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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Debby Doesn’t Do It For Free

The Debby Doesn't Do It For Free interactive exhibition is coming to Sydney from 2 - 6 June.

Opening on International Whore's Day at the Tap Gallery, the exhibition's described as a 'celebration and homage to sex work'. It will include videos, prints, soundscapes, installations, the popular 'Ask a Hooker a Question' booth and more.

The exhibition is put together by the Debbys - an independent sex worker art and performance collective inspired by the 70s porn film Debby Does Dallas. It's a fun opportunity to find out more about sex work and sex workers' lives, politics, advocacy and creativity.

We asked one of the artists, Difficult Debby, to tell us more.

Candlelight memorial 2015

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is celebrated around the world every year to commemorate those we've lost to AIDS, and draw attention to the challenges HIV still presents.

This year, the theme, 'Supporting the future', highlights the need for sustained investment in HIV prevention and treatments access at a time when the technologies exist to turn the epidemic around and ending HIV is more of a possibility than ever before.

The theme also highlights the vital importance of continuing to promote the human rights of affected populations to ensure their needs are addressed in the HIV response.

Even if you don't attend a Candlelight event, this time of year is an opportunity for reflection. For example, Melbourne's LGBTI radio station Joy FM 94.9, Living Positive Victoria and the Victorian AIDS Council put together an inspiring ten minute radio program, in which people living with and affected by HIV talk about what it means to 'support the future'.

Listen here

We also asked some of our members and partners around Australia to tell us what the memorial means to them.

Our blog turns 3

Since April 2012 we've published 80 articles on this blog. We've covered many important topics, including human rights, HIV prevention, stigma, e-health and the experience of different HIV-affected populations.

We've used the blog to promote, report back and reflect on events large and small, from AIDS 2014 to roundtable discussions, to the Candlelight Memorial (stay tuned).

To celebrate turning 3, we're reviewing the blog. Can you help us do this by completing a short survey?

High-profile panel discusses anti-discrimination protections

Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graham Innes AO dispensed some very practical advice on how to get the biggest bang from your buck for a discrimination complaint, at an excellent panel event convened on 10 March by the HIV AIDS Legal Centre (HALC).

Hosted at the offices of DLA Piper, Sydney, the panel also included Shadow Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC MP, NSW Magistrate Nancy Hennessey, and partner in employment law at DLA Piper Brett Feltham.

Migration, social disadvantage & health

It's not often you go to a conference which opens with one of the keynotes literally juggling, but Associate Professor Kevin Pottie, from the University of Ottawa, did just that at the recent Migration, Social Disadvantage & Health conference in Melbourne.

He only just succeeded in keeping three balls in the air, which aptly demonstrated the difficulties of ensuring health equity for migrants. The balls represented political will, support and education for health practitioners, and the policy & social determinants of health. It was an excellent start to a conference in which a wide range of engaging presentations and discussions provided ample evidence for the challenges of keeping all of these factors in balance and working together to produce better health outcomes for migrants in Australia and internationally.