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Writing Themselves in 3: The Third National Study on the Sexual Health and Wellbeing of Same Sex Attracted and Gender Questioning Young People
Abstract and Figures
This is the third of the Writing Themselves In national reports which have been conducted six years apart since 1998. In 2010, a total of 3134 same sex attracted and gender questioning (SSAGQ) young people participated in Writing Themselves In 3 (WTi3), almost double the number in 2004 and more than four times that of 1998. The participants, who were aged between 14 and 21 years, came from all states and territories of Australia, from remote (2%), rural (18%) and urban (67%) areas and from a range of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. There were more young women (57%) than young men (41%) and a smaller group (3%) who were gender questioning (GQ). Findings cover statistics and qualitative information on health, mental health and wellbeing, education and social measures.
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... Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and 2-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) youth and young adults are more likely to experience mental health problems, suicidality, and substance use problems in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts [1]. Global studies have shown that discrimination, stigma, and minority stress contribute towards this heightened risk [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Shared experiences such as social exclusion, violence, and peer bullying were found across a wide berth of studies on this population [2][3][4][5][6][7]. ...
... Global studies have shown that discrimination, stigma, and minority stress contribute towards this heightened risk [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Shared experiences such as social exclusion, violence, and peer bullying were found across a wide berth of studies on this population [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Cisnormative and heteronormative biases of mental health (MH) care institutions are known to create barriers for LGBTQ2S+ youth who attempt to access these services [8]. ...
... Qualitative studies addressing LGBTQ2S+ MH service seekers have revealed that availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of MH services were common issues that LGBTQ2S+ service users face when seeking healthcare, and that these issues cause LGBTQ2S+ individuals to delay or avoid seeking care [8]. The barriers described by young people in our study also align with existing research demonstrating that LGBTQ2S+ youth experience discrimination not only within healthcare but within their broader communities as well, and that this discrimination results in higher rates of mental health concerns and barriers to access [2][3][4][5][6][7]. ...
This study explores the experiences of LGBTQ2S+ youth while accessing mental health and substance use care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a series of facilitated virtual meetings, 33 LGBTQ2S+ youth from across Ontario participated in collaborative activities to identify barriers they have experienced when accessing mental health services, as well as potential solutions to these barriers. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that LGBTQ2S+ youth disproportionately experience bias, discrimination, and heteronormative assumptions when accessing mental health services, resulting in negative care experiences. Youth also reported insufficient availability of quality care, little continuity in care, and a lack of educated providers capable of effectively addressing the needs of the community. Potential solutions proposed by youth include training resources for providers, LGBTQ2S+ specific care centers, better continuity of care, and assessments to ensure care providers are culturally competent. These results show the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the disparities LGBTQ2S+ youth experience when accessing mental health services and highlight the urgent need to implement policies and programs that will advance the standards of care for LGBTQ2S+ youth.
... As LGB youth become aware of and reveal their "difference" from their heterosexual peers, they are at an increased risk of being bullied and rejected in school and the broader community (Perales & Campbell, 2020;Robinson et al., 2014). Parents can play a pivotal role in buffering their adolescent child from the negative impacts of these hostile environments (Hillier et al., 2010). By communicating unconditional love and acceptance, parents can challenge heterosexist and homophobic beliefs and help prevent adolescents from internalising them (Carastathis et al., 2017). ...
... LGB youth, given their emotional and material dependence on their parents coupled with the possibility of rejection (Hillier et al., 2010). Some LGB youth will distance themselves from their parents prior to coming out as they grapple with these anxieties. ...
... Regardless of whether their fears are eventually realised, these young people miss out on the benefits of a close and supportive relationship with their parents at a critical stage of their development. On a positive note, Australian evidence indicates that the proportion of LGB youth disclosing their sexual orientation to and receiving support from their parents has been increasing over the past two decades (Hillier et al., 2010). However, this same evidence shows that a substantial minority still do not feel able to come out to their parents, or experience rejection when they do. ...
In this chapter we use rich longitudinal data to examine the typical growth of vocabulary in children as they age from 4 years onwards. Vocabulary is a robust indicator of language development and of early cognitive growth. The data demonstrate the surprising variability among children of similar ages in their early cognitive growth. This variability leads to difficulties in predicting early vulnerability and in subsequently selecting children for targeted interventions. By examining the developmental circumstances that accelerate or retard changes in the growth of this aspect of language development we assess the implications of the findings for the subsequent population reach and actual participation of children in programs designed to reach those who are variously vulnerable.
... 33 Overall, a non-inclusive approach may increase individuals' risk for negative SRHR-related outcomes such as STIs and unwanted pregnancies as well as experiences of stigma and discrimination. 1,[33][34][35] Intersections Intersectionality as a method and theory highlights how people belonging to different social groups may have multiple vulnerabilities or privileges. 36,37 Intersectionality seeks to critically examine equity in social life by exploring the effects of power structures based on, for example, gender, class, race, and sexual identity, as they are intertwined and produce health disparities. ...
