Program

Welcome to the 2021 LGBTIQ Women’s Health Online Conference program!

To receive updates about the Conference, sign up to our e-list here, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

The conference will be held online on Thursday 4 November. Before the conference, you will receive an email with your unique access link from our conference platform OnAir. The platform contains more detailed information about the program.

The LGBTIQWHC will be hosted two free Special Events for 2021 Delegates after the conference. Find out more here.

All times are in AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time).

Scroll through our program below and click on a presenter’s name to find their bio information.

Mama Alto (she/her)

Mama Alto is an artist and community worker who has worked extensively within LGBTQIA+ communities. A trans, queer person of colour living with chronic illness, outside of her work in the arts she hopes to serve her communities. She is the current CEO of Transgender Victoria, and formerly served as Artist Development Coordinator at Midsumma Festival. Mama is also a Board Member of Switchboard Victoria, is a current non-governing Member of the Victorian Pride Centre, and has fundraised and volunteered for many LGBTQIA+ organisations and causes. Her advocacy has been recognised as a 2019 recipient of the Out for Australia 30 Under 30 leadership awards, and her work at the intersections of art and community building has been recognised with the 2021 Australia Council for the Arts Kirk Robson Award for Community Arts and Cultural Development.

Karen Price (she/her)

Deputy CEO, ACON
Karen Price has over 20 years’ experience in the health sector in government, non-government and university sectors. Karen has experience across LGBTQ health, HIV and sexual health; cancer screening and prevention; mental health; aged care; illicit drugs and alcohol; and anti-doping in sport.  Karen is the Deputy CEO for ACON – Australia’s largest community-based HIV and LGBTQ health organisation – and has been with the organisation since 2013. Karen has extensive experience in policy development, advocacy, innovative service design, program management and regulatory roles. Karen has represented the Australian Government at the United Nations, served on a number of advisory and governance boards, and has been involved in a number of national research projects in an investigator and advisory capacity.

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Sonja Memedovic (she/her)

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW
Dr Sonja Memedovic is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on the relationship between substance use disorders and other mental health conditions among at-risk populations, with a particular interest in the identification of modifiable risk and protective factors for these disorders. She leads the UnLEASH project – a recently established online cohort study of LBQ women, which she will be talking about today.

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Julie Mooney-Somers (she/her)

Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney
Associate Professor Julie Mooney-Somers Julie Mooney-Somers is a social scientist with a track record in research on the health of sexuality and gender diverse people  (primarily related to tobacco, alcohol and other substances, and sexual and reproductive health). Julie is part of the team that runs SWASH, the longest running periodic survey of LBQ women’s health and wellbeing in the world, and UnLEASH, a cohort study of LBQ women and substance use. She is an Associate Professor at Sydney Health Ethics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney. She is an Associate Professor at Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney.

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Tess Moodie (they/them)

Women With Disabilities Australia | Engender Equality Tasmania
Tess Moodie is a non-binary pansexual person with disability who is also a carer/parent of multiple family members with a disability. Tess is a passionate intersectional advocate, with a focus in the prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence in the disability and LGBTQIA+ community.

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Amie O’Shea (she/her)

Deakin University
Dr Amie O’Shea is Research Fellow in the School of Health & Social Development at Deakin University. Amie’s research and teaching takes a poststructuralist approach to sexuality and gender for people with intellectual disability, and continues the search for meaningful and collaborative research methodologies. As the National Co- ordinator for Sexual Lives & Respectful Relationships (SL&RR), a peer education program for people with intellectual disability and acquired brain injury, Amie is committed to sexuality rights and the prevention of violence against people with intellectual disability. Amie is a committee member of Rainbow Families Victoria and has also worked with the Gay & Lesbian Foundation of Australia and Inclusion Melbourne to pilot SL&RR for LGBTIQ people with intellectual disability.

