The Manager's Report

by Phinn Borg

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Just a few things to report on with what's happening at the Gender Centre. At present we are undertaking a registration process with the Office of Community Housing to become a Class Four community housing provider and we are due to complete all the documentation by 15 July and wait to see if we have been successful.

We again held self-defence classes for transwomen in May, three classes in total with Fight Like A Girl. All three classes were well attended. We will be organising more self-defence classes in the future, for the guys this time.

On a more pressing note we have seen an increase in client confusion with regard to what the Gender Centre can and can't offer i.e. medical interventions and documentation to begin medical procedures involved in transition. The Gender Centre is not a medical centre (I wish we were) and we cannot provide any medical documentation or recommendations to begin the process of transition, nor can we recommend medical care for our clients. These acts would constitute serious breaches of our funding requirements under both the Department of Health and the the Department of Human Services, Office of Community Services. These services are the responsibility of your health care providers, not the Gender Centre nor its staff.

On a sad note, after a number of years the Gender Centre is losing its counsellor, Gaye Stubbs. Recruitment has started in earnest and there has been an overwhelming interest in the position. I encourage any suitably qualified community members to apply.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.