According to a recent Health Promotion Journal of Australia article, 80 per cent of gender and sexuality-diverse participants in regional Queensland experienced depression, while 41 per cent of participants experienced self-harm or suicide ideation. Trans, non-binary, pansexual and bisexual participants experienced highest levels of depression, while trans people experienced highest prevalence of self-harm or suicide ideation.
So how can schools in the state provide the holistic support young people so clearly need?
On 17 May – the International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination (known as IDAHOBIT) – it’s an important conversation for educators and families to have, and one that should continue to grow louder.
What does IDAHOBIT stand for?
IDAHOBIT has had many names and meanings around the world since 2005 when the day was first acknowledged.
- 2005 – the day was known as IDAHO, standing for International Day Against Homophobia
- 2011 – The name was updated to IDAHOT, standing for International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
- 2018 – The name was updated to IDAHOBIT, standing for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia.
Structural and systemic change is needed
At the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), education expert Associate Professor Annette Bromdal led the research and says the need to create structural and systemic change by enhancing the training, capacity, and capability of caring professionals and practitioners such as teachers, guidance officers, social workers, and psychologists working in schools to support prevention is overdue.
She’s pleased that a growing number of student-led initiatives that aim to raise awareness.
“Some local and regional examples of this playing out led by young people and school students is the Wear it Purple day event that is held annually in Toowoomba, Queensland which is a Council Youth Leader initiative and how seniors at the Flexi School in Toowoomba have also been organising and leading the Wear it Purple Day event.“
In addition, she says, “there are plenty of school and community initiatives that are there to raise awareness about LGBTQIA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy realities, challenges and lived experiences, including affirming stories”.
“Also, there are plenty of closed Facebook groups that are for LGBTQIA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities and allies to offer, knowledge, friendship, support and peer-support.
“For example, school-led initiatives are often supported and built up with the help school leaders, such as the LGBTQI+ Club at Seaview Hight School in South Australia. And most universities in Australia have an LGBTQIA+ community support group run by LGBTQIA+ persons and allies, such as that by Swinburne University and University of Queensland.”
Associate Professor Bromdal also points to Minus 18 and True Relationships & Reproductive Health that she says both offer students and teachers workshops to ensure their schools are LGBTQIA+ inclusive, supportive and affirming.
Challenges amplified in isolated communities
Data from the Writing Themselves in Four report shows young LGBTQIA+ people in regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas experienced added challenges – driven by social isolation and the lack of easily accessible support and resources.
- Almost three-fifths (57.0 per cent) of participants in rural/remote areas reported they had felt unsafe or uncomfortable in the past 12 months at their educational setting due to their sexuality or gender identity, followed by 52.7 per cent in regional cities or towns, 50.0 per cent in outer suburban areas, and 40.1 per cent in inner suburban areas.
- More participants in rural/remote areas reported experiencing high/very high psychological distress (87.5 per cent) than those in regional cities or towns (83.3 per cent), outer suburban areas (79.8 per cent), or inner suburban areas (73.2 per cent).
- More participants in rural/remote areas reported in the past 12 months experiencing verbal harassment based on their sexuality or gender identity (45.4 per cent) than those in regional cities or towns (41.0 per cent), outer suburban areas (40.4 per cent), or inner suburban areas (37.0 per cent).
- Almost two-thirds (65.1 per cent) of participants in rural/remote areas reported experiencing suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, followed by three-fifths (60.5 per cent) in regional cities or towns, 57.1 per cent in outer suburban areas, and 49.2 per cent in inner suburban areas.
- Participants in rural/remote areas reported the highest levels of suicide attempts in the past 12 months (14.0 per cent), almost twice that of those in inner suburban areas (7.1 per cent).
“Similarly, in our study published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, we explore depression and thoughts of self-harm or suicide among gender and sexuality diverse people in regional Queensland,” Associate Professor Bromdal told EducationDaily.
“Overall, 80.2 per cent of our GSD sample revealed high prevalence of depression (mild to severe). Across gender subgroups, trans and nonbinary people reported experiencing 95.0 per cent and 90.9 per cent depression, respectively, while 70.2 per cent of sexually diverse cisgender people reported experiencing depression.”
Protecting young people from self-harm
Reported experiences of thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the past two weeks across the sample was also relatively high at 41.per cent, while 35 per cent percent of trans people reported having self-harm or suicidal thoughts nearly every day – “which was 3.8 and 8.1 times, respectively, more than binary and cisgender participants”.
“Concerningly, nearly 29 per cent of pansexual people reported having self-harm or suicidal thoughts nearly every day,” says Associate Professor Bromdal.
She believes that, when it comes to community connectedness and pride, it’s important to highlight that being part of the gender and sexuality diverse community “can serve as both protective and risk factors and are not mutually exclusive”.
“These negative experiences put a heightened demand on coping mechanisms among those who experience repeated discrimination and division within and outside the gender and sexuality diverse community, with bisexual and pansexual people notably standing out in our data, who also often experience rejection and exclusion from within the GSD community – in turn contributing to heightened mental ill health risks and disparities,” Associate Professor Bromdal told EducationDaily.
Dedicated school groups support inclusivity
To help young people in RRR communities and schools, she recommends encouraging them to set up their own LGBTQIA+ peer-support groups that can meet as often as the young people want them to.
“For example, in Toowoomba, MOSAIC Pride has been set up by LGBTQIA+ people and allies for rainbow identifying folk and their allies,” Associate Professor Bromdal says.
“Minus 18, can also help with the setting up of these groups in schools when delivering training in regional, rural and remote Australian schools.“
To help protect and care for younger students at Australian schools, Associate Professor Bromdal says it’s imperative that universities that offer initial-teacher education degrees also offer courses that “provide teachers the knowledge, skills, competence and confidence regarding gender diversity, sexuality and intersex variations”.
“This needs to be something the universities invest in to do thoroughly, rather than on the surface,” she says.
“And there should be expectations through the AITSL standards (professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement) that pre- and in-service teachers know how to navigate the LGBTQIA+ space respectfully, inclusively and affirmingly – just like they need to do so concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander discourses.”
Tackling sexuality-based discrimination
Governments, says Associate Professor Bromdal, should commit to doing more in many areas – including taking steps to end gender- and sexuality-based discrimination.
“Despite the numerous LGBTQIA+ affirming approaches faith-based school settings implement in policy and practice in Australia, religious and faith-based bodies are nevertheless – under the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) – still permitted to discriminate against an individual’s gender and sexuality on the premise of religious ethos. This needs to change.”
Making a concerted effort to help teachers and leaders in educational settings feel safe to be their authentic selves without prejudice, bias, discrimination and harassment is another way schools can become safer, more inclusive environments, Associate Professor Bromdal told EducationDaily.
With further work urgently needed regarding prevention, health promotion, dedicated funding for specialised service provision, and awareness-raising for the school community and the broader community to promote affirming and inclusive values and practices, she says enhancing training, capacity and competence for those in caring, helping and health professions that serve youth in schools will help nurture an even greater sense of belonging for diverse student cohorts.
“As health practitioners working in schools, such as guidance officers, social workers, counsellors, nurses and psychologists, it is important that these matters are dealt at a whole schooling level – and that the schools have clear procedures and supporting mechanisms across school to support their students and staff who are gender and sexuality diverse and born with variations in sex characteristics (intersex).”
If you or anyone you know needs help:
- Lifeline (24-hour Crisis Line): 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
- Headspace: 1800 650 890
- ReachOut: au.reachout.com
