"The mid-1980s should have been our time of celebration. At last, in 1984, male homosexuality—our very bodies—was decriminalised in New South Wales. Yet almost immediately, a new crisis swept in, vast and merciless like a huge tornado. It began as whispers. Friends who had danced with abandon and filled rooms with laughter suddenly wasted away. Fear …
"As I reflect on ACON’s 40th anniversary, 1985 is probably the same year that I acquired HIV (although I did not know that at the time). Today, in 2025, this year marks my 30th “anniversary” of nearly dying from AIDS-defining PCP. Fortunately, I was brought back from the brink at Concord Hospital: that was the …
"My role within ACON’s Policy, Strategy and Research team allows me to progress rights, equality and empowerment for LGBTQ+ people through facilitating ACON’s engagement and participation in research and producing policy papers that advocate for the needs of the community. We support and promote research that is fundamental to improving the health and wellbeing of …
"If I take myself back to when I first acquired HIV 43 years ago, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would not only being living my best life - but also working in a field that I am so passionate about. As the Coordinator of one of the State's busiest …
"I went into the first ACON office in Newcastle. In 1988 it had just opened. I said I'd love to become a volunteer. I knew nothing about AIDS. The Community Support Network (CSN) program came to Newcastle so I trained up with them. It was horrific back then with so many people dying. It was …
"I came out in 1992 — and paid a heavy price. Once a high-profile Pentecostal preacher, I lost everything overnight: my family, my friends, my career, and my income. I moved to the outer suburbs of Sydney with the man I’d fallen in love with — far from Oxford Street and “the scene.” I thought …
"As a queer South Asian community organiser and former chairperson of Trikone Australia, ACON has always symbolised the kind of allyship and institutional solidarity we aspire to build within our diasporic communities. My journey with ACON began through collaborations around Pride and multicultural initiatives, but its impact runs deeper. ACON's support has been instrumental in …
"I was first introduced to ACON, when I – and my company, IBM – were asked to help establish Pride in Diversity, as an organisation focused on LGBTQ Workplace inclusion. Subsequently, I was able to join PID and ACON full time to assist the team in expanding its work nationally and to more and more …
