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Discover how communities are coping during the pandemic and how they can access support Page 1-2
BY MADISON BEHRINGER s a community, all Australians have taken a hit as a result of COVID-19. Some of us have lost jobs, been separated from our family and loved ones, and almost all of us have been forced out of our usual routine. The pubs have been closed for over a month, we canât head to the gym for a workout and weâve all been advised to stay at home unless we have somewhere essential we need to be. Itâs no surprise that for a lot of us our mental health hasnât been all that crash hot and being stuck in our own houses can become extremely lonely very quickly. COVID-19 has also disrupted a lot of peopleâs intimate relationships, with casual sex being strongly advised against and many couples and partnerships going weeks without physical contact. ACON is an Australian health organisation that looks after the health and life of people of diverse sexualities and genders, or LGBTQI people. ACONâs Associate Director Matthew Vaughan spoke with City Hub about how communities are coping during the pandemic and how they can access support. âI think one of the things that weâre very aware of is that COVID-19 has changed a lot of things,â Matthew
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LOVE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN ISOLATION said, going on to say, âfrom very early on, ACON has, following the advice of leading health experts, released a statement that urged people in our communities to avoid casual sex during this period... Avoiding casual sex is a way that helps to keep both yourself and our community safe at large. What we were encouraging though are ways to connect more with yourself and others that donât involve a physical meet-up.â For those of us out there who werenât necessarily in relationships prior to social distancing restrictions being in put in place, Matthew suggests that isolation may be a good time to get to know yourself and your body a little better saying, âit may be a really good time to find out what you enjoy or what you donât like so that you can then communicate that to your partners once the restrictions are lifted. This could definitely be a very positive and healthy habit to take into the future.â
Two City Hub readers who prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns were using the Grindr app to arrange casual threesomes spoke to us about whatâs changed in the world of casual sex over the last month. âPrior to the pandemic, we used Grindr mostly when we were feeling frisky, arranging threesomes and the like,â they said. âThings have definitely slowed down [since the restrictions], however threesomes still get organised with our regular hookups.â Despite enforcement of social distancing restrictions, the couple say that within reason theyâve still been meeting up with partners they trust for casual sex saying, âThereâs never really any fear of being pulled up as to why we werenât at home. And even if we were, itâs easy to think of a legitimate excuse that canât really be followed up.â They went on to say, âItâs all within reason though, weâve
only met up with people we trust to be open about COVID exposures. In saying that however, there have definitely been people weâve spoken to that werenât comfortable with meeting up during the pandemic.â During each stage of the social distancing restrictions, people who were in pre-existing relationships or partnerships before COVID-19 have been left confused as to whether itâs okay to see their partners. To clear things up, Matthew says, âACON have advised since the beginning that even if you donât live with your partner or partners you can still continue to have sex as long as youâre continuing to practice social distancing in other areas of your life.â Feeling physically and emotionally disconnected from others can become quite distressing and for many people their mental health and wellbeing has taken a beating during this period of anxiety and uncertainty. âFor a lot of people routine is a big part of their life⌠not being able to do your normal activities can have a huge impact on your mental health. Not being able to access your usual social connections will also make a big impact,â said Matthew. Continued on page 2