LGBTIQ Women’s Health Conference Announces 2018 Keynote Speakers

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), in partnership with ACON, is excited to announce the keynote speakers for the 2018 LGBTIQ Women’s Health Conference. The conference, now in its fourth year, is the only national summit for LGBTIQ women’s health in Australia.

2018 keynote speakers will include:

Jerril Rechter – Jerril is the CEO of VicHealth. She is a World Health Organization Advisor, Chair of the International Network of Health Promotion Foundations, and Board Member of the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

Alison Thorne – Alison is a socialist feminist. She is the managing editor of the Freedom Socialist Organiser and a founding member of Radical Women in Australia. She is a lifelong LGBTIQ liberationist.

Naomi Fontanos –Naomi is a feminist and a long-time advocate of the Filipino transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and queer (TLGBIQ) community. She is the Executive Director of Gender and Development Advocates (GANDA) Filipinas.

Sally Rugg – Sally is the Executive Director of Change.org and the former campaign director of GetUp! where she worked at the forefront of the marriage equality campaign.

Roj Amedi – Roj is the Senior Human Rights Campaigner at GetUp! as well as a writer and editor.

The conference will be opened by the Minister for Health, Jill Hennessey, and additional keynote speakers are still to be announced.

“We are thrilled by this year’s line-up. We’re confident this diverse and inspiring group of women will inspire a robust discussion about how we can better address LGBTIQ women’s health and empower those women in attendance,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth.

“We’re tackling an ambitious portfolio of issues in just two days, including: sexual health, ageing, mental health, activism and feminism, breast and cervical cancers, trans health, living with disabilities, leadership, alcohol and other drugs, rainbow families, domestic and family violence, sex work, marriage equality and the refugee and migrant experience.”

This year’s theme ‘Research, Resilience, Respect’ is aimed at exploring existing research into LGBTIQ women’s health. Furthermore, this year’s conference will highlight the need for further research — to acknowledge the resilience and strength of LGBTIQ women as well as pay respect to all LGBTIQ women’s communities.

The conference, initiated by VAC in 2015, was born out of the realisation LGBTIQ women’s health is largely overlooked by both LGBTIQ and mainstream organisations.

In 2016, VAC partnered with ACON to co-present the conference, which expanded to a two-day event in 2017 with over 300 attendees from all over Australia.

LGBTIQ Women’s Health Conference will be on 12-13 July 2018 at the Jasper Hotel 489 Elizabeth Street Melbourne. For more information and registration, visit: lbq.org.au.