Tasmanian Parliamentary Friends of LGBTIQA+ Communities

Depression by John Hain - Pixabay - Many thanks

Rainbow Communities Tasmania Inc. (RCT Inc.) congratulates cross-party and independent members of the Tasmanian Parliament in their launch of the Tasmanian Parliamentary Friends of the LGBTIQA+ Communities. 

However, RCT Inc.  stresses the importance of wide consultation on the concerned issues with the breadth of disadvantaged and diverse sections of these disparate communities.

We were concerned that, prior to the launch, there was no consultation with many independent groups including RCT Inc., which specialises in some important areas that are not on the Agenda of the Parliamentary Friends.

• RCT Inc. has done considerable work on suicide in Tasmania, especially in the churches' school systems. Archbishop Porteous enforced a code of instruction that insisted, to the concern of students and teachers, that gap people were “immoral, unnatural and decadent”.

• RCT Inc. uniquely supported Trish Hindmarsh, ex-CEO of Catholic Schools, recent launch of her challenge to Catholic leaders - ‘The Rainbow of God’s Creation’, requesting that Dr Burton ask the Parliamentary Friends to include it on the agenda of their recent meeting.  To our deep concern and anguish, this was refused.  The recent research and publication of Latrobe University’s "LGBTQA+ Mental Health and Suicidality Tasmania Briefing Paper" in state-by-state comparison, indicates the serious high rates of Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ suicide and ideation.

• Lifetime suicidal ideation was prevalent for 79.0% of LGBTQA+ adults and 88.8% of LGBTQA+ young people, with 48.1% of adults and 63.1% of young people reporting recent suicidal ideation.

• 36.7% of LGBTQA+ adults and 32.7% of LGBTQA+ young people have attempted suicide at least once in their lifetime, and 8.2% of adults and 11.6% of young people have reported a recent suicide attempt.

• LGBTQA+ adolescents and young people in Tasmania had similar mental health concerns as their counterparts in all other states and territories of Australia. In contrast to LGBTQA+ adults however, young LGBTQA+ people from Tasmania were more likely to have experienced suicidal ideation or self-harm in their lifetimes compared with LGBTQA+ young people from other jurisdictions.

• A large proportion of LGBTQA+ young people (73.7%) had self-harmed at some point in their lives.

• Poorer mental health or social well-being indicators were noted among trans and gender diverse individuals, those from multicultural backgrounds, and individuals with a disability.

• Asylum seekers in Australia are finding refuge from the 76 Countries who execute, imprison, persecute and torture their own LGBTIQA+ people. Expatriate diasporas in Australia continue this persecution in Australia/Tasmania. RCT Inc.  has a management plan to support and advocate against this persecution.

RCT Inc. is most disturbed and distressed that these indicators of such a serious problem have been put to one side by the Tasmanian Parliamentary Friends, with no opportunity to include this as an urgent agenda item or to discuss the work that we are doing within our communities, let alone the distress in Tasmanian families where their gay family members have suicided.