Well, Well, Well

How can we strengthen community ties with a queer Lunar New Year celebration?

James Tapa from Gay Asian Proud (GAP) joins us to discuss the unique challenges faced by multicultural LGBTQ+ people navigating health services, voting, and social belonging in Australia.

He explores with Joel and Jack personal anecdotes about family reunions, lion‑dance performances, and the symbolism behind the zodiac animal of the year.

GAP’s sis...

We dive into the TV series Heated Rivalry, exploring how the show portrays LGBTQ+ athletes in a mixed‑gender ice‑hockey setting.

Kade and Shell from Southern Lights Hockey join Jack and Jake to discuss their local queer ice-hockey team, the series’ blend of drama and advocacy, and more.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore...

Sarah Hiley, Drug Checking Director at The Loop Australia joins Jack to discuss the Victorian Pill Testing Service and its role in harm‑reduction.

The service will be present at Victoria’s Pride Street Party, offering a safe, non‑judgmental space for festival‑goers to have their substances tested.

Sarah walks us through the testing process, from anonymous sample submission to rapid results, and highlights the limits and accuracy of...

Jack speaks with Julai Diesel ahead of the THH Vogue Night event running during Midsumma and discuss what the ballroom scene looks like in Melbourne, where it serves as a survival‑focused, queer‑affirming community built around competition, performance, and chosen family.

They speak about the House of Diesel’s origins, its partnership with Thorne Harbour Health, and the ways Australian houses stay connected to the historic U....

Wise Words returns this Midsumma to feature a line-up of some of Australia’s most prominent and talented LGBTIQ+ women (trans and non-binary inclusive) for an evening of intergenerational storytelling.

Candy Bowers will MC this year’s edition and we hear about her background in acting, production, writing, and more.

Grab tickets to Wise Words on the Midsumma website: https://www.midsumma.org.au/whats-on/events/wise-word...

Dylan from the City of Yarra and Tex McKenzie speak about the Yarra Queer History Walk, a guided tour that traces Melbourne’s queer‑footprints through Fitzroy, Collingwood and Abbotsford.

Jack is also joined by Rachel Cook and Chiron Hooson from Thorne Harbour to discuss the Community Periodic Surveys, our presence at Carnival, and more.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwel...

Jack, Jake and Thorne Harbour Health Events Coordinator Chiron Hooson walk through a whirlwind 2025.

We revisit events from Midsumma Festival, murder‑mystery parties and regional pride pop‑ups, to a record‑breaking World AIDS Day Red Ribbon Run and the revival of Northside Bazaar.

Gus from Thorne Harbour’s family violence counselling team adds a quick roundup of the work their team does, 657 client contacts, new funding strea...

Molly Boorman from Thorne Harbour Health unpacks holiday wellbeing for LGBTIQ+ folk, from family driven stress to managing alcohol and other drug use.

Molly shares practical tools like self compassion, safety planning, group peer support and when to access services like Direct Line, Rainbow Door and Lifeline.

She also speaks with Jack and Jake about online intake options and the importance of creating new, affirming traditions when...

Cal talks with South Australian Legislative Council Member Ian Hunter about the murder of George Duncan that ignited South Australia’s push to decriminalise male homosexuality in 1975.

Ian walks us through the behind the scenes lobbying by students, academic, law societies, and politicians that turned this historic event into legislative reform.

He also explains how early AIDS activism blended community organising with direct acces...

In the final episode of our 16 Days of Activism series, we’re turning to the health and support systems themselves.

We talk about how mainstream family violence services can better support queer clients and what the sector can learn from the community led response with Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s so...

Ending intimate partner and gender violence means supporting those who use harm to change.

In this episode we explore what that looks like in queer relationships with Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health’s family violence counselling team.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or ...

Leaving a violent relationship is just the start.

As we mark the 16 Days of Activism, we’re talking about what it takes to heal and how this journey might be different for queer people.

We’re joined this episode by lived experience expert Alex as well as Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health to discuss this important topic.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/well...

Sharna Ciotti and Lili K join us from Adelaide to discuss the recently released South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Report.

We also discuss Thorne Harbour Health’s new Family and Domestic Violence services which are tailored to our diverse LGBTIA+ communities.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

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We’re joined by Bruce Fitzgerald, a proud member of Mob+, a unique group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV, supported through the Thorne Harbour Positive Living Centre.

With World AIDS Day just behind us and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week underway, it’s the perfect time to talk about the group.

Bruce is here to help us understand why Mob+ exists, what makes it so import...

Continuing our 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence series, we’re discussing Unseen Abuse.

Joel is joined again by Vincent and Gus from Thorne Harbour Health to learn more about what Unseen Abuse is, how it might look, and how to seek help.

If this episode has raised any issues for you, help is available.

• 1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support se...

What is Family of Origin Violence and how does it affect our LGBTQIA+ communities?

Joel speaks with Gus and Vincent from Thorne Harbour Health about this issue in light of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

If this episode has raised any issues for you, help is available.

• 1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service at 1800 737 732
• QL...

A growing body of research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexuality and gender-diverse (LGBTQ+) people experience disproportionately high levels of sexual violence.

However, there is limited understanding of the characteristics and contexts of those who use sexual violence against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Crossing Lines from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society (or ARCSHS) will investiga...

We discuss the LGBTIQA+ Health, Wellbeing, and Inclusion conference in Adelaide, Better Together and hear from presenters at the show including:

• Connor McLeod about Ohanga Rearea, a queer inclusion framework based on Maori storytelling,
• Leigh Andrew Hill from outinperth.com about the future of LGBTIQA+ media, and
• Polly Parker from TheyConnect about their Pride Tolerance Compass for brands and marketers looking to meaningfully ...

In the final episode of our series reflecting on 20 years and 1000 episodes of Well Well Well, we speak with Jason Asselin previously of the Victorian AIDS Council about the show circa 2010.

Jason walks us through a time before PrEP where social media was in its early days and the innovative work VAC (now Thorne Harbour Health) did in this space.

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.a...