Anne Mitchell

TranZnation - a report on the health and wellbeing of transgendered people in Australia and New Zealand

Studies investigating health and wellbeing of transgender people have typically been conducted in medical environments such as gender clinics and through sexual health centres. One of the primary concerns of transgender people is recognition of their gender status which is often difficult to achieve in ordinary medical practices. This research has its beginnings in an act of transgender activism, arising out of dissatisfaction with the capacity of the 2005 Private Lives project to capture the complexity of transgender lives. A central pivot in the concerns of the transgender communities about health services is that of recognition. Practices of medicine are implicated in many of the attempts by transgender people to achieve positive health and self- and social recognition for their preferred gender. Additionally, recognition on formal documentary records is, in many cases, dependent upon certified medical intervention.

Transgender people in Australia and New Zealand : health, well-being and access to health services.

This research had its beginnings in an act of trans activism, including a campaign by a number of trans organizations advocating the need for research dealing with health, well-being and access to health services in relation to this population. This study set out to recruit the broadest possible community sample by using a range of recruitment techniques and an online survey. In total, 253 respondents completed the survey. Of these, 229 were from Australia (90.5%) and 24 (9.5%) were from New Zealand. Respondents rated their health on a five-point scale; the majority of the sample rated their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. On the SF36 scale, respondents had poorer health ratings than the general population in Australia and New Zealand. Respondents reported rates of depression much higher than those found in the general Australian population, with assigned males being twice as likely to experience depression as assigned females. Respondents who had experienced greater discrimination were more likely to report being currently depressed. Respondents were asked about their best and worst experiences with a health practitioner or health service in relation to being trans. They contrasted encounters where they felt accepted and supported by their practitioners with others where they were met with hostility.

‘It was as useful as a chocolate kettle’: sex education in the lives of same‐sex‐attracted young people in Australia

Sex education is a contested site in the school curriculum as communities grapple with who should teach young people about sex and how it should be taught. In this paper we ask whether same‐sex‐attracted young people are being exposed to appropriate and relevant sex education at school, and if they are not whether it is necessary that sex education be inclusive of sexual difference. In the second Australian survey of 1749 same‐sex‐attracted youth of 14–21 years old, we ask young people about sex education classes at school, how useful they were for them, their sources of information regarding gay and lesbian relationships and safe sex, sexual behaviours and incidence of sexually transmissible infections and pregnancy. We find from the data that most of these young people found sex education to be useless because it was not inclusive. In comparison with normative studies, these young people were, on average, sexually active earlier, had higher rates of diagnosed sexually transmissible infections and at least as high an incidence of pregnancy. We conclude from the data that there is a need for sex education in schools to be inclusive of the sexuality of all students, not just those who are attracted to the opposite sex.

From blues to rainbows: the mental health and well-being of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia

This study of gender diverse and transgender young people reveals high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety. Introduction This report is the culmination of many months of engagement across Australia with young people aged between 14 and 25 who have shared their thoughts, understandings, experiences, hopes and dreams with us through an online survey and online interviews. Their narratives are insightful, touching, and hopeful. Young voices have told us how they care for themselves as well as shining a light on how health services, schools, government and policy makers can better serve their needs. This research was designed to expand on findings from previous Australian research with young people that found that gender-questioning and transgender young people not only experienced higher rates of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but were also more likely to be involved in activism than their cisgender and same-sex attracted peers. This later finding is a potentially positive one and points to the need for research to not only explore the mental health needs of these young people but also the ways in which they advocate and care for themselves in the face of discrimination and abuse.

