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Preventing the rise of LGBT voices
QLD Government Cuts Funding to LGBT Health Organisation

Queensland’s new Liberal National Party government has cut funding to the state’s only LGBT health organisation focusing on HIV and AIDS, the Queensland Association for Healthier Communities (QAHC) instead of consulting with the organization to make improvements.  The government plans to redirect funds to a ministerial advisory committee on HIV and AIDS to ensure funds can not be used for “political activity” that pressures the government to respond to community-specific health concerns and profiles healthy LGBT Queenslanders.

The Minister for Health, Lawrence Springborg blames QAHC for Queensland’s raising HIV rates and argues that the organisation’s plans to focus on political issues will interfere with their future ability to implement effective HIV and AIDS campaigns.  It is an aggressive action to cut their funding mid contract, instead of negotiating with the organization to help improve outcomes, or better yet – increase funding so that campaigns can become more effective.  The cut demonstrates that the government is less interested in improving HIV and AIDS campaigns, and more interested in rejecting “political activity” lead by LGBT Queenslanders.

What political activity is QAHC carrying out that the health minister is so concerned about?  Would it be, perhaps, the mainstreaming of LGBTIQ health?  The injection of LGBTIQ perspectives and images into the media?  The normalization of non-heteronormative relationships and families?

QAHC encourages members of the LGBT community to “Speak Out”:
You can make a difference to the lives of LGBT people across the state by holding politicians to account and demanding full 'Equality in Health' for LGBT people.
Telling politicians what you want is the most important thing you can do.  Too often LGBT issues are invisible.  If no-one raises it, then politicians get the message it's not important. (http://www.qahc.org.au/speakout#speakout)

Not only has QAHC been offering targeted HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns, they have been helping to empower diverse members of the LGBT community to combat homophobia and advocate for equality.  QAHC encourages LGBT people to communicate with politicians and “ask them what they will do for LGBT health and equality, tell them about the most important LGBT issues for you… [and] explain how inequality affects your life and the lives of your family and friends”

These are questions the government is ignoring.  These are the stories they are silencing.

When we examine the political activity that the government is opposed to, and notice their willingness to suddenly halt the quality HIV and AIDS campaigns that have evolved over two decades, it becomes clear that this cut is not to prevent the rise of HIV and AIDS, it is to prevent the rise of visible, healthy LGBTIQ people in Queensland advocating for health equality.

This attack on Queensland’s LGBTIQ community comes at a time when the future of civil partnerships is in jeopardy.  Constant displays of inequality by the government, coupled with the disappearance of the LGBTIQ support services that QAHC provided, will lead to more expensive and more devastating mental and physical health problems across Queensland.

Read the media release, sign the petition, and donate to Healthy Communities at http://www.qahc.org.au/

Posted 20.5.12     Filed under: