Stevie Clayton was the CEO of ACON from 1997 to 2009. These are her reflections, as told to John Burfitt. Earliest memories of ACONI had beenco-convener of the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby and often worked closely with ACON on community campaigns. When I first joined ACON in 1997, we were in that moment when …
Julie Mooney-Somers was a member of ACON’s Board from 2011 to 2024. These are her reflections, as told to John Burfitt. Earliest memories of ACONI moved here from London in 2000 and Sydney’s queer community had an incredible reputation. I don't recall ACON having a major profile for women's health then. My first encounter with …
"For Sydney gay men in the 1990s, what I loved was the sense of loyal camaraderie while fighting together for dignity in health. In 1992, I enjoyed my Fun&Esteem workshops so much, I signed up for volunteer training to then become a peer facilitator under Tim Conigrave.ACON back then was in a tiny office above …
"I am a lesbian woman from Bangladesh. Growing up, I could never live openly because homosexuality is criminalised and deeply rejected in my country. I spent years living a hidden life, constantly afraid of being exposed. My family pressured me into marriage, but I divorced quickly because I could not deny who I truly am.Throughout …
"In 2007, I joined ACON to establish the drug and alcohol program, and with it, I inherited the Rovers, a much-loved and already well-established initiative. Back then, the Rovers wore yellow fluoro vests, which looked a little too much like security uniforms. We needed to stand apart, visibly and culturally, from those roles, especially at …
"In 2018, being a member of Russ Gluyas’s LOVE Project and a Committee Member (later in 2018 became Treasurer) of Mature Age Gays (MAG), I became aware of ACON’s considerable and determined work for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Gay and Transgender Hate Crimes over the decades. I was a victim of a violent four-hour …
"It's no exaggeration to say that ACON probably saved my life. In early 1985 I was 21 years old. I had moved out from living with my family in the Sydney suburbs, and I was exploring my new adult independence in a straight share house close to the city. Deep down I knew I was …
"In 1998, the work of ACON was waaaay ahead of the world. Jon Sweeney (RIP) and I were first employees as educators at beats in Western Sydney in the fully funded, world first Beats Project which I worked at for the following five years. Beat workers were HIV/AIDS educators reaching out to sexually active men …
"I am a transgender woman, and I have been aware of my identity since the age of 5 - I met the girls and I met the boys. In the girls I saw myself belonging and reflected - they were everything I was… polite, kind, creative. Being one of the boys was like being raised …
“I became an ACON Community Visitor around 2016. My role was to visit Yaralla House on the Dame Eadith Walker Estate near Concord Hospital. I was assigned one of the facilities residents. All had AIDS-related dementia to some degree. I worked with the on-site occupational therapist to run singing sessions on Mondays prior to their …
