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 i Everybody,
The year is well underway and GAMMA is still going strong, providing peer support and education on relevant issues to men who identify as Gay or Bi-sexual and who are, or have been, married or involved in a heterosexual relationship.
We continue to meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings of each month, commencing at 7:45 PM in the ACON building, Lower Ground Floor, 9 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills. You are welcome whenever you are able to attend, whether that be frequently or infrequently - we are always pleased to see you and renew contact.
We have had some fantastic speakers in this first year's quarter and we extend our appreciation to Bob Moore from Celebrating Body Electric, Eric Hudson, Jase Hodson, John Mayer - columnist from SSO 'Daddy Dearest', Tony Williams and our panelist of speakers from Mature Aged Gays, Harbour City Bears, Team Sydney and Points of Difference. Thanks guys for your preparation, professional expertise and input to our meetings.
 'd like to draw your attention to some outstanding presenters at our upcoming meetings and strongly encourage you to attend if you are able:
May 5th: Roxanne McMurray - Leichhardt Women's Health Centre
Roxanne is manager of the Leichhardt Women's Health Centre, which conducts the only support group known for women partners of Gay and Bi-sexual men. Roxanne will help men understand the 'woman's experience as they become aware of the partners sexuality. We have invited Roxanne for the third year in a row because her talks, which are presented without judgement and with deep respect for the men's experience/story, are always received with great appreciation by the men present. Roxanne is very committed to supporting all parties - especially children through this journey and she is open to questions and responses from men present on the evening. She has a great deal of wisdom to offer men on what helps and what hinders the process of disclosure and the subsequent issues that arise.
May 19th: Paul Boers - Accredited Specialist In Family Law
Paul is a Senior Associate with Craddock Murray Neumann. He has extensive background experience and expertise in the area of Family Law having also worked for the Legal Aid Commission of NSW, and as a Deputy Registrar of the Family Court of Australia. In addition, Paul has volunteered with the Inner City Legal Centre at Kings Cross for more than 10 years, and has served as a Director on its Board of Directors since 2007.
Paul has significant experience in negotiating complex financial agreements, including property settlements with companies and trusts and spousal support issues. His expertise in financial matters enables him to form a realistic view of the likely outcome early in a case and help his clients to achieve the best possible solution, quickly and effectively.
Over the years, Paul has handled numerous cases for both married and de facto couples, and has undertaken many contested parenting matters. His work at the Inner City Legal Centre has also allowed him to develop an uncommon expertise in cases that involve complex parenting issues, such as surrogacy arrangements, artificial conception, and same sex parenting. He has also been a speaker for Gay Dad's NSW.
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Paul will be available on this evening to respond to issues that arise out of men's stories and enquiries on the night. This is your perfect opportunity to gain insight on any issues of family law that you may and clarity on your next steps forward towards resolution may be.
 ur mid-year Dinner and Speaker is planned for July 7th - please keep this date free in your diary. We are in the process of finalising our speaker and venue for the evening. It is shaping up to be a great night and details will follow shortly.
 e are always pleased to have any feedback on our meetings and suggestions to assist in making these evenings as valuable as possible. In order for us to assess how effective our services are in meeting your needs, it would be appreciated if you could complete this quick feedback form. It will take less than two minutes of your time. Please click the folloing link to Survey Monkey:
Click here to take survey
 housands of men and women in Australia have had to come to terms with the discovery that they are attracted to someone of the same sex. For many, it may be a new discovery or something that they have known for years but felt uncomfortable about openly acknowledging. It can happen at any stage and at any life stage, but the older you are and the longer you have been living a straight life, the more challenging it is to come out as a gay man or lesbian. It is not a simple process and you will almost certainly experience some difficulties, but there are many sources of advice and support that you can utilise.
Coming out as someone attracted to the same sex does not mean that you old life was wrong of fake, or that the 'old you' requires changing. However, you may want to make changes, to overhaul your life completely. Whatever choices you make, people who love and respect you should love and respect you both as the person you are now becoming, and as the person you have always been.
What is the best way to tell other people, including family and friends that you might be gay? This is never easy. Searching for the right time and place to tell them can be almost as hard as actually telling them. However and when and why will vary from person to person, and will be different with each person told, but the important thing to remember is that you don't have to go it alone. Again, I want to remind each man that there is a community of men who understand something of the experience, each from their own perspective, who are there to provide support and companionship. There are a range of support people listed on our website. Please contact us: www.gamma.org.au/support.html
Look forward to seeing you at a meeting soon,
Regards,
Peter
Peter Kadwell
President
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