The+Price+of+Love

Jessica Cook 8855421 Tutor: Dr Mangalam Sankypellay

http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/mindout

Mental health has become an important issue with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community. As a result of this, the //National LGBTI Health Alliance// has undergone an initiative under the name of //MindOUT//. //MindOUT// is working to improve mental health and reduce the prevalence of suicide amongst this group. //MindOUT// is the first national project working towards this goal and has been funded by the Commonwealth Government. The campaign works alongside other LGBTI organisations and mainstream mental health organisations to use up-to-date information to become more responsive to the needs of LGBTI people and to the prevention of poor mental health and suicide rates.

__**PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE**__ Imagine for a moment what it would be like to be one of the almost half a million gay, lesbian and bisexual people in Australia (Smith,Rissel, Richters, Grulich, & de Visser, 2003). Imagine being a minority, being misunderstood, stereotyped, teased, judged, excluded or even scared to be yourself, all because of your sexual orientation. Imagine that impact on your mental health.

Although a majority of the LGBTI community live fulfilling and happy lives, this group has one of the highest rates of poor mental health in Australia, with 15.7% of gay, lesbian and bisexual Australians currently experiencing suicidal thoughts (Rosenstreich, 2011). According to a report published by the //National LGBTI Health Alliance// itself, homosexual Australians are twice as likely to experience anxiety disorders, over three times more likely to experience affective disorders and up to 14 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Rosenstreich, 2011). It is due to these high statistics that the //National LGBTI Health Alliance// is working so hard to reduce these figures, and fundamentally improve the lives of these Australians.

__**LITERATURE REVIEW**__

Every country, culture and society across the world contains minority groups. These groups are subject to discrimination, exclusion, unfair treatment and even violence. This is no different for the LGBTI community in Australia. Gay men and Lesbians experience cultural invisibility, are routinely told that their thoughts and feelings are disgusting or just a phase, have their consenting sexual relationships criminalised, are denied civil and legal rights in regards to recognition of their partners, and are subject to verbal and physical harassment and abuse (Flood & Hamilton, 2005). Homophobia is still a very real problem in Australia. Homophobia is defined as unreasonable fear or hatred of homosexuals and anti-homosexual beliefs and prejudices (Flood & Hamilton, 2005). Homophobia can vary from abuse to discrimination to a general attitude of intolerance towards homosexuals. A study done in 2005 by Roy Morgan Research showed that 35 per cent of the Australian population over the age of 14 feels that homosexuality is immoral (Flood & Hamilton, 2005). It also found that large city areas are generally less homophobic than country areas and that older Australians are considerably more homophobic than young adults. Homophobia is considerably higher among Australians who affiliate with Christianity; with the percentage of people believing homosexuality is immoral being as high as 67 per cent with the Baptist community. So due to these high rates of homophobia, LGBTI members continue to be faced with discrimination, social stigma, stereotyping, homophobic comments, rejection, abuse, hate crimes and unfair treatment in the legal system.

In Australia’s short history, there has been very little, if not no, rights or recognition for the LGBTI community. This group was marginalised to the point of invisibility and were constantly belittled and discriminated against (Willett, 1998). At the time of federation, Australia inherited the anti-homosexual laws of Britain, with punishments for anal intercourse varying from the death penalty to life imprisonment (there was no legal acknowledgement of homosexuality amongst females at this time). It wasn’t until 70 years later in South Australia (1972), that some homosexual acts were decriminalised, and not until late 1990 in Queensland that private, consented sexual activity was legalised between two men (Bull, Pinto, & Wilson, 1991). These laws were against discrimination of homosexuals and allowed equal opportunities for these men in the military and police force (Tin, 2008).

