About ACON

Who we are

ACON is NSW's and Australia’s largest community-based gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) health and HIV/AIDS organisation.

What we do

We promote the health and wellbeing of the GLBT community and people affected by HIV, and reduce HIV transmission.

We run HIV prevention programs for the groups most at risk of HIV transmission – gay men, sex workers and people who inject drugs. For people with HIV, their families and carers, ACON provides a broad range of health promotion and support services. In the area of policy and advocacy, ACON provides advice on issues related to HIV and human rights.

Our work also covers other health issues for our communities such as:

Sexual health
Mental health
Alcohol and other drug use
Ageing
Homophobic violence
Domestic violence
Counselling
Community care
Housing

Why we do it

The people and communities we serve face the same broad health issues as everyone else. However, mainstream service providers don’t always respond adequately to their needs due to a lack of knowledge, understanding or acceptance, especially in regional and rural NSW.

Our communities also have specific health needs that are best met by community-based organisations with specialist knowledge and experience, particularly in relation to HIV, sexual health, discrimination and social isolation.

We meet this dual challenge by providing information and services that support the specific needs of our communities, particularly people with HIV. We also work to close the gap by improving access to mainstream services.

So what do we hope to achieve by doing all this?

An end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic locally and globally
A healthy, resilient and inclusive GLBT community
A society that protects and promotes human rights as the foundation for good health