A festival celebrating women’s health and wellbeing is opening in Melbourne, with opportunities for attendees to learn about gender equity in health across a range of free events and activities.
Called ‘Beyond the Bias’, this festival is running from 10-31 October, through a collaboration between Women’s Health Victoria and Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.
A statewide, feminist, non-profit organisation, Women’s Health Victoria works with government, the health sector, and the community to improve health outcomes for women (cis and trans inclusive) and gender diverse people. They advocate for healthcare rights and access, deliver health promotion resources, and operate vital information and support services.
The Queen Victoria Women’s Centre’s purpose is to hold and create space for Victorian women and gender diverse people to thrive. Their vision is for all women and gender diverse people to have a place where they are welcomed, valued and celebrated and have the power to determine their present and future.
The ‘Beyond the bias’ festival program events will be free, accessible, and include women’s health info sessions, film screenings, immersive exhibitions, and retro dance classes.
There’s an exhibition of the award-winning Labia Library, Lunch’n’Learn sessions on topics like perimenopause and contraception, a symposium even on ‘Closing the Gender Gap in Health Research’, a ‘Share your story’ event giving visitors a chance to anonymously share lived experience of gender bias in healthcare as well as a film documentary screening about reclaiming 60,000 years of childbirth practice.
“Women’s Health Victoria is committed to driving meaningful conversations around gender equity in health, and we’re proud to partner with Queen Victoria Women’s Centre for Beyond the Bias. This festival is all about making women’s health and equity topics engaging, accessible, and empowering,” said Sally Hasler, CEO of Women’s Health Victoria.
“By bringing the community together in creative and inspiring ways, we aim to start important conversations that will help drive real change toward a fairer health system.”
Chair of Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, Jennifer Kanis said the organisation is “thrilled to partner with Women’s Health Victoria on Beyond the Bias”.
“This fantastic program of activations at the Centre in October brings women’s health to the forefront, opening up critical conversations.”
“We hope this is the first of many partnerships with Women’s Health Victoria as the program supports our strategic priority to foster connections with aligned organisations and bring people into the Centre for participation and fun.”