Outblack & Songlines present WE ARE FAMILY

This very special part of ALSO's 30th Birthday celebrations is the return to the venue where ALSO was formed: The Melbourne Zoo. On 17 December 1980, just over 30 years ago, the submission of an act to overturn laws against consensual sexual activity between two men was presented to the Victorian Parliament and the ALSO Foundation was founded at the Royal Melbourne Zoo.

Y-GLAM is a queer youth performing arts group that meets every Monday evening in Brunswick for people who are aged 14 to 25, same sex attracted or gender diverse

The United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, is expected to visit Australia later this year, following recent criticism of Australia's human rights record

Pride in Diversity are hosting a February forum on Transgender People in the Workplace. This forum has been designed to provide you with an understanding of issues, considerations and processes that will need to take place to effectively support and assist transgender employees within the workplace.

Yarra City Council is seeking Expressions of Interest from not for profit incorporated organisations for occupancy of the community office spaces in the ground floor section of the Fitzroy Town Hall.

Aburbanity refers to the characteristics, personality traits, and viewpoints associated with cities and urban areas. This show is about trying to reconcile a Koori spirit in a contemporary urban environment. The show is full of personal re!ections and often poses more questions than any answers.

This Pride in Diversity forum has been designed to provide you with an understanding of issues, considerations and processes that will need to take place to effectively support and assist transgender employees within the workplace.

Being in Smith Street, you might be forgiven for thinking this was an underground party celebrating Venereal Disease, and being put on by Erin Tazmania...

Finally, {also} would like to remind everyone who participated in Midsumma to get to Red Bennies on Friday for the Midsumma Wrap Party Its a Rocky Horror Picture Show theme, so make it special and dress up... We will be!

Get down to Royal Melbourne Zoo for the return of the {also} Foundation’s GAY DAY on Saturday 19 February, 2011. In a day of great entertainment for the whole family or whatever generation you are, {also} offers you a chance to once again experience the magic of all the amazing animals exhibits with the rest of the GLBTIQ community.

The Community in all its colour showed up for the {also} Foundation's Boat People on Friday night.

Get down to Royal Melbourne Zoo for the return of the {also} Foundation’s GAY DAY on Saturday 19 February, 2011.

Look out for the {also} party safe rovers at Pride March- they are trained Drug & Alcohol workers which {also} has hand picked from Youth Projects: Living Room and Foot Patrol outreach teams.

Foundation for Young Australians and Safe Schools Coalition Victoria will hold a youth summit to connect, train and empower young people to challenge homophobia and support sexual and gender diversity in schools.

Private Lives 2 aims to be the largest and most comprehensive assessment of the health of Australian GLBT communities to date.

PFLAG are a group of parents, families and friends of gay, lesbian and bisexual people who meet once a month and offer support and friendship to families, particularly parents, and also to members of the GLBTI community who may need support in coming out to their families and friends.

The {also} foundation's take care {out} there program invites emerging film makers to submit films and digital videos between 30 seconds and 10 minutes in length, around topics of GLBTIQ sex and sexual health.

There has been public mourning and outrage over the death of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato.

{also} would like to invite all of our friends/supporters/stakeholders to join us on our annual Pride March Victoria pilgrimage down the always entertaining Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Like last year, we will be distributing our beautiful new 2011 {also} Directory to the crowds.

Bookings are now being taken for Safe Schools Coalition's central training program 2011!

This Midsumma festival, Minus18, along with {also} and AGMC are hosting UNITE, the first ever multicultural-multiage workshop, followed by an underage dance party.

My Agender is a collection of personal stories which explore the interplay between gender and sexuality. The stories in this book are written from the heart and explore the pain, strength, and courage it takes to express your authentic self.

The Young Women’s Peer Health Project in the UK are starting up a letter writing group to connect with young (aged 13-30 years old) lesbian and bisexual women around the world.

March under the white and green banner of GOWEST, a collection of organisations and individuals advocating for LGBTIQ people in Melbourne's West.

