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Drawing from a life history study we examine memories and experience of schooling in Papua New Guinea among 45 trans women and sexuality diverse men. While participants reported regulating their expression of gender and sexuality to 'fit in' and avoid physical and verbal abuse at school, others felt able and supported to express their gender and sexuality diversity more freely beyond stereotypical norms. Schools provided a varietyof experience for trans and sexuality diverse youth, unsupportive in many ways but supportive in others. The study highlights the importance of examining the impact of colonial discourses driving homophobia and transphobia in diverse settings, and understanding the socio-cultural climates of schools to identify solutions to the discrimination and violence experienced by trans women and sexuality diverse students. Further research into the current experiences of trans, gender and sexuality diverse young people in school would provide a valuable comparative perspective to our retrospective study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of young adults with disabilities regarding their perceptions of interpersonal discrimination on public transport in two Australian states. Interpersonal discrimination by members of the public included contests for accessible seating, receiving unwanted physical assistance, bullying and intimidation. Participants reported that transport staff engaged in verbal abuse and hostile interactions including questioning the young person's disability. These experiences appeared to be influenced by narrow perceptions of disability, visibility or otherwise of the young person's impairment, limited understanding of the needs of young people with disabilities, and the age and gender of the person behaving in a discriminatory way. The discriminatory experiences were reported to have had a negative impact on the social and economic participation of these young adults in their communities. The participants of the study disclosed diverse experiences of interpersonal discrimination by the travelling public and transport officials. Interpersonal discrimination impacted on some of the young adults' capacity to move about freely, as they sought to avoid exposure to prejudicial attitudes and verbal abuse. Heightened concerns about getting to and from activities safely affected the young adults' willingness to use public transport for their daily activities. Eliminating day-to-day interpersonal discrimination that young adults with disabilities experience on public transport requires legislative, policy and societal change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a stigmatised disease due, in part, to an association with injecting drug use. Aboriginal Australians, a stigmatised group, are over-represented in patterns of HCV infections. We examined the experience of Aboriginal Australians living with HCV using qualitative in-depth interviews, paying particular attention to instances where multiple stigma mechanisms (relating to HCV, injecting drug use and Aboriginal identity) overlapped. Stigma held a central role in the experience of most of the 39 participants with reports of exclusion and alienation from families and communities. HCV-related stigma was accompanied by the notion of 'shame' which holds deep cultural significance for Aboriginal people. Participants' accounts revealed overlapping stigma in their perception that others 'automatically' expect Aboriginal people to have a stigmatised disease such as HCV. HCV as a contemporary expression of colonisation was also woven into accounts of HCV-related stigma. Interventions to reduce HCV stigma should be specifically designed for minority populations to account for multiple, overlapping sources of stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Despite Aboriginal Australians being over-represented in populations of people living with hepatitis C (HCV), there is a dearth of research to guide policy and programme development in the area of care and treatment, particularly relating to new HCV treatments. Method. In-depth interviews were conducted with 39 people identifying as Aboriginal Australians and living with HCV in New South Wales. Results. Participants' experiences were characterised by a lack of detailed or appropriate information provided at diagnosis, high levels of stigma associated with HCV and low overall knowledge of HCV as reported for themselves and their communities. Despite poor diagnosis experiences, participants had undertaken changes to their lifestyle, especially in relation to alcohol use, in order to promote liver health. Concerns about treatment side effects and efficacy impacted participants' decisions to undertake treatment. Eleven participants had undertaken HCV treatment in a variety of care models with a peer worker and in prison. Conclusions. The similarities between concerns and experiences of Aboriginal people and other populations living with HCV do not suggest that services and strategies to engage these populations should also be the same. These results suggest that further engagement of the primary care sector in HCV care is important as well as increasing Aboriginal community knowledge of HCV. A variety of service models should be available to meet individuals' preferences, including those offered within Aboriginal community controlled health services emphasising holistic notions of health, and supported by information and communication programmes using principles of health literacy relevant to Aboriginal people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This article reports on an evaluation of a community-controlled peer education project led by a drug user organization (DUO) that aimed to contribute to hepatitis C prevention. This article also examines broader contextual issues, particularly the funding and governance arrangements affecting the conduct of peer education. Method: This project was evaluated in three sites in New South Wales, Australia. Monthly activity reports were completed by peer educators. Interviews were conducted with five groups of stakeholders: peer educators, peers, staff of the DUO, staff of non-government and government organizations that were partners in this project. Findings: Of the 3373 events categorized, 37% ( n = 1154) were categorized by peer educators as being about hepatitis C, 39% ( n = 1234) about safer injecting techniques and 24% ( n = 760) about other issues. Peer educators described strategies they used particularly when their peers did not want to discuss hepatitis C or had other priorities. Conclusions: This project was successful in disseminating harm reduction information to the targeted community through the recruitment, training and support of peer educators. The results suggest the importance of broadening programme funding parameters to enable services to tailor their work to specific needs, while working towards the shared goal of hepatitis C prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]