Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
We recognise the intersectional lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ people and the devastating role colonisation has played in their communities. We acknowledge the marginalisation and social isolation that comes from being in this intersection.
Yarning Panels
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, our online yarning panels have been an opportunity to explore the intersection of our First Nations and LGBTIQ+ communities.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project at Thorne Harbour aims to
- Support and celebrate the contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people have made to LGBTIQ+ communities
- Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who identify as LGBTIQ+,
- Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV,
- Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait services to be more inclusive of LGBTIQ+ people,
- Support mainstream LGBTIQ+ services to be more culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ people,
- Provide guidance and support around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion in social, clinical and biomedical research,
- Create and/or provide guidance and support on events surrounding National NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week among others, and
- Develop health promotion resources around HIV and sexual health.
The project takes a collaborative approach to the health promotion, cultural safety, LGBTIQ+ inclusion and HIV support, and works with a range of key stakeholders, including:
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)
- Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS)
- The Koorie Pride Network (KPN)
- North Richmond Community Health (NRCH)
A core component of the role is to help facilitate the organisations commitment to cultural safety through the Reconciliation Action Plan, which is now mowing into its newest phase
The project is heavily involved in community and client
- Client referrals and engagement,
- Community engagement,
- Events, and
- Training.
To find out more information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project at Thorne Harbour email peter.waples-crowe@thorneharbour.org
We're proud to have released two posters developed in partnership with Elizabeth Morgan House and the Zoe Belle Gender Collective celebrating our LGBTIQ+ and queer First Nations communities.
The Bent Spoon - Meet Stone
As part of The Bent Spoon web series, episode three features Stone, an Arrernte drag artist residing on Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri lands aka Melbourne. Stone is the founder of the Motherless House that they started a few years ago so that other black drag artists or people of colour had a community to be a part of. Stone has paved the way as an Arrernte drag artist, showcasing greater diversity in the drag community.