Prostate cancer program

Gay and bisexual men who have or have had prostate cancer are needed for the Shine a Light pilot program which aims to provide better prostate cancer support for gay and bisexual men.

Open to both single and partnered men and their partners, the three day pilot program will share information on prostate cancer and how it affects gay men, providing participants with a safe space to discuss their experiences with other men.

Partners will also be able to discuss their experiences and support needs.

The group will decide what issues need to be addressed by the program and how.

Areas covered could include approaching a doctor, making treatment decisions, life after treatment, potential impacts on relationships, and the importance of proactive treatment.

Roughly one in ten men in Australia will develop prostate cancer in their life, meaning that one in five same-sex couples are likely to have direct experience with the condition at some point.

According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, all men should consider being tested for prostate cancer regularly from age 50 onwards, or from 40 onwards if there is a family history of prostate cancer.

Men’s Health Services director Greg Millan, who will deliver the program, said gay and bisexual men were currently “an invisible diversity in the greater community of men affected by this disease.”

“Current literature reveals a great lack of knowledge about the educational support needs and social support needs amongst gay and bisexual men with prostate cancer,” Millan said, “Furthermore, social barriers, such as homophobia and lack of homosexually oriented treatment, affecting access to support is not well understood.”

After pilot programs in Sydney and Melbourne, the Prostate Cancer foundation of Australia intends to roll the program out nationwide.

The Sydney workshops will take place on August 16, 23 and 30 at ACON, 414 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills and are free.

To register contact Greg at [email protected] or on 0417 772 390.

To learn more about prostate cancer visit www.prostate.org.au