However the addition of these laws did not eliminate discrimination against gay men and lesbians in Australia. This is evident in courtroom procedures due to Homosexual Advance Defence. Homosexual Advance Defence allows a person accused of a crime to receive an acquittal or a lenient sentencing by alleging they acted in self-defence or provocation in response to a homosexual advance made towards them (Tin, 2008). This allows hate crimes against homosexuals such as murder to be acquitted and instead downgraded to manslaughter due to acting in self-defence from unwanted homosexual advances.

Because of the way in which crimes against homosexuals are downplayed, both in court and in the media, fear of harassment, abuse and hate crimes amongst the LGBTI community is a common occurrence. 85 per cent of homosexual people experience harassment or violence in their lifetimes, with one in four having been physically attacked due to their sexuality (Flood & Hamilton, 2005). This harassment and violence, and the fear of these incidents, have an especially large impact on gay and lesbian teenagers, leading 20-42 per cent of these teenagers to attempt suicide, and consequently scarring them for life (Rosenstreich, 2011).

Recently there has been a large amount of media coverage surrounding marriage inequality in Australia. Under the Commonwealth Marriage Act of 1961, legal marriage is between a man and a woman, also stating that same-sex marriages overseas are not recognised as legal marriages in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). In 2004, this Act has since been amended, but not abolished, by the Federal Marriage Amendment Act, which now recognises the existence of same-sex couples and allows them the same rights as unmarried heterosexual couples. This legislation means that the highest classification recognised for same-sex couples is de facto. Although, homophobia and anti-gay bias have been progressively decreasing over the last 30 years in Australia, this tolerance has not extended to attitudes in regards to same-sex marriage (Webb & Chonody, 2012). There are several factors at play and individual reasons that many Australians are against same-sex marriage, however the leading force against this change in legislation is religion. Religion, specifically Christianity in Australia, plays a significant role in shaping people’s attitudes towards same-sex marriage. In Western societies, the definition of marriage comes from the Bible, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman and condemns homosexual acts (Lewis, 2011). This provides a massive hurdle for marriage equality activists to overcome to reach their goal, and leaves the gay and lesbian community without equal rights as the rest of the population.

Discrimination, social exclusion and unfair treatment in the legal system all have detrimental effects on mental health in the LGBTI community. These things lead to a higher prevalence of frequent and harmful alcohol and drug use, homelessness and poverty and disengagement from education, which are all risk factors associated with poor mental health and suicidal thoughts.


 * __CULTURAL AND SOCIAL ANALYSIS__**

The mental health of the LGBTI community is greatly influenced by society and the ideologies of the people they surround themselves with. Many homosexual teens suffer crippling fears of judgement and rejection before ‘coming out’ to friends and family, resulting in many of these teenagers attempting suicide around the age of 16 (Rosenstreich, 2011).These fears come from the fact that we in Australia live in a heteronormative society.

Heteronormativity is a social theory that constructs social norms in regards to gender and sexuality. This theory sees gender as binary (man or woman) and heterosexuality as normal and the accepted sexuality (World Health Organization, 2013). Therefore setting up a hierarchy type system, where people who fit into this social norm have the ability to marginalise opposing lifestyles and classify them as abnormal (Gray, 2011). This theory’s construct of social norms contributes to the marginalisation, discrimination and isolation of LGBTI members, therefore contributing to the burden on their mental health. The media is extremely influential to not only the LGBTI community, but also the entire Australian population. With television programs and newspapers covering anti-gay protest and showing clips of people holding signs saying “GOD CREATED ADAM AND EVE, NOT ADAM AND STEVE” or “HOMOSEXUALS ARE POSSESSED BY DEMONS”, it is no wonder that Heteronormativity is a sustaining social theory in Australia. These messages reinforce and encourage the discrimination and exclusion of LGBTI members and encourage the concept of Otherness.

Otherness plays an important role in peoples’ attitudes and actions towards members of the LGBTI community. Otherness is a way of constructing majority and minority identities though the process of social and cultural norms (Reginster, 2012). It is though this method that people can differentiate themselves from one another and from other social or cultural groups. Although Otherness has many benefits in society, it also leads to exclusion and discrimination of those that are deemed as ‘Other’. This is evident for the LGBTI community, who are seen by many Australians as ‘different’ or ‘not like us’ and therefore socially disregarded, belittled and discriminated against (Flood & Hamilton, 2005).

