The debate leading up to the historic and majority “yes” vote in support of same-sex marriage in Australia took a toll on teenagers and young people, reports clinical leader at headspace Dubbo Ann-Maree Hartley.
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The registered psychologist and suicidologist has revealed that young members of the LGBTIQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Questioning and Asexual) community were stressed during the three months of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.
After the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced on Wednesday morning that 61.6 per cent of eligible survey participants marked the “yes” box on their survey forms, Ms Hartley told of a 20 per cent jump in national “help-seeking” rates.
But Ms Hartley said the survey outcome sent a strong message of love and acceptance.
About 19 per cent of the young people accessing support at headspace Dubbo identify as LGBTIQA .
“The same-sex marriage vote has been a stressful time for the LGBTIQA community,” Ms Hartley said.
“The LGBTIQA group, which typically has higher rates of social exclusion as it is, has also had the public vocally announcing opinions on their relationships and debating whether their sexual identity is worthy of equality.
“Prior to the same-sex marriage vote, LGBTIQA people had the poorest mental health rates of any group and up to six-times higher rates for suicidal ideation than the general population.
“With the introduction of the vote in August, even more LGBTIQA people have come forward seeking help for experiences of stress and anxiety. Nationally, it has been stated that the help-seeking rates are up around 20 per cent. The vote has seen the whole spectrum of opinion articulated in the public forum, from love and support to homophobic comments and threats. This has impacted the LGBTIQA community members as well as their straight allies.”
But Ms Hartley said the survey outcome had positive implications for “our LGBTIQA people”. “The message is that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” she said. “There may be people within your life who do not understand, however there is the majority of the Australian population who support you and will advocate for you.”
More than 12.7 million people took part in the survey with 61.6 per cent voting “yes” and 38.4 per cent voting “no”.