Meld your partying and your politics in ALSO's most contentious dance party since Red Raw 'Stalingrad'. Fabulous, Glamorous, Outrageous…become a Boat Person for a night and show your support the visitation for LGBT people in immigration detention, as ALSO, AGMC and Midsumma, presents Boat People!

The Also Show is back for 2011! Tune in on Joy94.9 at our new time between 12pm-1pm on Tuesday afternoons. The Also Show engages community leaders, artists, politicians and the infamous within our community, with a special focus on Midsumma during January.

This Midsumma festival, Minus18, along with {also} and AGMC are hosting UNITE, the first ever multicultural-multiage workshop, followed by an underage dance party.

It’s bigger, better and more beautiful than ever! Have you received your copy of the new look 2011 ALSO Directory? To get your copy, or to distribute the guides, email alex@also.org.au

To better understand and respond to the challenge of homophobia within sporting environments, the Australian Sports Commission has funded a new project called Fair go, sport!

The stigma of HIV is something we can live without and with your help we can make a start. The HIV Stigma Audit is a new research project from NAPWA and the National Centre in HIV Social Research at the University of New South Wales.

Private Lives 2 is an on-line survey of the health and wellbeing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Australians.

Tap dance on the Tampa and party with pirates as DJ Kam Shafaati and {also} raise money for the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council. {also} is seeking a Event Coordinator and Production Designer to assist us in this politically incorrect endeavor.

The Victorian Women's Benevolent Trust funds groundbreaking projects that advance conditions for Victorian women and girls, and lead to long-term socially progressive change.

Bookings are now being taken for Safe Schools Coalition's central training program 2011! Training is designed to equip all school staff and school leadership teams with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively address homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism.

The Finance Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of he finances of {also} and will assist the CEO with the financial, budgetary and business management of the organisation in accordance with organisational policies, legislative requirements and within budgetary constraints. The Position Description and Information for Applicants Fact Sheet can be obtained by contacting also@also.org.au Applications close 5pm, Monday 20 December 2010.

A big thank you to everyone who supported ALSO over the weekend - the evening was a huge success thanks to your support! With glamour and sparkles, The Market came alive with amazing performances and an awesome crowd. All profits raised go towards the Equal Love campaign.

With predictions of rain and winds on Saturday and the number of competing silly season events, ALSO has listened to its members and have decided to postpone Gay Day: Return to the Zoo to later this summer. Advice from all the community groups and individuals that wanted to come along on Saturday has been that the time of year (so close to Christmas), the uncertain weather and amount of competing things going on at the moment is not conducive to a packed Zoo event on Saturday. ALSO believes that late February will be a much better time of year for such an event, and even if it rains we'll stay nice and warm. People also said that the Bring Back the Love party on Saturday at the market, a packed and action-filled night has nicely capped off the 30th Anniversary celebrations for ALSO. Any ticket buyers should contact ALSO on 9660 3900 or email alex@also.org.au for refunds or to transfer their tickets to the February event.

The {also} Foundation has made a submission to the current SAGI anti-discrimination consultation on protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex and/or gender identity in federal anti-discrimination law.

This extraordinary 3 day event has presenters and speakers from 15 countries across Asia and the Pacific.

After a year of sell-out solo shows, singer and pianist Jade Leonard returns to play at Kaye Sera's BiZARRE one final show - with a few songs of praise and merriment thrown in for good measure.

The Sexual Health and Diversity Enterprise (SHADE) seeks to raise awareness of sexually transmissible infections and blood borne viruses (STIs/BBVs) in young gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, transgender and queer (GLBTIQ) people.

Positive attitude (Inc Ass) Extends an Invitation to HIV/AIDS Affected People AND the LGBT Community to a traditional 3 course Christmas Day Lunch on Sat 25th December at 12pm.

Bring Back The Love- The Dance Party for the Community! Showcasing the best progressive house DJs in the country BRING BACK THE LOVE also welcomes to Melbourne some of the finest performing artists being announced every week in the lead up to the event.

