Monday 29 June 2015

HIV: a conversation in dance

James Welsby, Chafia Brooks and Benjamin Hancock.
Photo: Gregory Lorenzutti 
'HEX' is a one hour contemporary dance show that looks at the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s from a Gen Y perspective. 

Guest blogger and dance maker James Welsby explains how the show came about.

I've known about ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) for a while, but the recent release of a few core-shaking documentaries made of archival footage has allowed me to take a much closer look at the movement and get a stronger idea of what it felt like to be involved in AIDS activism.

Monday 22 June 2015

Doing Debby in Darlinghurst

A print in Difficult Debby's
Whore Love series.
In early June, a collective of sex worker artists who call themselves Debby Doesn't Do It For Free hosted an exhibition of new and old artworks in Darlinghurst, Sydney. 

Difficult Debby explained what it was all about in her post on this blog in the lead-up to the exhibition.

Once the exhibition opened, AFAO Project Officer Jill Sergeant went along. In this photo-essay she shares her experience at a special viewing session for allies to sex workers.


Tuesday 2 June 2015

Advocacy and updates: AFAO Members Forum day two

Craig Cooper from Positive Life NSW opened day two of forum with an update about community dispensing of ARVs  in NSW.

On Day two of the Forum, participants posed for a photo in solidarity with the
International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia


HIV testing: AFAO Members Forum


The second session of the AFAO Members Forum explored various testing options and innovative approaches which have increased HIV testing rates among communities.


'Beyond the targets': AFAO Members Forum 2015 session one

Day one of the AFAO Members Forum opened with ‘Beyond the targets’, a session focusing on research as a tool to leverage policy goals for the sector.


TasP and PrEP: AFAO Members Forum

The afternoon session on day one of the AFAO Members Forum involved robust discussions about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP). 

Presentations looked at key areas including research, clinical guidelines, regulation and advocacy, both in Australia and the international context.

TasP panel discussion. L-R: Colin Batrouney (VAC), Cam Cox (Scarlet Alliance),
Bridget Haire (AFAO), Robert Mitchell (NAPWHA), Karen Price (ACON)

AFAO Members Forum 2015: A brief summary

On 15-16 May, AFAO held our 2015 Members Forum in Sydney. The forum is a chance for AFAO members to come together to network and discuss issues and strategies for the coming year.

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