30.5.09

Hi all, this weeks show is brought to you by Dan "The Fool and the Opera" Vo, Steve "Glitter and Tonik" Toms and new Gen Next recruit and promising future star Kyle Minall. We've got a huge show lined up with eleventy interviews and plenty of vox pops to keep the voice of the youth loud, proud and resonantly clear. The theme for today is High School Hijinks, Homophobia and Hope. We look at the fact that, yes, there is still homophobia in high schools, but there are some many youth groups doing something about it that there really is a bright future ahead. Here's the run down.

MINUS 18 TRAFFIC LIGHTS PARTY

First off we chat with Micah from Minus 18 (and of regular Gen Next host fame), who's not on the show this week because he's quite busy organising and running their Traffic Lights dance party that also happens to mark the momentous occaision of the group turning 11 years old. The party is going down at The Vault in Collingwood and Micah will cross to us live from the location. Meanwhile you should check out their spanking new look website and check out the video of Micah recording the on air announcement. It's an amazing piece of work, check it out here.

THE PUSH FREEZA SUMMITS WITH DASH AND WILL

Second off the ranks is the talented duo Dash and Will who will be talking about the upcoming The Push FREEZA Summits which is happening really soon, July 10 at the Brunswick Town Hall to be precise. It's an opportunity for young people to get involved with workshops that gives us a chance to create music and organise cultural events. The lasses from Dash and Will will be running the "scene and touring" workshop, which is appropriate, seeing as they've busy jetting around the country doing gigs at The Falls, Homeback and Push Over. Info about the The Push here.

UNDERSTANDING HOMOPHOBIA RURAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Then, we have Kat Edwell from the WayOut Project talking about the the OUTthere Rural Victorian Youth Council for Sexual Diversity Projects, in particular the Understanding Homophobia Rural Secondary Schools Research One initiative that will gather information about homophobia in rural high schools in order to create a strong case study for support and funding from the Victorian Government. More info about the project here. Indeed the survey is well timed in light of the recent announcement from the office of State Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike create legal policy that requires teachers to address negative comments and attitudes that cause homophobia in schools, good news as it will also tackle the seemingly common use of the saying, "that's so gay". Hopefully the survey will give the state government and bodies involved understand the issue in greater detail. More info about the announcement here. Good to see someone is doing something as well, considering Beyond Blue has been recently slammed by gay groups for their shameful reluctance to do anything to address the critical issue of homophobia, self harm and suicide. More info about their lack of initiative here.

Q&A EMERGING YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM

Phew, there's more to come. Chantelle has put together an excellent Vox Pops package that has a look at what people think about high school, what the highlights and the low lights are. She won't be with us in the studio because she's busy out and about being a leader at the Minus 18 event (as you may know, she's on the committee and it's great to see youth for youth organised events). Speaking of leaders, there's the interview with Abigail Elliot the Program Coordinator of Q&A Emerging Young Leaders Program. A program that allows young people to discuss, identify and address GLBTIQmunity issues. The program is taking applicates to join the program which aims to create a learning and experiential environment to undertake training in adaptive leadership, raise broader community awareness of the adaptive strengths of the GLBTIQmunities, build capacity for the GLBTIQmunity, and build the skills of emerging young leaders within the GLBTIQ communities. More info about the program and applying here.

GASP BORDERLINE

Finally, last but not least we catch up with the young people of Geelong and our special guests from the GASP Group being Dylan, Jenna and Kosta. The GASP Group who visited the JOY studios today to exchange some ideas about how to address the social and support needs of gay and lesbian youth in Geelong, Melbourne and beyond. The group recently took unneccessary flak from some political and reglious leaders in the greater Geelong area for organising youth events in the area with the upcoming Borderline event being the focus. The trio very articulately discussed the need for the event. More details about the event here with more info about GASP Group here. The first article condemning the event as inappropriate is here and the second which includes the backing of State lobby groups and youth organisations, citing the fact that it provides a safe environment for young people to come together and promotes health and wellbeing is here.