On Wednesday the 1st of December the Positive Learning Center (PLC), part of the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men's Health Centre (VAC/GMHC), will host its annual World AIDS Day memorial event.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2010 is "Take Action. No Discrimination". World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 in over 120 countries worldwide. World AIDS Day, and the events and activities in the week leading up to it, aim to raise awareness in the community about HIV and AIDS, including the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV and AIDS, and the need for education and prevention initiatives.

The United Nations general assembly has voted to REMOVE sexual orientation fro their original resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. This essentially means that killings that involve anyone from the LGBTQ community are now no-longer looked down upon or able to be investigated by the UN. So much for equal protection! The motion to make this horrifying change was made by Benin (West Africa) and was adopted with 79 votes in favour, 70 against, 17 abstentions and 26 absent.

A motion was passed yesterday in parliament calling on MPs to gague their constituents' views on ways to achieve equal treatment for sale-sex couples, including marriage. Headspace is asking young people to make their voices heard. We waht to know how this issue impacts you and what you would like the piliticians to know. Submissions will be published on http://www.headspace.org.au and will be presented to Prime Minister Gillard. or more information, please visit: http://headspace.org.au/home/my-headspace/your-voice

Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Melbourne on the weekend, including politicians and celebrities, to call for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. {also}'s Alex Schoffel spoke at the rally reiterating the core message that nobody's relationship in Australia is less important than anyone else's.

PFLAG National Spokesperson Shelley Argent OAM will be launching her acclaimed second book ‘Opening the door’ at Hares & Hyenas following her address to Princess Hill Secondary College broadcasted live on Joy 94.9.

Members of Victoria's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities are set to get ‘shirty’ as part of a new national education campaign about same-sex law reform. In July last year, the Federal Government amended 85 pieces of legislation which discriminated against same-sex couples in areas such as employee entitlements, privacy rights, tax, superannuation, child support and insurance. The new education campaign aims to increase awareness and understanding of these reforms among members of Australia’s LGBTQ community.

To celebrate the major achievements of the GLBTIQ community, {also} presents the second {also} for all of us awards on 28 June 2010.

TransGender Victoria calls on people to take a moment to reflect on International TransGender Day of Remembrance on Friday 20 November 2009.

The {also} Foundation forges ahead in tough times

The {also} Foundation with partners TGV (TransGender Victoria), VGLRL (Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby) and AVP (Anti Violence Project) are pleased to announce the commencement of the first stage of; “Developing a community education and awareness strategy to reduce homophobic harassment in Victoria”.

{also} Foundation CEO, Lyn Morgain has signalled a mixed response to proposed changes to equal opportunity laws following an announcement by Attorney-General Rob Hulls on the weekend. Ms Morgain said the proposal is welcome insofar as it will make it more difficult for religious organisations to discriminate on various grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

Victoria’s sentencing laws will be amended to explicitly recognise the significant damage that crimes motivated by hate cause victims and the wider community, Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said today. The Sentencing Amendment Bill 2009, to be introduced to Parliament today, implements fully the Sentencing Advisory Council’s recommendations on crimes motivated by hatred or prejudice.

Altona Ward Councillor Tony Briffa has been awarded the 2008 McArthur Management Services Local Government Fellowship. The fellowship provides one Victorian Councillor with a $10,000 international study grant to undertake research on a significant issue affecting local government.

The {also} Youth Action Plan (YAP) 2009-2011 for same sex attracted, transgender, intersex and queer (SSATIQ) youth was launched On February 20, 2009 at 45 Downstairs in Flinders lane.

First ever statement on sexual orientation and gender identity at the UN General Assembly

As the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UN General Assembly will hear a statement in mid-December endorsed by more than 50 countries across the globe calling for an end to rights abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission will launch its "Human Rights Youth Ambassador Program" today.

We launched a new visual identity at a function held on the 10th floor at 225 Bourke st where the new {also} offices were shown to many members of the community. {also} members and community celebrated the move to City Village and the 'new look' {also} was revealed for the first time.