Writing themselves in again: 6 years on

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The young people Writing Themselves In Again - 6 years on: the 2nd national report on the sexuality, health and well-being of same sex attracted young Australians is the follow up report to a similar study conducted in 1998. This earlier report documented the experiences of 750 young people at home, at school and in the community and revealed a number of negative experiences and concerning health outcomes for these young people. The dissemination of this research was at least partially responsible for a number of positive changes in support for same sex attracted young people (SSAY) in the following years. The purpose of repeating the survey in 2004 was to explore the extent to which these changes have made a difference. In all 1749 young people aged between 14 and 21 successfully completed the survey online, or in hard copy which they received on request by mail. This time there were more young men (n = 1106) than young women (n = 643) responding and we believe this was because of internet advertising which tapped more young men than young women. Nine transgender young people completed the survey. All states and territories were represented in proportion to their youth populations and 21% came from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD). Eighty percent of young people came from major cities, 15% from inner regional Australia and 5% from remote areas.

Sexuality education in Australian secondary schools 2010: results of the 1st national survey of Australian secondary teachers of sexuality education.

Executive summary The 1st National Survey of Secondary Teachers of Sexuality Education involved nearly 300 secondary school teachers from every jurisdiction in Australia including government, Catholic and independent schools. The key findings are arranged under the themes of teaching workforce, the content of sexuality education, barriers and support, teachers’ views and opinions and school policy requirements. Sexual Health Teachers According to this sample the vast majority of sexual health teachers in Australia are female Health and PE teachers aged 20 to 39. This indicates that sexuality education still is delegated to female teachers and therefore following the traditional context in which sexuality education was taught. Only a quarter of the teachers in this sample team-taught or engaged external organisations for delivering sexuality education. This means that most teachers in fact deliver sexuality education themselves without external support. However, sixteen per cent of the respondents had no training in teaching sexuality education and the majority of teachers in the sample relied on in-service training, which is often a one off session, of short duration and with a specific focus. Thus, this research supplies a strong argument for well designed pre-service teacher training which provides teachers with similar basic teaching skills and ensures that a consistent message will be delivered to students. Finally, one third of teachers in the sample did not assess their teaching against curriculum standards. This was either due to a lack of school support or a lack of knowledge that there were assessment criteria for this subject area.

Secondary students and sexual health 2008: results of the 4th national survey of Australian secondary students

Results of the 4th National Survey of Australian Secondary Students, HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health. The Fourth National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health involved nearly 3,000 Year 10 and Year 12 students from more than 100 secondary schools from the Government, Catholic and Independent school systems and from every jurisdiction in Australia. The key findings are arranged under the key themes of knowledge, behaviour and health. Knowledge HIV knowledge remains relatively high and comparable to the levels found in 2002. There has been a marked improvement in student sexually transmissible infection (STI) knowledge between 2002 and 2008 studies. Despite this, in some areas student STI knowledge remains relatively poor. Despite generally poor student knowledge of chlamydia, knowledge of this infection has nonetheless improved significantly since 2002. Hepatitis A, B and C knowledge remains relatively poor, but there has nonetheless been some improvement in student knowledge regarding hepatitis B and C. Human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge was measured for the first time in 2008 and student knowledge of this sexually transmissible infection was very poor. In most cases more than half the sample reported being unsure of correct answers to HPV knowledge questions. Cervical cancer knowledge was measured for the first time in the 2008 study and knowledge was generally poor. There were no gender differences in students HIV knowledge, however young women demonstrated better knowledge generally in terms of STIs, HPV, cervical cancer and hepatitis compared with young men.

Private lives 2: the second national survey on the health and wellbeing of GLBT Australians

Private Lives 2 (PL2) is a report on the second national survey of the health and wellbeing of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Australians. The first Private Lives (PL1) was released in 2006 and was, at that time, the largest survey of its kind conducted anywhere in the world. In 2011, 3,835 GLBT respondents successfully completed PL2. PL2 was an on-line survey publicised, nationally, through GLBT-community networks and media, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Hard copies of the survey were distributed to GLBT seniors organisations across the country. The questionnaire consisted, primarily, of forced-choice (quantitative) questions but included a small number of open-ended or qualitative questions. The project was supported by beyondblue with funds from The Movember Foundation, with additional funds provided by the Victorian Department of Health and a La Trobe University faculty grant. The project was managed jointly by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV) and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) La Trobe University.