with coloured pencil more. My style requires mediums where I can use flat colours or cell shading. However, I do love blending vibrant colour stories. Overall, the main message I present is to have fun, and to try and let everyone feel included. Every day I become more knowledgeable of cultures and lifestyles, and that influences my art. I find it annoying when only one way of life is presented, where there are millions upon millions of others which people haven’t seen yet. I believe the world deserves to see that. To follow me, I am @_artconic_ on Instagram, as well as @sierramurray2319 for personal and cosplay photos, and Artconic on YouTube where more videos will be posted soon. Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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By TasCAHRD
Red Thread Studio call for collaboration AT TASCAHRD, WE RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT FROM VIIV HEALTH CARE TO MAKE PODCASTS RELATED TO OUR CORE BUSINESS. I WONDER IF YOU HAVE SEEN US ALREADY ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK WITH A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM OUR NEW STUDIO? THE STUDIO IS SET UP SO THAT WE CAN SIT DOWN WITH OURSELVES, AND WITH COLLEAGUES FROM OTHER COMMUNITY HEALTH ORGANISATIONS, RECORD, AND THEN DISTRIBUTE THE CHATS THAT WE HAVE.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer Winter 2019 2019
Our end goal is a series of short videos and interviews on topics that contribute to better wellbeing. Our topics include: • The importance of regular sexual health checks
Other topics we’d like to cover are: •
Mental health
•
Coming out
•
Quit smoking
•
How to cure Hepatitis C
•
Suicide prevention
•
How condoms create safer sex
•
Family violence
• Understanding how to prevent an HIV transmission
• Relationships •
Gender identity
• The value of diversity and inclusion in eliminating discrimination
•
Law enforcement
•
Nutrition and exercise
The topics above are business as usual for us here at TasCAHRD, and we will continue to push this info around your message boxes and wallpaper until we are on the way to making a difference. In the meantime, we are opening our doors to similarly minded community organisations, to come and record a chat about the ways that we support each other, and then distribute these chats to the broader community.
If you, or any people you know are connected to a community health organisation who would like to join us in promoting healthy living then drop us a line! Ph 03 6234 1242 or mail@tascahrd.org.au.
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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NSP OUTLETS PRIMARY Northwest Youth and Family Focus Inc 62 Stewart Street Devonport Anglicare 6 Strahan Street Burnie South Jordan River Services Inc. 6 Bowden Drive Bridgewater Anglicare 436 Main Road Glenorchy
South The Link 57 Liverpool Street Hobart Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre 56 Patrick Street Hobart Jordan River Services - Gagebrook Community Centre 191 Lamprill Circuit Gagebrook Tasmanian Council on Aids, Hepatitis and Related Diseases 319 Liverpool Street Hobart North
Anglicare 18 Watchorn Street Hobart
Cape Barren Community Health Centre 5 Everett Court Cape Barren Island
Clarence Community Health Centre 18-22 Bayfield Street Rosny
Flinders Island Multi-Purpose Centre James Street Flinders Island
North
Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc 16 West Street Lady Barron
Salvation Army 111 Elizabeth Street Launceston
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre 182 Charles Street Launceston
SECONDARY
Ravenswood Community Health Centre 39-41 Lambert Street Ravenswood
Northwest
St Helens District Hospital 10 Annie Street St Helens
Burnie Community House 24 Wiseman Street Burnie North West Regional Hospital 23 Brickport Road Burnie King Island District Hospital and Health Centre 35 Edwards Street Currie Devonport Community Health Centre 23 Steele Street Devonport
VENDING MACHINES Northwest 40-48 Best Street, Devonport Ground level, Multi-level carpark South
Rosebery Community Hospital Hospital Road Rosebery
Anglicare 18 Watchorn Street Hobart
Smithton District Hospital 74 Brittons Road Smithton
Invermay Local Post Office 52 Invermay Road Invermay
Wyndarra Centre Inc. 43 Smith Street Smithton
Salvation Army 111 Elizabeth Street Launceston
North
Youngtown Pharmacy 369 Hobart Road Youngtown
These NSP locations have been reproduced from the DHHS webpage.
