Positive future for National LGBTI Health Alliance

The National LGBTI Health Alliance has indicated that it holds a positive outlook for the future as it looks to expand services and capacity, following its annual general meeting (AGM) held last Thursday.

The Alliance has also announced that it will now have an intersex voice on its board as well, with Gina Wilson (pictured), the current chairperson for Organisation Intersex International Australia, being co-opted as a board member.

The Alliance is considered to be in a much stronger overall position than this time last year, after receiving increased funding, Alliance chairman Paul Martin said.

“Having secured two years of project funding and one years secretariat funding the Alliance is in a much stronger position at the end of this year than we were last year.

“We have now secured one years funding allowing us to make the general manager position full-time, employ a policy officer and a membership support and information officer,” Martin said.

“This will bring much needed capacity to the organisation and allow us to deliver on the promise of what a national alliance can do.”

This year’s AGM also saw Dr Mark Fuller, from South Australian and Heidi Yates, from the ACT, newly elected as state and territory members.

Fuller is a medical practitioner who was chair of South Australia’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Gay and Health Lesbian Health, while Yates currently works as a human rights solicitor at the ACT Women’s Legal Centre.

“The Board was pleased to be able to co-opt Gina Wilson from Organisation Intersex International as a Board member,” Martin added.

“Gina is Australia’s leading advocate for intersex people and this appointment consolidates our commitment to be a LGBTI Health Alliance.”