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Pan Karanikolas (they/them)

Pan Karanikolas is a PhD candidate in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies at La Trobe University. They currently serve as the Secretary on the Board of Women with Disabilities Victoria. They are passionate about disability, illness, mental health and LGBTQAI+ issues.

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Sarina Avramovic (she/her)

Deakin University
Sarina Avramovic was a peer educator in the Sexual Lives and Respectful Relationships (SL&RR) program, a peer education program for people with intellectual disability. Sarina met Amie through that program and now works as a researcher with Deakin University.

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Natalie Jarvis (she/her)

Albany Roller Derby League
Natalie works as a Community Engagement Officer for headspace Albany and is President of the Albany Roller Derby League. She has helped the club take a leading position in the Albany community on LGBTIQA+ inclusion in sports. Natalie is passionate about women’s health, removing the stigma around mental illness and improving visibility in sports.

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Stevie Howson (he/him)

University of Wollongong
PhD Candidate

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Jane Yettica (she/her)

Firesticks Alliance
Jane is a Queer Minyungbal, Dunghutti and South Sea Islander woman with kinship connections to Mununjali. Jane currently resides on Quandamooka Country. In addition to her professional career in strategic communications – currently with Firesticks Alliance – receiving her MBA in Social impact from UNSW, Jane serves community in a multitude of ways showing her strong connection to the kinship structures of First Nations people.  

With Firesticks Alliance, Jane is highlighting the importance of a return to Indigenous cultural practices of land management and fire practice. Jane has long been an advocate for the safety, visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She previously worked with ACON in Aboriginal Health Promotion, where she also produced the 2020 and 2021 First Nations Mardi Gras entries. Jane has always worked in community and for community, she prioritises making meaningful contribution for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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Amelia Arnold (she/her)

Rainbow Health Victoria
Amelia currently works with Rainbow Health Victoria – the LGBTIQ+ research translation and training arm of La Trobe University’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) – where she coordinates LGBTIQ+ Training and Capacity Building projects for the team. Amelia also recently concluded her role as the Project Lead for the LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Affirmative Practice Training Project at Thorne Harbour Health, where she delivered training workshops to over 2,200 mainstream healthcare workers and first responders in an effort to improve mental health service experiences for LGBTIQ+ community members. Outside of paid work, Amelia sits on the Board of Switchboard Victoria as Deputy Chair of the Board, and is also a co-host on Triple Bi Pass on JOY 94.9.

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Rochelle Byrne (she/her)

IndigiLez
IndigiLez Leadership and Support Group formed in 2008 and has since become one of Queensland’s prominent social support group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lesbians and same sex attracted women. Our Yarns Heal suicide prevention program aims to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of our rainbow mob.

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Lan Dugdale (she/they)

Drummond Street Services
Ruby (they/them) and Lan (she/they), are the Project Co-Coordinators of the LGBTIQA+ Mentoring Projects at queerspace/drummond street services. Each of their work focuses on building support for LGBTQIA+ people through community-led programs.

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Ruby Cameron (they/them)

Drummond Street Services
Ruby (they/them) and Lan (she/they), are the Project Co-Coordinators of the LGBTIQA+ Mentoring Projects at queerspace/drummond street services. Each of their work focuses on building support for LGBTQIA+ people through community-led programs.

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Rory Blundell (they/them)

Zoe Belle Gender Collective
Rory Blundell is a Wiradjuri young non-binary activist who has worked and volunteered in LGBTIQ+ organisations and programs, including Minus18, Safe Schools Coalition Australia, Family Planning NSW, Drummond Street Services. Rory is currently the Youth Project Officer at Zoe Belle Gender Collective. Rory is passionate about respectful & inclusive practice, embedded in self-determination.

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Starlady (she/her)

Zoe Belle Gender Collective
Starlady is a passionate social justice advocate currently working within the LGBTIQ+ youth sector in Victoria. Currently she works as the Zoe Belle Gender Collective’s Program Manager, which is a trans and gender diverse advocacy and educational service. Starlady has wealth experience delivering training and secondary consultation to a range of health and human services on trans and gender diverse and broader LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice.

