Gender Diversity

Describe your chosen topic

Gender discrimination harms social and emotional wellbeing among individuals. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are unable to express their gender or sexual identity which leads to health-related concerns. In such indigenous communities, people feel pressure to reveal their sexual or gender identity easily and comfortably that can be problematic for trans and non-gender-conforming young people. This can increase health risks among individuals which do not indicate inherent vulnerability but rather are outcomes of discrimination, racism, marginalization, homophobia and transphobia (Unik et al.,2020).

How does your chosen topic affects individual’s health?

Within Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQ+ individuals experience poor physical health and social-emotional wellbeing. There are increased cases of heightened suicidality, homelessness, serious assault and psychological distress among such people as compared with their heterosexual, cisgender peers. Emerging literature had acknowledged the health concerns and risks associated with being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQ+ or young. The Increase risk of psychopathology, physical injury and emotional dysregulation is more significant among young individuals. Such individuals often fail to avail available health services due to the fear of confidentiality (Unik et al.,2020).

Describe how your chosen topic affects the health of the Community

According to research, the primary health concerns are substance misuse, suicidality, and homelessness. It also suggests that some people tend to relocate their country due to such health concerns that arose from sexual discrimination, in search of more accepting communities and to access gender-affirming care. However, this relocation can create a feeling of dislocation among the community which further exacerbates their illness (Unik et al.,2020)

Use current statistics or publications (less than 5 years old) to illustrate the burden of this topic / issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples compared with non- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

Discrimination and racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are a reality in Australia, aggravated by collective experiences and memories of colonial oppression, dispossession, and intergenerational trauma. According to the 2014–2015 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 33% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 15 and over said they had been treated unfairly because of their indigenous ancestors in the previous 12 months. (Kairuz et al.,2020)

Furthermore, in 2011, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had a total disease burden (disability-adjusted life years or DALYs) that was 2.3 times that of other Australian populations, and they are nearly three times more likely to be physiologically challenged. (Kairuz et al.,2020)

Describe how the history of colonisation has impacted on the development of this topic / issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Through heteropatriarchal settler colonialism, Aboriginal Torres State Islander genders and sexualities have been violently dispossessed and forcibly assimilated into European gender, sex, and sexual orders. Critical literary contributions have rooted the experiences of Indigenous women and LGBTIQ+-identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. (Farrell & Andrew.,2021)

The first national lesbian and gay activism and emergent transgender activism has social moments for the past fifty years. Indigenous LGBTIQ + histories have been evolved from the peoples who had been persistently vocal, politically active and visible making histories of flexible solidarity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gay and lesbian issues started to gain their recognition through the activism of gay and lesbian around the late 1970s and onwards. There was the evolvement of race, feminist and antiwar social moments in the late 1970s followed by the significant establishment of rallies and demonstrations. These movements highlighted the discrimination and violation encountered by the lesbian and gay community. They also highlighted the issues related to the criminalization of homosexuality which was considered to be a criminal offence until 1984. The first aboriginal marching group was introduced in 1980, the Captain Cook float made a real statement about aboriginal people putting into the gay community in a strong position  .LGBTIQ+ aboriginal and Torres strait islander started their participation in Mardi Gras by the 1990s. During this time they had faced political issues while simultaneously injecting the parade with racial and cultural pride. It took roughly a decade for the parade to host an indigenous float. Over twenty years later the parade was finally led by Aboriginal float entry as a welcome to the country (Carlson et al.,2021)

Discuss the cultural implications and obstacles to addressing this topic / issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people's experiences and lives, like those of Australia's Indigenous and migrant populations, have been deliberately omitted from schools and classrooms across the country. Since colonization, white male heterosexual Australians' perspectives and experiences have been prioritized in federal and state education policies and practices. Discriminatory attitudes and behaviours against race, gender, and sexuality persist in all schools, at all levels, and in all types of schools (Ward & Roz .,2017)

Some use terminology like "sis," "brother," or "sistergirl," which can lead to misgendering. While we recognise that these terms have cultural significance for Indigenous peoples, they can be problematic for trans and non-gender-conforming young people. As a result, there is potential to design a culturally sensitive technique to avoid using these gendered phrases until a young person's pronouns are established (Ward & Roz .,2017).

The indigenous population face major obstacles due to the presence of gender diversity such as long term unemployment, difficulty in accessing health care and seeing a doctor, high level of smoking and substance abuse affecting their health. They are facing access to and level of education which ultimately has an effect on their employment, income level and awareness of health issues among the sexually diverse Aboriginal community. Over the last 20 years, Indigenous transgender Australians face issues relating to HIV/AIDS, identity, alcohol and substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and community engagement, in addition to issues related to economic instability, social exclusion, illness, and abuse (Kery & Stephen., 2014).

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