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Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
NSP PHARMACIES NORTH
SOUTH
West Tamar Pharmacy, Beaconsfield Bicheno Pharmacy, Bicheno Bridport Pharmacy, Bridport Healthpoint Pharmacy, Campbell Town Amcal Pharmacy, Deloraine George Town Pharmacy Capital Chemist, King Meadows Priceline Pharmacy, Launceston Amcal Pharmacy, Legana Chemmart Pharmacy, Longford Longford Pharmacy, Longford Capital Chemist, Mowbray Heights Capital Chemist, Newstead Chemmart Pharmacy, Ravenswood Galloway’s Pharmacy, Scottsdale St Helens Pharmacy, St Helens St Marys Pharmacy, St Marys Westbury Pharmacy, Westbury Young Town Pharmacy, Young Town
Bellerive Quay Pharmacy, Bellerive Rhys Jones Pharmacy, Bellerive Priceline Pharmacy, Bridgewater Brighton Pharmacy, Brighton Bruny Island Pharmacy, Bruny Island Chigwell Pharmacy, Chigwell Claremont Pharmacy, Claremont Derwent Park Pharmacy, Derwent Park Chemmart Pharmacy, Dodges Ferry Dover Pharmacy, Dover Geeveston Pharmacy, Geeveston Elizabeth Hope Priceline, Glenorchy Central Advantage Pharmacy, Glenorchy Priceline Pharmacy, Hobart Mall Davey St. Discount Pharmacy, Hobart Your Hobart Chemist, Hobart Shoreline Amcal Pharmacy, Howrah Wentworth Pharmacy, Howrah Huonville Pharmacy, Huonville Priceline Pharmacy, Kingston Terry White Chemist, Kingston Chemist Outlet, Kingston Kingborough Medical Centre Pharmacy Lauderdale Pharmacy, Lauderdale Amcal Pharmacy, Lenah Valley Village Chemmart, Lindisfarne Rosetta Pharmacy, Montrose Amcal Max Pharmacy, Moonah Amcal Community Pharmacy, New Norfolk New Norfolk Pharmacy, New Norfolk Friendly Care Chemmart, New Town Amcal Pharmacy, North Hobart Tasman Pharmacy, Nubeena Risdon Vale Pharmacy, Rison Vale Eastlands Priceline Pharmacy, Rosny Park Discount Pharmacy, Sandy Bay Magnet Court Chemmart, Sandy Bay Healthpoint Pharmacy, Snug Chemmart Pharmacy, Sorell Chemist Warehouse, Sorell Sorell Plaza Pharmacy, Sorell South Arm Community Pharmacy, South Arm Capital Chemist, South Hobart Swansea Pharmacy, Swansea Triabunna Pharmacy, Triabunna Warrane Pharmacy, Warrane Amcal Pharmacy, West Hobart
NORTH WEST Bolands Pharmacy, Burnie Pharmacy One, Burnie Wilkinson’s Pharmacy, Burnie Chemmart Pharmacy, Upper Burnie Healthpoint Pharmacy, Burnie King Island Pharmacy, Currie Mersey Pharmacy, East Devonport Coventry’s Pharmacy, Latrobe Penguin Pharmacy, Penguin Turnbull’s Pharmacy, Sheffield Smithton Pharmacy, Smithton Somerset Pharmacy, Somerset Strahan Pharmacy, Strahan Priceline Pharmacy, Ulverstone Peter Thompson’s Pharmacy, Ulverstone Westside Pharmacy, Ulverstone Dixon’s Pharmacy, Wynyard Healthpoint Pharmacy, Wynyard Zeehan Pharmacy, Zeehan
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SERVICES ATTITUDE COUNSELLING
WORKING IT OUT
Attitudecounselling.com Ph 0499 184 088 (Launceston)
www.workingitout.org.au
Affordable, confidential
Q-LIFE, NATIONAL www.qlife.org.au Ph 1800 184 527 Counselling 7 days 3.00 pm til midnight
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TASMANIA https://equalopportunity.tas.gov.au Ph 1300 305 062 The office of the anti-discrimination commissioner
GAY & LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD www.switchboard.org.au Ph 1800 184 527 Counselling and referrals
SCARLET ALLIANCE TASMANIAN SEX WORKER OUTREACH PROJECT outreachtas@scarletalliance.org.au Ph 0451 835 897 www.scarletalliance.org.au
SEX WORKER OUTREACH PROJECT (SWOP)
Sexuality and gender support and counselling
SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICE http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/sexualhealth Toll Free: 1800 675 859 Clinic 60 - 60 Collins St Hobart Ph 03 6166 2672 Mon – Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (drop in on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday mornings) Clinic 34 - 34 Howick St Launceston Ph 03 6777 1371 Mon – Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (drop in on Thursday mornings) Devonport - Ph 03 6777 1371 by appointment only Counselling, support, referrals, STI/HIV testing and PrEP prescriptions