... It implies young people are in control of their experience engaging with the initiative, and that they have agency in managing and maintaining data, affording them a level of confidentiality and control, whereby they can decide to take actions requested of them (i.e. to login) based on this feeling and sense of safety. The importance of this cannot be understated, particularly for those experiencing and at risk of stigma and discrimination (Hillier et al., 2010;Robinson et al., 2014) due to the real (and perceived) fear of the repercussions that could come from their participation in these spaces. As one female staff member commented, " [F]or the users they need knowledge…They need information and they need it to be confidential." ...
This chapter examines the design of (trans)national digital wellbeing technologies for LGBT+ young people. In this chapter I focus on the design and development of one regional (trans)national digital wellbeing initiative for LGBT+ young people in Southeast Asia. The chapter interrogates the imagined (im)possibilities of the intervention, as well as the imagined potential queer users who might come into contact with this initiative. The chapter explores the complex design logics that contribute to constructing this online space, and how it responds to the key imagined local concerns facing queer youth. I show how ‘affective design’ (Ash in Theor Cult Soc 29:3–26, 2012) approaches are employed to create the feeling of safe(r) space/s to contribute to enhancing key capabilities (subcultural capital and social connection/belonging). That is, affect is deployed in design, alongside security protocols, to have an impact on the imagined health and wellbeing of the (potential) users from across Southeast Asia, and in turn to create the conditions for engagements in civic life and advocacy. I conclude by considering how safe design becomes embedded and entangled throughout design processes, and in so doing becomes a critical part of the design logics for a wellbeing initiative that is imagined to move across transnational and national spaces.
... a key protective factor for the mental and physical health of young people affirming their gender (Smith et al., 2014), or that the time of affirmation is a high-risk time for suicide and self-harm (Hillier et al., 2010). As Nichols (2018) has noted regarding access to accurate information, "While many gender variant people already have acquired information through the internet, younger clients, and especially their families, often need a great deal of psychoeducation" (p. ...
Counsellors and family therapists unfamiliar with working with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people may be hesitant to undertake this work. A lack of familiarity is not a reason to avoid the work. There is a clear need for professionals to be open to supporting people with TGD lived experience and their families, who are increasingly turning to healthcare services for help. This paper outlines an approach adopted by an organisation not well practised in working with TGD people, in response to increased calls for support. The Bouverie Centre, in Victoria, Australia, paired a researcher (who works in other contexts with TGD people and their families) and a clinical family therapist (not well practised in working with TGD people) to synthesise their skills and knowledge to fill the service gap. This paper offers reflections and (un)learnings from these 45+ year old, cisgender workers who were new to clinical work with people with TGD lived experience and their families.
... In a study about acceptance of diversity among students in Berlin, Klocke (2012) demonstrated that rigid gender stereotypes and norms and the denial of acceptance of those who deviate from the norms lead to anti-trans attitudes. As Hillier et al. (2010) have further shown with Australian students, anti-trans attitudes may negatively affect health, drug consumption, suicide rates and school performance among students who identify as transgender. ...
... Despite the LGBTQ topic and its discrimination being more and more covered in media, around 20% of the students reported to have obtained information on gay and lesbian safe sex at school, according to Hillier et al. (2005), indicating a need for educational work on the topic. Discrimination against LGBTQ people still occurs in Europe today. ...
Homophobic stigmas and the discrimination of homosexual people are still worrying in today’s society. The current study seeks to investigate kindergarten children’s attitudes towards homosexuality and how they are influenced by their peer-groups and authorities. It does so by means of a puppet theatre presentation including ‘Kasperl’ and ‘Seppel’ puppets as the main protagonists in a German puppet theatre. The audience consisted of six German kindergarten children aged 4–6 years, randomly selected by the kindergarten director. A participant observation has been conducted with the first researcher as the presenter of the puppet show. The results of the recorded puppet theatre showed that several intragroup processes including the social identity theory with regard to group membership could be observed within the puppet theatre. Groups have been formed and children of the same ingroup showed equal attitudes towards homosexuality. However, the researcher’s influence as an authority figure could have as well impacted their attitudes through positive reinforcement. The present study contributed to the gap in research regarding kindergarten children’s attitudes towards homosexuality. To have a better overview of the results, future studies should include additional variables like kindergarten’s cultural and geographical differences.
... • Study 1 -An online 2010 national survey of 3,134 Australian GLBTIQ students aged 14-21 years with a mean age of 17. The survey had over 50 items, including sections on school policies and experiences (outlined in Hillier et al., 2010;Jones & Hillier, 2012). • Study 2 -An online 2012 national study of 273 Australian transgender female-to-male people aged 16-64 years, with a mean age of 30.5. ...
