Show your support on Wear It Purple Day 2023 – and beyond

The last Friday of August, each year, is Wear It Purple Day – a day when LGBTIQA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual plus) youth and allies unite in record numbers to celebrate their identity.

And every year, thousands of schools, community organisations, universities, and workplaces also mark the occasion nationwide.¹

This year’s theme is: ‘Write Your Story’, acknowledging the importance of personal expression and individuality in the LGBTIQA+ youth community.¹

Mainstream community services can also help by creating more inclusive and supportive environments for the LGBTIQA+ youth community.²

To get you started we’ve worked with the experts at queerspace, to put together some tips to help alcohol and other drug (AOD) services create safe spaces for LGBTIQA+ young people.

Understanding the reasons why

Young people use alcohol and other drugs for a range of reasons. These reasons are individual to the young person, and may change depending on what’s going on for them.³

They might use alcohol and other drugs for enjoyment, out of curiosity, to fit in with friends, or to cope with physical/mental pain.^{3, 4}

Risk-taking is a normal developmental stage for young people. For some this can involve alcohol and other drugs. Others might find that alcohol and other drugs help them cope with difficult life circumstances relating to their background, identity, or trauma.^{5, 6}

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people tend to have higher rates of AOD use than their heterosexual (straight) peers. And transgender young people have higher rates of AOD use than cisgender peers (including those who are LGB).^7-9

While LGBTIQA+ young people will experiment with alcohol and other drugs for the same reasons as non-LGBTIQA+ youth, they may also be dealing with challenges related to their sexual and gender identity and orientation, such as:

• disapproval, mistreatment, and violence from family members who aren’t accepting of their identity
• bullying, harassment, and violence at school
• isolation and lack of support if there aren’t openly LGBTIQA+ role models in their school or community
• stigma and discrimination in a society where heterosexuality/cisnormativity is seen as the default.^{5, 8}

These issues can be intensified for young LGBTIQA+ people who experience discrimination based on other intersecting identities like their cultural background, being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and/or having a disability.⁹

For some young people, AOD can be used as a way to cope with these challenges.

Unfortunately, many LGBTIQA+ young people who experience AOD issues will have trouble accessing community support services.10 This is because:

• The importance of sexuality and gender can be overlooked in treatment programs and support services, resulting in poor messaging around harm reduction or further stigmatisation of identity.
• Not all services are safe or supportive places, and not all practitioners have a full understanding of the challenges that impact the LGBTIQA+ community.
• Many LGBTIQA+ young people avoid seeking help due to fear of discrimination, feeling like they have to educate a service, or having negative experiences in the past.¹⁰

The combination of these issues can seriously impact the health and safety of LGBTIQA+ young people. It can lead to lower harm reduction knowledge, or not knowing who to turn to when they need support.

Creating Safe Spaces

Education and training

There are excellent LGBTIQA+ specific organisations across Australia who offer education and training that help create safer spaces for LGBTIQA+ young people, including:

Guidelines:

• ACON
• Thorne Harbour Health
• Zoe Belle Gender Collective

Training:

• Minus18
• Queerspace
• Rainbow Health Australia
• Thorne Harbour Health

You can also find local and specific LGBTIQA+ organisations that offer resources and training through the LGBTIQ+ Health Australia Member Directory.

A friendlier LGBTIQA+ environment

There are strategies that the community health sector can take to meet the needs of LGBTIQA+ young people and make them feel safe.

Services can:

• provide resources and materials specifically for LGBTIQA+ people (e.g. referral list of LGBTIQA+ providers)
• display LGBTIQA+ symbols and images in the treatment area (e.g. rainbow flags and posters of LGBTIQA+ people)
• display LGBTIQA+ media, brochures, and reading materials in waiting areas and treatment rooms
• provide gender-neutral bathrooms
• display LGBTIQA+ symbols on your website, and build an inclusive social media presence
• create non-discrimination policies in the workplace that include sexual orientation and gender identity, with clear complaints and grievances processes
• recruit, retain, and actively support LGBTIQA+ staff and providers
• provide mandatory induction training and ongoing training to staff on culturally safe care for LGBTIQA+ young people (inclusive of all intersections within the LGBTIQA+ community)
• develop a paid community consultation process – such as starting an ongoing LGBTIQA+ working group – to better understand the needs of LGBTIQA+ identified clients
• update client-feedback processes to ensure questions about inclusivity are included.¹¹

The first impression

Someone’s opinion of a service begins the moment they walk in the door or pick up the phone and chat with a receptionist, clinician, or youth worker.

If a young person who identifies as LGBTIQA+ quickly feels that the service is accepting of who they are, they are more likely to be engaged, making it easier for staff to find the right support for them.²

Some young people might still be exploring their identity or feel hesitant to tell staff members. But services can help a young person navigate this by recognising the diverse sexualities and genders of all young people.⁸

For example, any service that involves a young person filling out a questionnaire could include optional, non-compulsory, questions around sexual orientation/gender identity.² For more information about inclusive data collection for LGBTIQA+  people, see this resource.

Face-to-face questions can also be asked in a way that avoids assumptions about sexuality or gender identity.²

If a young person does discuss their sexual orientation or gender identity, it can help to:

• confirm confidentiality and chat about it sensitively if the young person wants to
• provide the young person with helpful LGBTIQA+ resources and relevant support services.²

Pronouns

Transgender and diverse young people have a right to be addressed with the name and pronoun/s of their choice.

Asking a young person’s pronouns might feel awkward at first, but it quickly becomes something you can do automatically.

Best practice is to first introduce yourself with your own pronouns, for example: “Hi I’m Maya. I use she/her pronouns”.

You can also include your pronouns in your email signature, social media profile, or business cards.

If you use the wrong pronouns in a conversation, immediately recognise it, correct yourself, apologise, and move on in the conversation. Avoid drawn out apologies which can result in the other person comforting you.

It’s also helpful to understand if the young person has shared their pronouns in all areas of their life. Some people may only use certain pronouns in certain settings such as work and school.^{12, 13}

LGBTIQA+ Services for Young People

In some cases an LGBTIQA+ dedicated service might be available, and the young person might prefer this.

For example, Thorne Harbour Health (national) and Queerspace (Victoria) both run counselling and treatment services for the LGBTIQA+ community, including youth.

And there’s a new partnership between YSAS, Odyssey House and Drummond Street Services (Queerspace), which will also provide a range of LGBTQIA+ specific supports to both clients/services users and their families.

To find other services in your state or territory, call:

• National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline – 1800 250 015
• Qlife – 1800 184 527