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Liz Duck-Chong (she/her)

ACON
Liz Duck-Chong is a writer, researcher and filmmaker who works primarily in LGBTQ+ sexual health and education. Her work focuses on uplifting the lives and work of trans communities, and telling the stories less told. Liz is a proud trans and bisexual woman and lives and works on Wangal land.

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Elle Void (she/her)

Your Community Health
Elle Void is a woman of trans experience. She is currently working as the Trans and Gender Diverse Peer Navigator Coordinator for Your Community Health. She has previously worked facilitating a trauma free environment at court locations, one on one with vulnerable people who have complex needs, and reviewing and advising on reports for a peak body. She has studied social work and youth work qualifications. She currently lives in Melbourne on the land of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation with and cat, and occasionally with her dog that she shares custody with of her ex-wife.

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Simone Sheridan (she/her)

Royal Melbourne Hospital
Simone is an enthusiastic and experienced nurse educator currently working with the Family Safety Team at RMH where she educates staff about recognising and responding to family violence. Simone also works as a Sexual Health Nurse Consultant at Austin Health and is a member of the LGBTIQ+ Working Group at both organisations. Simone is passionate about social justice and improving patient-centred care through education.

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Andrew Wale-Corey (they/them)

Royal Melbourne Hospital
Andrew (Pronouns They/Them) is a Social Worker at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Rehabilitation who is a founding member of the RMH LGBTIQA+ Inclusive Care Committee, a Member of the LGBTIQA+ DHHS Health Working Party, and specialist Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusive care in a Hospital Setting Trainer.

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SJ Matthews (they/them)

DocDir
SJ has a Master of Public Health, Graduate Diploma in Science Communications and a Bachelor of Microbiology. They are the Founder of DocDir, which is Australia’s only national LGBTIQ+ doctor directory, and working with their partner Karen, have collected over 700 doctors to be part of the directory.

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Eloise Layard (she/her)

ACON
Eloise Layard (she/her) is ACON’s Program Coordinator, Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence (SDFV). Eloise works to increase community knowledge and awareness of SDFV and to support inclusive practice and access to services. Eloise is a member of the National Plan Advisory Group and the co-convenor of the NSW LGBTIQ Domestic and Family Violence Interagency.

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Renata Field (she/her)

Prosper Project Australia
Renata Field is the primary prevention officer at Prosper Project Australia, working on a primary prevention of LGBTIQA+ DFV initiative, in partnership with Rainbow Families called Strong Safe Fabulous. Renata also works at Domestic Violence NSW as the Research, Advocacy and Policy Manager. 

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Carolyn Gillespie (she/her)

Thorne Harbour Health
Director of Services
Carolyn is the Director of Services at Victoria’s largest LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisation, Thorne Harbour Health. She has more than 20 years clinical and healthcare leadership experience and has served as an expert advisor on a range of health-related issues to numerous government inquiries, health service reviews and special interest panels. She regularly participates in a broader advocacy platform that addresses stigma and discrimination for LGBTIQ communities and PLHIV and is the Chair of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, the peak organisation for LGBTIQ+ Health in Australia. Carolyn is a former Convenor/Member of CASA Forum, the peak organisation for sexual assault services in Victoria.

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Alyssha Fooks (she/her)

Alyssha Fooks is a social worker, narrative therapist and supervisor. With over 15 years of experience working in the health and community sector, she has worked alongside individuals and communities, been involved in numerous research and community projects. The focus of Alyssha’s has work been on preventing and responding to violence and harm, (family violence and sexual assault) whilst also working to challenge racism and white supremacy in the health and community sector.

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Grace Sharkey (she/her)

Gender and Cultural Studies, University of Sydney
Dr Grace Sharkey is a researcher and teacher in the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney where she works on feminism, queer theory, and youth and is a member of the ARC funded Boys Studies Research Group.

