ACON, October 28, 2020 The latest 2020 SWASH report was released on 28th October 2020 as part of a series of Mental Health month events. The SWASH survey is a comprehensive survey of important health issues relevant to lesbian, bisexual, queer and other non-heterosexual identifying women engaged with Sydney’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) communities. SWASH has...
How sexual assault survivors can feel in control during cervical screenings
ABC Life / By Kellie Scott / 12th August 2020 Kate* avoids cervical screenings.The 34-year-old from Sydney is a survivor of sexual assault and finds the physical examination re-traumatising. Kate’s experience is not unique. One in five Australian women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. And research shows those who have experienced sexual abuse, either as adults or...
A simple way to promote HPV vaccination among Asian American women: Storytelling
The Conversation, March 4, 2020 10.58pm AEDT Why do so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islander women know so little about HPV? We set out to answer this question by interviewing ethnic groups and conducting surveys. Our findings suggest their knowledge and attitudes toward HPV prevention are closely tied to health beliefs and cultural or language barriers. What’s more, we discovered preventive...
Female genital cutting (FGC) & cervical screening: A guide for practitioners
CANCER COUNCIL VICTORIA & WOMEN’S HEALTH WEST FARREP PROGRAM, First published 2017 The World Health Organization defines female genital cutting (FGC) as ‘all procedures that include partial or total removal of female genital organs or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons’. ‘Female genital mutilation’ is the term used in Australian and Victorian legislation, but the...
Public Cervix Announcement campaign
Thorne Harbour Health, September 2019 Cancer Council Victoria, November 2019 As more research reveals concerning health outcomes for lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) identified women, it is encouraging that there is a shift in focus towards improving health for LBQ women from both mainstream and LGBTIQ health organisations. As part of Women’s Health Week (September 2 – 6) we thought we’d take...
Sexual minority women face barriers to health care
The Conversation, October 23, 2019 9.25pm AEDT Stigma and discrimination are common experiences that people who identify as LGBT or sexual minority face when accessing health services. One report found that one in seven LGBT people in the UK avoided seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from staff. As many as one in four also experienced negative remarks against LGBT people from...