TASCAHRD - TASMANIAN COUNCIL ON AIDS, HEPATITIS & RELATED DISEASES www.redthread.org.au Ph 1800 005 900
TAS POLICE LGBTIQ LIAISON OFFICERS
Resources for sex workers, including cis male and transgender sex workers
www.police.tas.gov.au Ph 03 6230 2111 (Hobart) Ph 03 6336 7000 (Launceston) Ph 03 6434 5211 (North West)
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SEX INDUSTRY NETWORK
ATDC TAS – THE ALCOHOL, TOBACCO & OTHER DRUGS COUNCIL OF TASMANIA
www.swop.org.au
http://www.sin.org.au/SINmale Outreach, peer education, information, referrals, support, advocacy, working tips, resources and safer sex supplies to all male workers
TASPRIDE www.taspride.com Celebrating and uniting the Tasmanian LGBTIQQ community
http://www.atdc.org.au/ Advocating and initiatives
NUFIT GLENORCHY (ANGLICARE NSP) 436 Main Rd Glenorchy | Ph 1800 243 232 Mon – Fri 10:00 am – 4:30 pm Sterile equipment, information, education, support and referrals
To have your service listed in this directory contact TasCAHRD on 03 6234 1242 or Health@tascahrd.org.au 22
Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
DIRECTORY ANGLICARE NEEDLE & SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME 18 Watchorn St, Hobart | Ph 1800 243 232 Mon – Fri 12.30 am – 4.30 pm 24 hr vending machine ($2 fee)
SALVATION ARMY NEEDLE & SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME 111 Elizabeth St Launceston | Ph 03 6323 7500 Mon – Fri 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
THE LINK YOUTH HEALTH SERVICE & HEAD SPACE FOR PEOPLE AGED 12-24 http://www.thelink.org.au 57 Liverpool St Hobart | Ph 03 6231 2927 Mon – Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Counselling, outreach, case management, support for mental and sexual health, alcohol and drugs (incl NSP), family planning
HOBART COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICE www.hobartlegal.org 166 Macquarie Street, Hobart | Ph 03 6223 2500 7 Station Lane, Sorell | Ph 03 6265 1911 Shop 3, Covehill Fair, Bridgewater Ph 03 6263 4755
FLAMINGOS DANCE BAR www.flamingosbar.com Tasmania’s nightclub committed to providing a tolerant, safe, informative and fun environment for people of alternative sexualities and their friends to be able to enjoy themselves and socialise in a non-threatening environment
EAST COAST QUEER LIFE SUPPORT (ECQLS) Email ecqls.tas@gmail.com Ph 0467 000 748 Information and social activities
FAMILY PLANNING TASMANIA http://www.fpt.asn.au 421 Main Rd Glenorchy Ph 03 6273 9117 | Mon - Fri 9:00 am – 5.00 pm 269 Wellington St Launceston Ph 03 6343 4566 | Mon - Fri 9:00 am – 5.00 pm 1 Pine Ave Burnie Ph 03 6431 7692 (Mon, Wed and Thurs) Contraception and pregnancy counselling, sexual health checks, pap smears, information and referral
GAY FRIENDLY CAFES Basket & Green Cafe Bozzey Criterion Cafe Deloraine Deli DS Coffee House Fitzpatrick’s Inn Fleurty’s Cafe Lotus Eaters Ginger Brown Hamlet Hotel SOHO Jackman & McCross Kusinat Lansdowne Cafe Lebrina
Machine Laundry Cafe O’Keefe’s Hotel Pickled Evenings Indian Restaurant Red Velvet Lounge Republic Bar Restaurant Red Restaurant Waterloo Retro Café Stonies Fifties Cafe Straight Up Coffee & Food Tasmania Inn
PREP SAVVY GPS Dr Jennifer Mission -Sandy Bay Clinic 279 Sandy Bay Road | Ph 62236822 Book online at www.sandybayclinic.com.au Dr Natasha Lovatt - Aboriginal Health Service 56 Patrick Street | Ph 6234 0777 and Eastern Shore Doctors – Bellerive 48 Cambridge Road | Ph 6282 1399 Dr Denys Volkovets George Town Medical Centre 49 Anne Street | Ph 6382 4333 Dr Wole Olomola City Medical Practice 10 Marine Terrace Burnie Dr Jane Cooper Don Medical Clinic Shop 7 / 48-54 Oldaker Street | Ph 6441 5299 Dr Mark Ryan Newdegate St Medical Clinic 107 Newdegate St West Hobart | Ph 62314109 Red thread Magazine - Summer 2020
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$30 for 144 condoms – Four Seasons $12 for 500ml Lube – Four Seasons $4 Beppy Sponges (wet and dry) See www.redthread.org.au and click on Shop Or drop into Nigel Mallett House 319 Liverpool Street