All that, plus the usual mix of excellent music, intelligent chat and fun antics.

16.06.09

This week's show was bought to you by Petro, Tobi and Kyle.

RADIOTHON

It's that time of year to put your money where your ears are and become a member of JOY or renew your membership!



JOY 94.9 provides such an important service, especially for young people who may still be in the closet and are experiencing difficulties accepting their sexuality. Hearing the voices of proud GLBT people provides them with what might be their only connection to the community. With "Generation Next", JOY gives young people a voice - a chance to express opinions and discuss issues that affect them - whether it be sex, bullying, online issues, dating, coming out, etc. It also supports the annual Youth Week and hosts a variety of events such outside broadcasts at schools and unis, and puts on short courses to train young people in radio.

But a station does not fund itself! Without our members, JOY would not exist so your support is vital. Please become a member by phoning 9699 2949 and pledge your support for Australia's only full-time, out and proud Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered radio station.

For all you young peeps, there are special concession ($33) and under 18 ($22) prices. Very reasonable prices for such a big cause.

For more info on Radiothon and the many prizes you could win, click here.

ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT
Greg Adkins (presenter of JOY's "Detours" - Saturdays at 12 noon) joined us in the studio to talk about the Anti-Violence Project which aims to increase awareness about homophobia and encourage victims to REPORT IT. Silence is the worst enemy. Homophobia will continue to thrive unless something is done about it. If you experience verbal or physical threats (or witness someone experience it), no matter how small or big, report it to an authority figure straight away, whether it be a teacher, boss, the police, or social worker.

"Don't Look Away"



For more information, visit their website.

VOX POP

Chantelle and Sarah shared with us a new Vox Pop, asking the people of Melbourne "What would you tell your 16 year old self?"

GAY SCHOOL


Idol comes out
This year's American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert officially put an end to speculation, coming out as gay on the cover of Rolling Stone. It's great to see a celebrity, at the height of his popularity, being open about their sexuality. Hopefully many young GLBT people will now have a positive role model to look up to.

Support for Gay Marriage in Australia

A new survey has shown 60 per cent of Australians support gay marriage. The poll, conducted for the lobby group Australian Marriage Equality, found strong support for same-sex marriage, including among Coalition voters.

Of the 1100 respondents, 60 per cent were in favour of same-sex marriage. And 58 per cent believed Australia should also recognise the marriages of immigrating same-sex couples who'd tied the knot overseas.

Some 75 per cent of Greens voters backed gay marriage compared with 63 per cent of Labor supporters and 49 per cent of Coalition voters.

Women were more likely to support gay marriage, with 65 per cent of them in favour of it compared with 51 per cent of men.

Support for gay marriage was strongest among Australians aged 16 to 24, with 74 per cent in favour compared with 45 per cent for those aged over 50.

Go us youth!

Hip Hop, Radio Tours, and Being 'Out' and Proud

MIX TAPE 09

Terry and Akilah MC dropped by the studios to chat with us about the upcoming all ages hip hop event in Malvern. If you want to take part in the hip hop battles, you gotta register! Check out the website for more info:

http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/www/html/3995-mix-tape.asp



MINUS18

That's right, the school holidays are coming up yet again, and Minus 18 are celebrating their 11th Birthday with a traffic light dance party on June 30. Micah and steve spoke about Minus18 and what they events are like. http://www.minus18.org.au/ for event info



Minus+
Minus18 have kicked off a new series of fortnightly social events for queer youth. Pretty sick eh? Well we talked about their last event, which was a tour of JOY studios. The young guys and girls got to record a promo for the event, which Micah and Steve played on the show. The next Minus+ event is a bowling afternoon on June 20. http://www.minus18.org.au/ for more details on that one!

COMING OUT!

Check out this youtube video Micah and steve played on the show. It's a bit of a blast. What's your quirky way to come out?