This paper considers the different experiences for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) students from rural and urban education contexts. It draws on data from three studies of GLBTIQ students I have conducted since 2010, including a 2010 online survey of 3,134 GLBTIQ students in which one fifth came from rural areas; a 2012 study of transgender people and a 2013 study of transgender and intersex students. The different studies repeatedly showed that GLBTIQ students from rural and remote towns experienced isolation, social discrimination and a lack of appropriate services and support. They were less likely to feel safe at school, at social occasions and on the internet than their urban peers. Many aspired to leave their rural and regional homes to become the person they wanted to be in an urban environment. The paper concludes by recommending specific training, resources and contacts to improve rural education services for these students.
This chapter begins with a historical account of the emergence of digital technologies in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand), and the critical role they are playing for sexuality and gender diverse young people. As transnational digital technologies are employed by health services and used by young people to make sense of their experiences and ongoing stigma and discrimination, this book interrogates the design of these digital wellbeing technologies. The chapter surveys the existing literature, examining how emerging technologies are used by sexuality and gender diverse young people, and their experiences with them. The chapter outlines the focus of the book, which aims to extend literature on transnational digital practices, and better understand the development, design and construction of ‘transnational digital wellbeing initiatives’ in LGBT+ lives. The chapter also introduces the framework underpinning this study—the capability approach, and how it provides a tool to make sense of wellbeing and, when used in conversation with social theories, provides a critical framework for making sense of the (im)possibilities of technological design.
In this book, Fitzpatrick and May make the case for a reimagined approach to critical ethnography in, of, and for education. Working with an expansive notion of critical, they make a compelling argument that many of the social, and political issues currently facing education can be explored via a methodology that is personal, embodied, located, and lived, as well as unapologetically concentrated on relations of power. Drawing on a wide range of educational studies, they argue that many of these can be described as critically ethnographic because they are concerned with power relations, employ critical social theories, and employ ethnographic methods. They show that, while neo-Marxist accounts of schooling have an important place historically in the critical ethnographic tradition, critical ethnography has moved and engaged with ongoing theoretical developments, including poststructuralisms, postcolonialisms, and posthumanism.
This book thus re-positions critical ethnography as an expansive, eclectic, and inclusive methodology, and one that has a great deal to offer educational inquiries in the current moment. The book offers theoretical and methodological arguments, canvasses the key tenets of critical ethnography, and provides insight into ethics and positionality, as well as focusing in-depth on critical ethnographic research that illuminates language, in/equity, in/justice, race/ism, language, gender and sexuality in educational settings. It is essential reading for students, scholars, and researchers in educational research methods, sociology of education, philosophy of education, urban education, gender and sexuality, and language education.
It has been endorsed in review by Patti Lather as: “inclusive and inviting to read” and by Michelle Fine as “a sensual invitation to critical ethnography where theory is sutured to methodology; where interrogation of power is the project; an antidote to neoliberal sped up research, and a seductive call to slow - deep - critical inquiry, rooted in relationships, stitched in theory and designed to reveal and provoke the radical imagination for what else is possible."
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have multiple developmental trajectories that consist of a number of milestones, the order and timing of which vary across individuals. After considering the deceptively simple constructs of who is gay and how many nonheterosexual youth exist, we review what is known about early feelings of being different from peers, the onset of same-sex attraction, sexual questioning, first sexual experience, recognition and self-labeling, disclosure to others, first romantic relationship, and self-acceptance.
This chapter examines the role of the Internet in the sexual identity development process of gay and bisexual male adolescents. These adolescents reported using a range of Internet applications (Web sites, discussion boards, IM, email, etc.) that provided them with varying degrees of anonymity and connection to others. A youth's comfort with and acceptance of his sexual identity often influenced both his use of the various Internet modalities and the degree to which he revealed personal information during these interactions. The participants' narratives revealed that their use of the Internet and its applications could be categorized into four increasing levels of connection with other people: (1) anonymous exploration, (2) casual posting, (3) online conversations, and (4) offline meetings.
Michelle Fine argues that the anti-sex rhetoric surrounding sex education and school-based health clinics does little to enhance the development of sexual responsibility and subjectivity in adolescents. Despite substantial evidence on the success of both school-based health clinics and access to sexuality information, the majority of public schools do not sanction or provide such information. As a result, female students, particularly low-income ones, suffer most from the inadequacies of present sex education policies. Current practices and language lead to increased experiences of victimization, teenage pregnancy, and increased dropout rates, and consequently, ". . . combine to exacerbate the vulnerability of young women whom schools, and the critics of sex education and school-based health clinics, claim to protect." The author combines a thorough review of the literature with her research in public schools to make a compelling argument for "sexuality education" that fosters not only the full developmen...
Popular culture writers have proposed a developmental sequence of stages that parents face upon first learning of their child's homosexuality. Empirical investigations of these purported "mourning and loss" stages are few and generally cast doubt on the inevitability and normative sequencing of parental reactions. We present this empirical evidence, suggest a research agenda, and discuss the implications of the research findings for mental health caregivers and practitioners.