Nayuka Gorrie (they/them)

Nayuka Gorrie is a Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta freelance and comedy television writer. Their writing centres on black, feminist and queer politics. They co-wrote and performed in the third and the upcoming fourth season of Black Comedy and provided additional writing on the second season of Get Krack!n.  Nayuka’s writing can be found in The Guardian, Saturday Paper, Vice, Junkee, Archer Magazine, The Lifted Brow and NITV among others. Nayuka contributed to the anthology Growing Up Queer in Australia and is currently writing a book of essays as a recipient of The Wheeler Centre’s Next Chapter initiative to support their writing.

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Samara Shehata (she/her)

ACON, Program Coordinator AOD, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Samara is a Queer Woman of Colour who loves connecting with communities and is deeply passionate about racial justice especially for all our First Nations peoples. Samara has a background in in Art Therapy, International Sex Worker Rights, Health Promotion, Research, and Fine Art. She is also a proud mou mou to her child Cairo.

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Mish Pony (they/them)

Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association
Mish (they/them) has been working and volunteering in the LGBTIQ, HIV and sex worker community sector for over 10 years. They are the Trans and Gender Diverse Sex Worker Representative for Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association; a founding member of Camp Out Inc, an annual camp in NSW for LGBTIQA+ teens; a director of AFAO, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations; and currently work at Twenty10 inc GLCS NSW in Sydney, a NSW wide LGBTIQA+ support and youth specialist homelessness service. Mish has run numerous workshops and presented nationally and internationally on sex worker and trans rights and health.

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Jessica Mayers (she/her)

ACON’s Pride in Diversity
Jess is a Senior Relationship Manager with Pride in Diversity, where she acts as a trusted advisor in matters ranging from policy review, communication, strategy and planning. Jess works with senior executives, HR professionals and employee led networks to further inclusion in the workforce, and effect organisational change.

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Nicki Elkin (they/them)

ACON’s Pride in Diversity
Nicki is a Senior Relationship Manager at Pride in Diversity, Australia’s specialist in LGBTQ workplace inclusion. Nicki works with a wide variety of organisations to help them develop and deliver their LGBTQ inclusions strategies and plans to support LGBTQ people in the places that they work

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Susan Farrar (they/them)

Twenty10, Client Services Manager
Susan Farrar is the Client Services Manager at Twenty10 overseeing all core services for 12-25 year old LGBTIQA+ service users including Housing, Counselling, Case Management and Psychosocial Support Programs. They have also played pivotal roles advising and advocating for inclusive data collection in Specialist Homeless Services statewide and developing and delivering capacity building program for SHS workers to work inclusively with LGBTIQA+ service users.

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Cal Andrews (they/them)

University of Melbourne
Dr Cal Andrews has led and contributed to a range of projects in LGBTIQ homelessness as well as trans, gender diverse, and nonbinary health and mental health.

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Ruth McNair (she/her)

University of Melbourne
Dr Ruth McNair AM is an Honorary Associate Professor at the Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne and a general practitioner and founding director of an inner-Melbourne general practice. She has clinical and research interests in lesbian and bisexual women’s mental health, sexual health, same-sex parenting, and LGBT health care and homelessness. She is on the Victorian Government LGBTI Health and Human Services Working group. Ruth has expertise in medical education and has developed LGBTI online training modules. She is Chairperson of Pride Foundation Australia, a national philanthropic organisation for LGBTIQ people. She is a life member of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and Victorian AIDS Council, and was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017 for her academic, clinical and advocacy work. She became a Member of the Order of Australia on the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2019 for significant service to medicine and as an advocate for the LGBTI community.

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Lucy Watson (she/they)

ACON
Dr Lucy Watson has a background in journalism and media research, and joined ACON in 2020 as a community health promotion officer (alcohol and other drugs and mental health). Lucy recently joined the policy team at ACON.

