PLANNING FOR ACTION LGBTI RELEVANT & INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT & ACTIVITY PROGRAMS

BACKGROUND

In mainstream social support and activity programs for older people, services aim to provide a range of activities to meet the needs of an often diverse range of participants. In order to provide a welcoming environment for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and (LGBTI) people, services need to provide some activities that can demonstrate welcome and relevance. While not all older LGBTI people will be out to the service, the provision of LGBTI relevant and inclusive activities are a visible and meaningful message of welcome and inclusion to LGBTI participants.

This resource includes a range of possible activities and resources that could be included in a mainstream program that will be of interest to not only many older LGBTI people but mainstream service users too. Of course, there are likely to be much more content that is relevant and inviting, so undertake some research and seek ideas from participants through consultation and feedback, and any other ways your service plans and develops your program

FESTIVALS There are a range of Victorian LGBTI specific festivals including some of the regional festivals – of course everyone can attend so consider scheduling a trip or session in your program. Most have a range of activities – events, arts, film and theatre more:

Event Details Midsumma Festival a range of activities and festivities including Midsumma Carnival and Pride March, and an (Jan‐Feb) entire arts program https://www.midsumma.org.au/

Chill Out Festival Australia’s longest running and largest regional pride festival, Daylesford Victoria (March) https://www.chilloutfestival.com.au/

Melbourne Queer now in its 30th year – a diverse program spread over nearly 2 weeks with short, Film Festival (March) documentary and feature films screening at a range of venues across Melbourne https://mqff.com.au/

Bendigo Pride is a community initiated that celebrates, explores and promotes diversity and inclusion (March‐April) within The Greater Bendigo Region and beyond with particular focus on LGBTIQA+ communities and people. https://www.bendigopridefestival.com.au/ and includes Bendigo Queer Film Festival http://www.bendigoqueerfilmfestival.com.au/ & Queer Country Arts Festival

Geelong Pride Film includes a full session showcasing short film about LGBTI elders and pioneers Festival (March‐April) http://gpff.ferve.tickets/

Out in the Open The Goulburn Valley’s Pride festival, Out in the Open is a celebration of the LGBTIQA+ (October‐November) community including performances, dining experiences, education opportunities, tours and sharing all wrapped up in a fun festival experience. http://outintheopen.org.au/

CREATIVE ARTS Creative arts have long been a platform for creativity, activism and more, and a celebration of LGBTI identities. There is often a range of programs and activities through some of the key festivals (above) as well as some specific arts organisations, performers and exhibitions. Consider including some of these activities in your program, or think about how you might create your own initiative:

Arts organisations: All the Queens Men (ATQM) is an independent, award winning arts organisation that is a leading creative voice within the LGBTI+ community nationally and internationally, most specifically for championing the rights of LGBTI+ elders. The Company’s practice, expressed through projects such as The Coming Back Out Ball, LGBTI+ Elders Dance Club and Rainbow Reviews, enables LGBTI+ communities improved access, not only to arts experiences, but to broader community health and social services.

Exhibitions Keep an eye out for exhibitions and arts opportunities that celebrate diversity including sexual and diversity. An example of such an exhibition is the current NGV exhibition – Crossing Lines ‐ Keith Haring and Jean‐Michel Basquiat. Perhaps include a visit in your program and use the opportunity to create conversations about diversity and welcome. https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/

Performers and events If you are considering performers for your program or events, consider some content that celebrates LGBTI people and their lives. Perhaps have some drag bingo, a singer, some LGBTI content in trivia and more. Again think celebration and be creative. Perhaps consider a guest speaker.

GUEST SPEAKERS If you have events that involve guest speakers consider having someone come and talk to your program. Here are some ideas:

Speaker/Organisation Details Out & About Switchboard Victoria’s Out and About Program provides a free community visitors (Switchboard) program for older LGBTI people. Contact them to find out more and perhaps to come and talk to your group to help spread the word about this important program www.switchboard.org.au/out‐about

Senior Voices The Senior Voices project trains and supports people living with HIV, aged 50+ to share Living Positive Victoria their stories with aged care workers and providers to help challenge negative stereotypes, raise awareness about growing older with HIV, and combat stigma and discrimination. . Contact Living positive Victoria https://livingpositivevictoria.org.au/

ENTERTAINMENT There are a multitude of both mainstream and arthouse movies and television shows that you could show in your program. Many activity programs for older adults screen films and television show, particularly in the colder months. Here are a range you could consider showing, although there are many, many more:

Movies: Cloudburst, Gen Silent, Intersexions, Love Simon, Carol, Brokeback Mountain, Pride, The Adventures of Pricilla Queen of the Desert, Untold Histories LGBTI Seniors, The Coming Back Out Ball The Movie, Becoming Colleen, Love is Strange, A Single Man, Holding the Man, Harvey Milk, Philadelphia, La Cage Aux Folles, The Christine Jorgenson Story, If These Walls Could Talk 2, Green Book, Far From Heaven, Desert Hearts, The Color Purple.

TV shows: Grace and Frankie, Will and Grace, Pose, Tales of the City, Transparent, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Queer Eye.

LITERATURE – BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS Does your program have a collection of books on offer, or do you borrow books from your local library for participants? If so, add some fiction, biographies and maybe some coffee table books with LGBTI themes etc. Here are a few to consider:

Books Holding the Man (Timothy Conigrave), Another Country (James Baldwin), The Color Purple (Alice Walker), Orlando (Virginia Wolf), Middle (Jeffery Eugenides), Tales of the City ( Armistead Maupin), Orange are not the Only Fruit (Jeanette Winterson), Ellen DeGeneres (Biography), Redefining Realness (Janet Mock), The Trauma Cleaner (Sandra Pankhurst), Southern Discomfort (Tena Clark) to name a few.

