Intersectionality

Conducted by La Trobe University, the Writing Themselves in report surveyed over 6,000 individuals aged 14 to 21 to understand the experiences of LGBTQIA+ young people in Australia. Its findings shed light on the experiences of disabled and multicultural LGBTQIA+ youth, underscoring the importance of addressing these disparities and creating more inclusive and supportive environments for all students.

Content warnings: Mentions of racist harassment and assault, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts.

Multicultural backgrounds (p.147-57)

Participants from multicultural backgrounds reported overall lower health and wellbeing outcomes compared to those from Anglo-Celtic backgrounds.

Disparities in Educational Settings

Over half (51.8%) of multicultural background participants felt unsafe or uncomfortable in educational settings in the past 12 months due to their sexuality or gender identity, compared to 46.5% of Anglo-Celtic participants.

Higher Rates of Harassment and Assault

In the past 12 months, participants from multicultural backgrounds experienced higher levels of verbal (41.6%), physical (10.5%), and sexual (23.2%) harassment or assault based on their sexuality or gender identity compared to Anglo-Celtic participants (verbal 38.7%, physical 7.7%, sexual 21.6%).

Disabilities and long-term health conditions  (p.158-66)

Participants with disability or a long-term health condition reported revels of psychological distress, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, self-harm, and verbal, physical, and sexual harassment or assault based on their sexuality or gender identity in the past year.

Disparities in Educational Settings 

Over half (56.7%) of participants with disability felt unsafe or uncomfortable in educational settings in the past year due to their sexuality or gender identity, while this was reported by 45.1% of those without disability.

Higher Rates of Harassment and Assault

Participants with disability or a long-term health condition reported higher levels of verbal (52.7%), physical (15.0%), and sexual (31.7%) harassment or assault based on their sexuality or gender identity in the past year compared to those without disability (verbal 34.7%, physical 7.5%, sexual 18.5%).

Participants with disability felt less supported by classmates (39.3%) regarding their sexual and gender identity compared to those without disability (45.1%).

Psychological Distress and Suicide-Related Challenges:

• Almost 70% of participants with disability experienced suicidal ideation in the past year, while this was reported by 47.9% of participants without disability.

• Participants with intellectual disability (74.5%) reported the highest levels of suicidal ideation, followed by those with physical/sensory disability (70.9%) and neurodiversity/autism (68.5%).

• Participants with disability reported over twice the rate of suicide attempts in the past year compared to those without disability (15.0% vs. 6.0%).