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Grace Lee (she/her)

Courage Matters
Grace Lee (she/her) has a Masters Degree of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Cairnmillar Institute. Grace focusses on trans, gender diverse and non-binary clients providing support for social and medical transitions/affirmations, as well as helping her clients with their anxiety, depression and trauma. She lives and works in regional Victoria.

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Rose Weaver (they/them)

Griffith University Brisbane
A middle-aged gender non-conforming lesbian woman, Rose Weaver is completing a PhD at Griffith University, Brisbane. Their research explores the rich lived experiences of middle-aged lesbians through a feature documentary film that incorporates lesbian stories, their everyday physical activities and the lush environments of the Northern Rivers NSW.

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Jack Freestone (he/him)

ACON, Manager of AOD Research and Development

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Two Queers Walk Into a Bar

Jenna Suffern & Brendan Hancock
Two Queers Walk Into A Bar is a queer comedy night produced and hosted by Brendan Hancock and Jenna Suffern. The duo created Two Queers Walk Into A Bar in August 2019 after identifying a lack of queer performance spaces in Sydney.

Two Queers has created a safe and inclusive environment for the queer community, as well as featuring some of the best acts in the LGBTQIA+ comedy scene.

Jenna Suffern is a comedian, producer and writer. She has an engaging presence and a flair for performance, bringing an off the cuff and kooky approach to comedy. Jenna is a known face in the Sydney comedy scene, and has a passion for producing events for the queer community. Among her many other spinning plates, she is the co-founder and host of Two Queers Walk Into A Bar comedy night, the producer of Queer Table Reads, producer for the theatre collective The General Public, and is a regular contributor to Pedestrian.TV. Despite all of this, her biggest achievement was once being introduced as a “prominent Sydney lesbian.”

Brendan Hancock is a Sydney based comedian and producer. You’ve heard him on FBi radio, hosting Two Queers Walk Into a Bar and performing to sold-out shows during the Sydney Comedy Festival. He’s co-produced events for The Two Queers Festival with Giant Dwarf Theatre, Bloom Festival’s underground comedy night with Darlinghurst Theatre and is currently producing an audio based comedic walking tour of Sydney with FBi radio as part of the inaugural Inside Jokes cohort.

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Special Events

After the conference, we’re bringing you some unique voices: speakers, panels, Q&As & space to network with other attendees, all using the same online portal as the conference.

Tuesday 9 November, 6:00PM – 7:30PM AEDT.
Tuesday 16 November, 6:00PM – 7:30PM AEDT.

Everyone who registered for the conference will receive an email invitation to these free events from the Conference Secretariat, including your link to attend.

If you haven’t received your email invitation by 3pm on the Tuesday of the event, please check your junk/spam for ‘ASHM Conference Secretariat’. If you still can’t find it, please contact ASHM immediately:
P: +61 2 8204 0770
E: conference@ashm.org.au.

Tuesday 9 November, 6:00PM – 7:30PM AEDT.

“Blak women and femme identities navigating the borderlands of culture, whiteness, and queer territories.”

Chaired by Jane Yettica and featuring Dr. Mandy Henningham, Jinny-Jane Smith, and Estelle Clarke.

Join us for a special lecture from Dr. Mandy Henningham on “Blak, Bi+ and Borderlands: An Autoethnography on Multiplicities of Indigenous Queer Identities Using Borderland Theory” – followed by a discussion and Q&A with Jane Yettica, Jinny-Jane Smith, and Estelle Clarke.

Read more about the event here!

“Centring queer women of colour: in conversation with Bexx, Elsa & Monique.”

Chaired by Angie Kocsisek and featuring Bexx Djentuh, Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg, and Monique.

Join us for a panel discussion and live Q&A with prominent women of colour activists, event producers and educators, discussing their work with their communities; building safer spaces for queer people of colour, and the pressing issues for queer WOC in Australia today.

Read more about the event here!