Get active for your rights.’This was the message given by Clover Moore MP Lord Mayor of Sydney, Greens Senator Elect Lee Rhiannon and CEO of ACOSS, Cassandra Goldie at the 12th annual conference of the Australian Lesbian Medical Association held in Sydney last weekend.

Speakers offered their assistance and support for LGBTI issues but said that change could only happen when enough individuals decided to take action for their rights, even if this just meant writing a letter to their MP or attending a protest rally.

ALMA was formed in 1999 as a mutual support group for lesbian doctors and medical students.  Since that time they have worked on a number of matters of interest to the LGBTI community including access to ART/IVF, sexual diversity and gender policy for the AMA and RACGP,  and training of medical students in LGBTI issues.

The conference spent some time discussing ALMA’s latest project DocLIST, an online list of doctors recommended by lesbian and bisexual women.

There are currently 195 Australian and New Zealand lesbian doctors  known to ALMA. Names are being added to Doclist as consents are obtained.  However doctors don’t have to be lesbian or bisexual to be on the list, the ALMA DocList webmistress is happy to receive recommendations from any lesbian or bi-sexual woman who thinks that her doctor is caring, competent and respectful of our sexual orientation.

Recently ALMA has been applying for consultative status as an NGO s with the United Nations, in the hope of helping to raise the profile of lesbian health rights internationally.