 Consider an outing to Melbourne’s LGBTI Bookshop Hares & Hyena’s https://www.hares‐hyenas.com.au/ Located at 63 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, Hare & Hyenas is a wheelchair accessible (and wheelchair accessible bathrooms) bookshop, café and performance venue. A great place to visit for an afternoon!

News/Magazines A great way to send a message of welcome and provide an inclusive, relevant and responsive environment is to subscribe to LGBTI community news publications.

The is a free publication with lots of information relevant to different ages and communities, and it is delivered to your venue. Go to www.starobserver.com.au for more information.

Lesbians on the Loose (LOTL) Australia’s only LGBT Women’s quarterly print magazine running since 1990. Subscribe here: https://subscribe.lotl.com/index.aspx

Both of these publications are a great way to keep in touch with festival, events, literature, and more to include in your program. Sign up to their e‐news too. Also, many of the festivals have printed programs, contact them and have some sent out to your program.

RADIO Do you have the radio on during your centre activities? Perhaps consider tuning into JOY FM 94.9 (Melbourne) or see if there is a regional program if you are out of Melbourne. Do you want to spread the word about your LGBTI inclusive program or activities to LGBTI communities? Contact JOY FM about a community services announcement, another way of providing a message of welcome – you just don’t know who is listening! JOY FM also lists a range of activities and events so visit their website: https://joy.org.au/

OUTINGS History ‐ ALGA The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives (ALGA) from time to time host history walks, exhibitions, talks, and more. ALGA is the biggest repository of historical materials about LGBTIQ experience in Australia. The Archives was established in 1978. It is a volunteer, community‐based organisation. For more information https://alga.org.au/

AIDS Memorial Garden Fairfield The AIDS Memorial Garden is managed in partnership with Thorne Harbour Health (formerly VAC), and Melbourne Polytechnic. Melbourne Polytechnic is located on the site of the former Fairfield Hospital. Fairfield Hospital was in its last decade notable for treating patients living with HIV. Thirty years ago, a memorial garden was established at the hospital. Visitors can access the garden during business hours Monday to Friday and should present at the Gatehouse on Yarra Bend Road Fairfield for directions etc. or call Melbourne Polytechnic (03) 9269 1200

LGBTI friendly or community venues If your program goes out for lunch, consider an LGBTI community or friendly venue. Look in the LGBTI press or directories such as that on the Victorian Pride Centre website. https://pridecentre.org.au/

DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE AND CELEBRATION Schedule a range of days of acknowledgment and celebration for LGBTI communities into your existing program. These are a great way to show support and welcome to LGBTI people – both participants and staff, and a wonderful way to create discussion, awareness and education Days of significance and celebration include the following – however there are many more:

Transgender Day of Visibility 31 March IDAHO/BIT 17 May International Day of Visibility, celebrating International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, transgender people and raising awareness of Biphobia, & Intersexism. discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. On May 17 people all over the world stand against What you could do: discrimination in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual,  Ensure all staff wear pronoun badges transgender, intersex, friends, colleagues & families  Host a morning tea Things you can do to celebrate  Show a trans‐educational film or documentary (e.g.  Wear rainbow colours for the day. Becoming Colleen)  Host a ‘rainbow themed’ bake off or  Host a crafternoon and create trans‐inclusive signs morning/afternoon tea and pronoun badges  Host a rainbow picnic  Fly the pride flag www.idahobit.org.au www.dayagainsthomophobia.org Celebrate Bisexuality Day Bi Visibility Day , 26 October 23 September Intersex Day of Solidarity 8 November The day, which is celebrated annually, is a call for the Intersex Awareness Day is observed on October 26, and bisexual community, their friends and supporters to Intersex Awareness Day (also spelled as Inter Sex recognise and celebrate bisexuality, bisexual history, Awareness Day or abbreviated as IAD) is an bisexual community and culture, and the bi‐ and internationally observed civil awareness day designed to pansexual people in their lives. highlight the challenges faced by intersex individuals. Things you can do to celebrate Things you can do to show your support  Host a morning tea or afternoon tea  Learn about intersex variations  Educate yourself about bisexuality  Affirm the Darlington Statement:  Show a Bi‐ educational film or documentary www.darlington.org.au  Host a guest speaker from the intersex community Trans Day of Remembrance 20 November World AIDS Day 1 December Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It observance on 20 November that honours the memory raises awareness across the world and in the of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti‐ community about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS. transgender violence. It is a day for people to show their support for people Things you can do to show your support living with HIV and to commemorate people who have  Invite a speaker to talk about trans history and died. experiences Things you can do to show your support  Host or attend a vigil  Wear or make red awareness ribbons  Show a trans‐educational film or documentary (e.g.  Host or attend a vigil Becoming Colleen)  Bake red velvet cupcakes  Design/create/wear pronoun badges  Host a guest speaker

There are many more days of significance and celebration so do some research to find out others that may be of importance, interest and relevance to your participants. Including these in your calendar is a great way to educate others as well as support and welcome LGBTI participants whether they are out to the program or not.

Val’s LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care is a Victorian state‐wide program working to improve healthy ageing pathways, care and visibility of older LGBTI people. We work directly with service providers and facilitate a network of individuals and organisations to foster an understanding of the histories and experiences of older LGBTI people, and how these may impact access to services, care and support as they age. Val’s aims to create safe and inclusive services that recognise and value older LGBTI people.

For more information contact Val’s LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care  +61 3 9479 8740 [email protected] www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/vals