LGBTIQASB+ Monthly Clinic
Northside is extremely proud to have received two Darwin Pride Community Awards recognising our service to the Darwin LGBTIQASB+ communities:
- 2017 the inaugural Darwin Pride Community Award
- 2019 Ally of The Year Award, voted by the community.
This clinic runs for 3 days each month. Our visiting doctors specialise in LGBTIQA+ health and particularly in gender affirming care for all ages, children to adults. For children, we work closely with the local paediatric endocrinologists at the RDH Adolescent Gender Clinic.
Our doctors provide monthly clinics offering welcoming, high-quality healthcare to members of the LGBTIQASB+ communities.
This is a fully bulkbilled service with no cost to patients who hold a Medicare card (patients without Medicare may be able to have the costs reimbursed by their insurance).
Our nurses provide gender affirming hormone & other injections on any day you need throughout the month.
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Transgender, gender affirming, gender diverse & non-binary health
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Sexual health
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Mental health
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HIV care, S100 scripts, PrEP
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Fertility & conception advice
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General health care for LGBTIQASB+ people
Gender affirming care
We practice an informed consent model of care for trans and gender diverse people. This means that there is no “gatekeeping” approach requiring specialist letters in order for adults to access treatment for gender transition.
If you are a new patient wishing to access assistance with transition, you will be offered a long appointment to discuss your issues and goals, answer all your questions and to work out a collaborative plan to help you on your journey. There is no requirement for you to have had any formal assessment prior to this appointment, and you do not need a referral to see us.
Under the age of 18, the law requires parents' consent for medical gender affirmation. Our doctors will refer younger people to RDH Adolescent Gender Clinic if they want to proceed with medical affirmation. A psychologist assessment is required for younger people.
The timeline for considering transition is completely open and you may explore things through discussions with our doctors for as long as is needed.
LGBTI clinic dates for 2025-26:
December 2025 : 9, 10, 11: Telehealth with Dr Heather McNamee
2026
January 8, 22, 23: Telehealth with Dr Michelle Dutton
February 19, 20, 21: Dr Michelle Dutton
March: 19, 20, 21 Dr Fiona Bisshop
April: 9, 10, 11 Dr Mihal Guttman-Jones
May: 28, 29, 30 Dr Michelle Dutton
June: Dr Ruth McNair (dates TBC)
July: 16, 17, 18 Dr Mihal Guttman-Jones
August: Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez (dates TBC)
September: Dr Heather McNamee (dates TBC)
October: Dr Fiona Bisshop (dates TBC)
November: 19, 20, 21 Dr Mihal Guttman-Jones
December: Telehealth with Dr Heather McNamee (dates TBC)
Please give us a call to make a booking.
Our LGBTI Clinic is ALWAYS accepting new patients.
Please make it clear at the time of booking that you want to be seen in the LGBTI clinic which is separate from our other GP services.
We operate on Larrakia country. We acknowledge the Larrakia people as the Traditional Owners of the Darwin region and pay our respects to Larrakia elders past, present & emerging. We particularly acknowledge the many generations of Sistergirls, Brotherboys and First Nations people of diverse gender identity and sexuality who have proudly walked this land. We are committed to a positive future for them and all First Nations communities
VISITING PRACTITIONERS
Dr Fiona Bisshop, she/her
Fiona is a GP in Brisbane who has been working in the area of LGBT health and HIV medicine since 2001. Fiona is an S100 prescriber, and is able to offer holistic HIV management. Fiona is highly experienced in transgender medicine. She is a past president of AusPATH, the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health. She is passionate about delivering high quality care to trans and gender diverse people, and is able to assist people at all stages of transition. Fiona also has a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has experience in all aspects of women's health.
Dr Michelle Dutton, she/her
Michelle has worked in trans health for a decade, starting at Northside Clinic in Melbourne, at Orygen and at Headspace, as well as working at Equinox Trans and Gender Diverse Healthcare. Michelle is experienced at initiating hormone therapy and utilises the informed consent model of care. She is passionate about improving access to gender affirming care Australia wide, through increasing the knowledge and confidence of GPs through her teaching work in this area. She has interest in mental health and trauma informed care. She is also skilled in sexual health and is a registered prescriber of PrEP and HIV treatment.
Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez, they/them
Asiel is a GP with an approach to diversity that is very much grounded in a human-rights framework. They have a quiet determination to change attitudes and breakdown barriers that prevent people from engaging in healthcare systems. Dr Asiel provides hormone treatment for trans patients and is also able to assist with other areas of general practice care. They believe in open communication and strive to empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions.
Dr Mihal Guttman-Jones, they/them
Mihal enjoys working with patients from all backgrounds to provide holistic evidence based care which is trauma informed and body positive. They especially welcome colourful, queer individuals and people of diverse sexuality and gender. Mihal offers gender affirming hormone therapy through informed consent and will support patients through their transition and beyond.
Dr Heather McNamee, she/her
Heather was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland and completed GP and family planning training in 1996 before immigrating to Australia.
Heather has several decades of experience in women's health, sexual and reproductive health, abortion and trans health. She is a strong believer in women’s right to choose. Heather has worked at Cairns Sexual Health Service, at Aboriginal Health Services, abortion services and in diverse general practices.
Dr Ruth McNair AM, she/her
Ruth has clinical interests in women's health including lesbian and bisexual women's health, trans health, mental health and wellbeing, adolescent health, fertility and pregnancy care. She is also an Honorary Associate Professor at The University of Melbourne, teaching and conducting research. Ruth completed a PhD in lesbian and bisexual women’s health in 2009. She became a member of the Order of Australia In June 2019 for services to medicine and the LGBTIQA+ community, for her decades of activity in LGBTIQA+ research, clinical care, policy and community development.
