An ordinary night out - A report on the research project pivotal, peripheral or positional: Understanding SOPVs for intervention

This research was designed to gather information and increase understanding about sex on premises venues (SOPVs) so as to enhance the capacity of public health and gay community stakeholders to better address recent rises in HIV and other STIs. The research sought to gain knowledge about SOPVs from the perspective of the SOPV industry, SOPV patrons and the community from which SOPV patrons are drawn

The family and romantic relationships of trans and gender diverse Australians: an exploratory survey

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in SEXUAL AND RELATIONSHIP THERAPY on 3 January 2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14681994.2014.992409. Author version made available in accordance with the publisher's policy, under embargo for a period of 12 months from the date of publication.The present paper contributes an Australian focus to the growing body of research on trans and gender diverse people’s family and romantic relationships. A survey designed by the authors was completed by 160 trans or gender diverse Australians. A negative correlation was found between discrimination from families of origin and perceptions of support, and conversely a positive correlation was found between perceptions of support and emotional closeness. Analysis of open-ended responses suggested that support was primarily constituted by 1) emotional support, 2), utilising correct pronouns and names, and 3) financial support. Discrimination by families of origin was primarily constituted by 1) refusal to use correct pronouns and names, 2) exclusion from family events, and 3) pathologising responses. The findings in regards to romantic relationships suggest that trans women were more likely than trans men or gender diverse people to experience challenges in negotiating romantic relationships. A negative correlation was found between difficulties in negotiating romantic relationships and belief in the likelihood that an ‘ideal’ romantic relationship would occur in the future. Difficulties in negotiating romantic relationships were primarily described in terms of 1) anxiety over potential responses, 2) discrimination from potential partners, and 3) lack of self-acceptance. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for clinical practice

Meeting the Intergenerational Needs of Families Where a Parent Has a Mental Illness [English and Spanish versions]

Parental mental illness can have significant psychological, social and economic impacts on families. Because of the potential impact of a parent’s mental illness on children, it can also have an “intergenerational” impact. For example, children may develop a heightened awareness of their parent’s symptoms, become burdened with caring responsibilities and may even develop their own mental health conditions though a mix of genetic and environmental influences. It is important for services to address the intergenerational impacts of parental mental illness. This issue brief is about one program in Australia that may be able to meet the intergenerational needs of families where a parent has a mental illness. A Spanish translation of this publication is available to download under Additional Files

Imagining parenthood: the possibilities and experiences of parenthood among transgender people

Abstract This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring the ways in which transgender adults imagine a place for parenthood in their lives, and/or the ways they have negotiated parenthood with their transgender identity. A total of 13 transgender adults (including parents and non-parents) were interviewed with respect to their thoughts and experiences about family, relationships and parenting. The study sought to understand the possibilities for parenthood that transgender people create, despite barriers imposed by restrictive laws, medical practices and cultural attitudes. Interview data showed how normative assumptions about gender and parenthood shape the way people imagined and desired parenthood. It also showed how participants re-appropriated and resisted normative cultural scripts by either reimagining parenthood in different terms (such as step-parenthood) or by creating different family forms, such as co-parented families. Participants reported a variety of experiences with healthcare providers when it came to conversations about fertility preservation and family building

Parenting and Australian trans and gender diverse people: An exploratory survey

“This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in [International Journal of Transgenderism ] on [07 Jun 2016.], available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15532739.2016.1149539.”Growing numbers of Australian trans and gender diverse people desire to become parents, yet many who do so experience a lack of support and recognition. This paper reports on an online survey completed by 160 trans or gender diverse people. The survey included general demographic questions, in addition to questions related to 1) current parenting arrangements, 2) modes of family formation, 3) the desire to have children in the future, and 4) support or discrimination from families of origin. In regards to the findings, only a minority of participants (39) were already parents, however 21 participants indicated that they desired to have children in the future. Participants who were already parents were older than those who were not, and conversely participants who desired to have children in the future were younger than those who did not. Discrimination from family of origin was negatively correlated with support for parenting, whilst support from family of origin was positively correlated with desire to have children. The paper concludes by suggesting that support from service providers is important for this potentially vulnerable group who may not experience support from their families of origin, and who may perceive themselves as having limited pathways to parenthood

