SAISACT

Stand with your LGBTIQ mates

On May 17 people all over Australia will stand against discrimination in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) mates, colleagues and families.

Go rainbow on IDAHOBIT and use the day to publicly stand with the LGBTIQ community. It’s the perfect opportunity for your school or workplace to start small changes that can make a big difference.

Australian LGBTIQ Mental Health Statistics 2019

The majority of LGBTIQ people lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives.

Discrimination adds an additional layer of risk on top of biological, social, environmental and psychological factors.

However, studies have found that LGBTIQ people face up to twice as much abuse and violence as their heterosexual counterparts.

This can lead to depression, anxiety and suicide.

  • 75% of LGBTIQ youth have experienced discrimination
  • 25% of LGBTIQ people have experienced depression
  • 61% of LGBTIQ youth have experienced verbal abuse
  • 36% of trans Australians experience depression
  • 19% of LGBTIQ youth have experienced physical bullying

and in comparison

  • 7% of the general population experience depression

Be kind to each other because these are the facts!

RECOGNISING DISCRIMINATION

Transphobia
Describes negative feelings or actions towards someone who's trans or gender diverse. You may have heard transphobic language like ‘tr*nny’, or seen restrictions on the way that people are allowed to express their gender. Things like which uniform you’re allowed to wear or toilets you can use. Transphobia can also include abusive threats or actual physical violence, sexual harassment and deliberately excluding someone because of their gender.

Homophobia
Verbal homophobia is the most common form. Things like name-calling, rumours and abusive words ('fag’ or ‘dyke’). Phrases like “that’s so gay” which compare sexuality to words like ‘crap’ can have a negative impact.

Homophobia also includes abusive threats or actual physical violence, sexual harassment and deliberately excluding someone because of their sexuality.

Biphobia
Biphobia is abuse towards someone who is attracted to more than one gender and even includes when that person's identity is erased. This can be in the form of telling someone that their sexuality is "just a phase", or even telling them to "pick a side."

Intersexism
Intersex discrimination happens when a person is treated less favourably than another person in a similar situation because that person has physical, hormonal or genetic features that are neither wholly female nor wholly male; a combination of female and male; or neither female nor male. This can include exclusion or mistreatment in medical services.

THE IMPACT

Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia can occur online, face to face and affect everyone by creating spaces where people feel unsafe and like they can't be themselves. Sexuality and gender identity or intersex status aren't always visible, so creating a culture where everyone feels safe, even if there aren't any visible LGBTI people is even more important.

Visit: idahobit.org.au