SWAN Hill District Health (SHDH) has created a support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) youth.
SHDH health promotion officer Hayden Collins said he was passionate about the project which had been in the pipeline for the past 12 months.
Mr Collins felt Swan Hill was falling behind other rural areas and metro centres in providing support for a group often marginalised, and with lower health outcomes.
“I hope that (the support group) will entail a safe place for LGBTIQ young people to meet and learn from one another, whilst also providing a social outlet in a safe and understanding place,” Mr Collins said.
“To begin with it will involve a structured set of activities based around increasing the capacity of LGBTIQ young people… such as sexual health information and other topics as identified by the group.”
Mr Collins said the process began at a sexual health conference last year in Shepparton, where he met a member of a diversity group there.
“We had a conversation about the LGBTIQ young people, and from that I came back to Swan Hill and questioned what support we provided as a town… which was minimal,” he said.
For more on this story pick up a copy of Fridays Guardian (August 12, 2016)
