17-05-2023
Today Upper Lachlan Shire Council celebrates International Day against Homophobia, Bi-phobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) and shows its support in rainbow colours.
Staff and Councillors will celebrate diversity with a rainbow afternoon tea and invitation to show your difference.
Councils CEO Alex Waldron said the day celebrates diversity, rejects discrimination and shows support to all LGBTQIA+ in our community.
“Yesterday I was shocked to hear that homophobia and bigotry were alive and well in 2023 with the rainbow story time at our neighbouring Council being cancelled due to threats,” she said.
“Upon further reading, I found the statistics [summary listed below] relating to depression, suicide and self-harm for LGPBQIA+ people, particularly young people, to be staggering and very sad.
“Upper Lachlan Shire Council stands for inclusivity and wants our community to know of our support. I extend an invitation to Betty Confetti and rainbow story time to visit the Upper Lachlan Shire and help us celebrate pride month this June.”
Mayor, Pam Kensit reiterated that discrimination against LGBTQIA+, or anyone for that matter should not be tolerated and said she was proud to celebrate our diverse community and all that the Upper Lachlan has to offer.
“So many lives, especially young lives, are impacted by intolerance in the community, she said.
“Hopefully our gesture today helps to offset some of the negativity and lets isolated members of our community know they are not alone.”
If you are feeling alone, depressed or in need of help, the following list of services might be helpful:
- Beyond Blue (depression support) – 1300 224 636
- Blue Knot (childhood trauma) – 1300 657 380
- Lifeline – 13 11 14
- NSW Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511
- QLife (specific LGBTQIA+ support) – 1800 184 527
- Rural Adversity Mental Health Team – 0417 131 301
- SANE Australia (addressing mild to moderate stress, anxiety & depression) – 1800 187 263
- Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
A fuller list of services, including emails and online chat services, can be found here.
Snapshot of mental health and suicide statistics for LGBTQIA+ people
The following statistics are based on THIS REPORT prepared by LGBTIQ+ Australia in collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2021.
DEPRESSION
Compared to the general population, LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to experience and be diagnosed with depression, specifically:
- LGBTI people are nearly six times more likely
- Transgender and gender diverse people aged 14 to 25 are over seven times more likely
- Transgender and gender diverse people aged 18 and over are five and a half times more likely
- People with an intersex variation are over twice as likely
SELF HARM
Compared to the general population, LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to have engaged in self-harm in their lifetime, specifically:
- LGBTQA+ young people are over four times as likely to engage in self-injury
- Transgender people aged 18 and over are six and a half times more likely
- People with an intersex variation aged 16 and over are over three times more likely
- LGBTQA+ young people who experience abuse and harassment are even more likely to have self-harmed .
SUICIDE ATTEMPTS
Compared to the general population, LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to attempt suicide, specifically:
- LGBTQA+ young people aged 16 to 17 were almost three times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past 12 months
- LGBTQA+ young people aged 16 to 17 were almost five times more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime
- LGBTI young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely
- Transgender people aged 14-25 are fifteen times more likely
- People with an intersex variation aged 16 and over are nearly six times more likely