Dos and Donts of coming out!
DONTS:
Never come out in an argument or to hurt someone.
1. Don’t think coming out will solve all your problems – it will only solve problems relating to your sexual orientation and the anxiety that is related to hiding it and keeping your secret.
2. Don’t feel pressured to come out in an environment that will compromise your wellbeing or safety.
3. Never come out in a moving vehicle.
4. A person is more intelligent than a group of people; come out to people one at a time and somewhere private.
5. don't make any quick moves.
6. Don't have your lover with you. This is not "Let's Make a Deal" -- more surprises are not good.
7. Don’t think that two coming out experiences will be the same
11. Don’t hesitate or psych yourself out – sometimes being blunt is the best option.
12. Feel you need to go at it alone. There are heaps of resources available to you, including the GaL switchboard.
13. Don’t listen to people who tell you that you’re wrong, sick or that you should seek professional mental assistance. They’re wrong.
14. Don’t listen to others who recommend that you stay in the closet. –DO tell grandma!
16. Some people may say that they were waiting for you to come out. Don’t take this the wrong way. They just knew. It means that they’ll keep on loving you for who you are, because, hey, they probably knew you were gay before you could admit it to your self.

DOs
1. Be sober.
2. Be ready for them to need time and space to think about things before any discussion takes place.
3. Be ready for them to drill you with questions that may or may not offend you Sometimes it's easier to read about an issue than to admit you are uneducated. Have a book, pamphlet, phone number, or other resource that can be called upon when you're not around.
4. It is your life to live, and you only have one, and the bottom line is that you are going to continue living as a gay person no matter what their reaction is.
5. Do realise There are people who will never be supportive no matter what is said.
6. Breathe. [Seriously.]
7. Do have an escape plan. You may not need it, but if you do, you won't be surprised. Have a place to crash for the night, and money you can get to in case a worst-case scenario does occur.
8. Have resources for you to call -- you need support too!
9. Do think People who are ignorant may say things initially that they don't realize are painful to hear. Remember they are simply unaware and in a state of surprise.
10. Do prepare for others regarding your ‘gayness’ as simply a phase.
11. Do give people time. You’ve been out to yourself for a long time, they’ve just found out.
12. Do Read or listen about how others came out. It will give you the courage and knowledge on how to handle different situations.

Generation Sex

Sorry about the delay for this blog - Micah lost the login details
again...loserrrr.

This week's show was pretty hot, with special guests *Dr Kathly McNamee *from
Family Planning Victoria and *Kirk and Colette *from the television show The
Weekly G.

STI / HIV / And other abbreviations.
We had a special focus on sex this week - afterall, can you really discuss
it too much? Dr Kathy filled us in on every thing you need to know about
getting a sexual health check up. Yeah we're students, and we hate the idea
of spending money, spending time or even having our parents find out; but Dr
Kathy discussed it all with Micah and reassured him it's really not that
bad. Besides, it's better to use condoms/dental dams and get tested every
few months than to end up with warts on your dick or inside your woman bits.
Sick (not in the good way).

If you're a student or unemployeed, it only costs $6 for unlimited sexual
health testing for a YEAR at the family planning drop in centre in the city.
You don't even need to make an appointment. Just go along!

Action Centre
Level 1, 94 Elizabeth St
Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
Drop-in service 12.00 - 5.00pm daily
Phone: 03 9654 4766

or you can visit the

*The Weekly G

*Kirk and Collete from the upcoming Gay focused TV show also came into the
studios for a chat on what their new show is all about, and also spoke about
how TV and radio can affect us young folk!

*LADY SEX / PHONE SEX / GROUP SEX - wow!

*Chantelle, Micah and Dan also had some killer talks about sexting (sending
a text message of yourself nude to a partner), group sex, and chantelle
answerd the questions that has seemed to mystify men - *how to women have
sex? *But what was pretty cool was talking about how sexting is really just
another way our generation is expressing themselves. Sex is no longer
limited to inperson! But always remember to be careful - you never know who
could end up seeing it!

So that's it Gen-nexters. Micah and Steve will be in the studios next
Tuesday at 9pm taking you on some other wacky adventure. Podcasts are coming
soon, or Micah's going to get a stern talking to.

<3