Gender identity and future thinking about parenthood: a qualitative analysis of focus group data with transgender and non-binary people in the UK

The idea that people who are transgender or non-binary are not interested in becoming parents has been refuted by several studies. However, both medical unknowns and cisnormativity surround the process of becoming a parent for transgender or non-binary people, with little known about the psychosocial impact on the family formation dilemmas of transgender and non-binary adults. Employing Life Course Theory as our theoretical framework, three focus group interviews were conducted with eleven transgender or non-binary adults. Qualitative data analysis of focus group interview transcripts was conducted through Thematic Analysis. Four overarching interlinked themes were identified concerning the dilemmas perceived by the nine participants who contemplated future parenthood: (i) Balancing a desire for parenthood and desires for other life goals; (ii) Feeling that who I am doesn’t fit into the cisgender system of accessing fostering, adoption or fertility services; (iii) Experiencing the conjoined challenges of gender and fertility embodiment as I see them; (iv) Searching for a non-binary or gender appropriate self and the need for flexible future planning centered on reproductive capacity. Overall, thoughts about gender transition were often interwoven with parenthood plans and in a dialectical fashion the desire and intention to have, or not have, children was implicated in satisfaction with gender transition. The significance of these themes is discussed in relation to how hopes for parenthood could be realized without jeopardizing gender identity and the need for a future focused, flexible, and open-minded approach on the part of fertility and adoption services

Human rights and the use of nation al security information in civil proceedings

John von Doussa, president of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, considers the human rights implications of the recent amendments to the National Security Information Act 2004. He finds that the Act potentially compromises Australia\u27s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Chemical exchange between glass-ionomer restorations and residual carious dentine in permanent molars: An in vivo study

Journal of Dentistry 34(8) is a special issue (Proceedings of the 2nd European Glass Ionomer Conference, May 2004)Objective To evaluate the remineralization of carious dentine following the restoration of an extensive lesion in a permanent molar with a high strength glass-ionomer cement (GIC). Materials and methods Thirteen first permanent molars, which were scheduled for extraction because of the presence of extensive caries lesions, were selected for this study. They were first restored, according to the ART technique, using encapsulated Fuji IXGP, which contains a strontium glass rather than the traditional calcium glass. The cavities were prepared with a clean enamel margin and minimal removal of the carious dentine around the walls. After a period of 1–3 months they were harvested and subsequently sectioned and examined using an electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results EPMA demonstrated that both fluorine and strontium ions had penetrated deep into the underlying demineralized dentine. The only possible source of these ions was the GIC restoration. Conclusion The pattern of penetration of the fluorine and strontium ions into the dentine was consistent with a remineralization process

Building healthcare workers\u27 confidence to work with same-sex parented families.

This article reports on a qualitative study of barriers and access to healthcare for same-sex attracted parents and their children. Focus groups were held with same-sex attracted parents to explore their experiences with healthcare providers and identify barriers and facilitators to access. Parents reported experiencing uncomfortable or anxiety-provoking encounters with healthcare workers who struggled to adopt inclusive or appropriate language to engage their family. Parents valued healthcare workers who were able to be open and honest and comfortably ask questions about their relationships and family. A separate set of focus groups were held with mainstream healthcare workers to identity their experiences and concerns about delivering equitable and quality care for same-sex parented families. Healthcare workers reported lacking confidence to actively engage with same-sex attracted parents and their children. This lack of confidence related to workers\u27 unfamiliarity with same-sex parents, or lesbian, gay and bisexual culture, and limited opportunities to gain information or training in this area. Workers were seeking training and resources that offered information about appropriate language and terminology as well as concrete strategies for engaging with same-sex parented families. For instance, workers suggested they would find it useful to have a set of \u27door opening\u27 questions they could utilize to ask clients about their sexuality, relationship status or family make-up. This article outlines a set of guidelines for healthcare providers for working with same-sex parented families which was a key outcome of this study