However, Australian society is becoming more accepting towards the LGBTI community, and this could likely be due to positive opinions in the media. Pro-homosexual attitudes are becoming increasing evident in the media due to large amounts of support from celebrities and the entertainment industry. Openly gay celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris and Elton John are powerful ambassadors for gay rights and are role models for both heterosexual and homosexual people all over the world. Gay Rights campaigns in America such as NoH8, which is endorsed by celebrities such as Cher, Kim Kardashian, Josh Hutcherson and Larry King, provide a voice for homosexual people throughout the world and positively influence the opinions of many. Celebrity involvement and acceptance in the media is especially beneficial for gay and lesbian teenagers. This provides an extra support network for these teenagers who are either still discovering their sexuality, about to ‘come out’ or are dealing with discrimination, which therefore benefits their mental health (Brown, Brady, & Bayley, 2010).

__**ANALYSIS AN****D** **REFLECTION**__

Mental health is an extremely important issue for the Australian LGBTI group with homosexual people being 14 times more likely to attempt suicide than the rest of the population. With these shocking mental health statistics, it is important to remember it is not their sexuality or gender identity that is the cause, it is rather due to the discrimination and exclusion these members of society are faced with throughout their lives (Rosenstreich, 2011). From the research I’ve conducted, surrounding the lives of gay and lesbian Australians and their mental health, I personally believe that for these statistics to drop, society will have to continue to change in a way that LGBTI people are equally accepted, have equal rights and are able to live without fear of judgement, discrimination and violence. However in the meantime, I feel that targeting mental health and suicide among the LGBTI community through the //National LGBTI Health Alliance’//s //MindOUT// initiative, is a step in the right direction to reduce the prevalence of poor mental health and suicides amongst this community, and fundamentally improve their quality of life.

__**REFLECTION COMMENTS ON OTHER WIKIS**__

1. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/Gender+Inequality 2. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/Fries...and+an+artificial+beef+burger+please%21

__**REFE****RENC****E** **LIST**__

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Same-Sex Couples. Retrieved from Australian Social Trends: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features10July+2013

Brown, G., Brady, G., & Bayley, J. (2010). Teenagers Uncovered. Nursing Standard, 24-25.

Bull, M., Pinto, S., & Wilson, P. (1991). Homosexual Law Reform in Australia. Australian Insititute of Criminology: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice.

Flood, M., & Hamilton, C. (2005). Mapping Homophobia in Australia. Australian Institute Webpaper.

Gray, E. (2011). What is heteronormativity? Retrieved from GEA - Gender and Education Association: http://www.genderandeducation.com/issues/what-is-heteronormativity/

Lewis, B. (2011). The Movement for Same-Sex Marriage. Compass, 33-37.

Reginster, B. (2012). Three Views of Otherness. Pastoral Psychology, 437-449.

Rosenstreich, G. (2011). LGBTI People Mental Health & Suicide. Sydney: National LGBTI Health Alliance.

Smith, A., Rissel, C., Richters, J., Grulich, A., & de Visser, R. (2003). Sex in Australia: the rationale and methods of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 106-117.

Tin, L.-G. (2008). Dictionary of Homophobia : A Global History of Gay and Lesbian Experience. Vancouver: Arsenal Pubp Press.

Webb, S., & Chonody, J. (2012). Marriage Equality in Australia: The Influence of Attitudes towards Same-Sex Parenting. Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, 165-177.

Willett, G. (1998). In our lifetime: the gay and lesbian movement and australian society 1969-1978. Department of History, The University of Melbourne

World Health Organization. (2013). What do we mean by "sex" and "gender"? Retrieved from Gender, Women and Health: http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/