Issue 127

APRIL 2013
ISSN 1835-4637

Australian TRANSGENDER SUPPORT Association of Queensland. Inc.

ABN 13 319 522 768

07 3843 5024
atsaq.inc@gmail.com atsaq.com PO Box 212 New Farm QLD 4005

Analysis: Trans suicide and the way the media reports the trans community

Following the death of Lucy Meadows, Maeve Regan explores for PinkNews the impact of transphobic language in the media and the findings from the Trans Mental Health Study. Ive been driven to write this article by the widespread reporting on the death of Lucy Meadows, a primary school teacher in Lancashire. I should say that at this point, there is no confirmation that it was suicide, but there have been informal reports on social media, and some bloggers have felt confident in saying that it was. The reason that this particular death is receiving widespread coverage, is that Lucy was the target of a vicious article in the Daily Mail just three months ago, covered in detail by Zinnia Jones (no direct link to the DM). Jane Fae wrote about the links between Lucy Meadows story and press regulation, which is high on the media agenda right now. In related news, this week the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) responded to a selection of the 800 complaints they received about Julie Burchills transphobic rant in January. The PCC ruled that the decision to publish was not in breach of the Editors Code of Practice, predominantly because the article did not name an individual.

It is with those details in mind that I want to turn to the data. It is all too easy to read a report like the Trans Mental Health (TMH) study and forget that every data point is a person. The TMH study was the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Europe, with almost 900 respondents. As the researchers knew anecdotally that suicidal thoughts and experiences are a major issue for the trans community, there was a whole section dedicated to it in the survey. The key results are: 84% of respondents had thought about ending their lives at some point, a huge majority. Of those people: 63% had thought about attempting suicide in the past year 27% had thought about it in the past week 4% thought about it every day Of those who had thought about suicide: 48% had made an actual suicide attempt 33% had tried more than once 11% had tried in the past year

Factoring back in the people who responded that they had never considered suicide, the overall figures for the trans community are 35% of people have attempted suicide at least once, and 25% have attempted more than once. These figures compare with global estimates that approximately 5% of people attempt suicide at least once in their life, and 10-14% of the general population have suicidal thinking throughout their lifetime. When asked about how their suicidal ideation and attempts changed after transition, 63% of respondents said that they thought about or attempted suicide more before transition, and 3% thought about it or attempted more after transition. Some respondents, 7%, said that they thought about or attempted suicide more during the process of transition, which has clear implications for healthcare and support. Participants were asked some questions about whether anyone they knew personally had attempted suicide. 68% of respondents reported knowing someone who had attempted suicide due to being trans or having a trans history,
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ATSAQ UPDATE | ISSUE 127 | APRIL 2013 | PAGE 1

OBJECTIVES of ATSAQ
> To provide Queenslands transgender population with such support as our resources can permit. people. 07 3843 5024 8am-6pm weekdays. Write to us; PO box 212 NEW FARM Q 4005 Atsaq.inc@gmail.com atsaq.com PLEASE NOTE: ATSAQ is run from a private residence and is not an introduction agency. > To continue to address the problem of legal recognition and human rights for > To continue a program of public educa- transgender people in the state of tion aimed at changing the negative imag- Queensland. es which the community may have with Membership is available upon request. transgender people. Pick a form up at the luncheon or we can post one to you. Fees for membership are > To provide support for family and $30 pa single & $50 pa couple. friends of transgender people and help If you require one to one counselling or with understanding issues involved. would like to meet in a friendly, uncon> To provide information on medical and ventional atmosphere, please contact us health services available to transgender
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and 31% knew someone who had committed suicide. The TMH study also asked specifically about the media, and 51% of respondents reported that the way that trans people were represented in the media had a negative effect on their emotional wellbeing. 4% felt it had a positive impact, and 31% reported no impact. Clearly, suicidal thinking and attempts are dramatically higher for the trans community than for the population as whole. That we live in a society where such an at-risk group can be subjected to personal and generalised vilification in mainstream media should be a source of deep shame for us all. As David Allen Green so eloquently puts it; the tabloids treat trans people the way they would treat anyone, if they could get away with it. To bring us back to the start, remembering that these data refer to individual people, I will end with a selection of quotes from the survey participants: On suicide: We need to start helping trans teenagers. This would have helped me and probably prevented me from attempting suicide. If I had not undergone surgery when I did I would almost certainly have either been a suicide or at very least a long-term depressive and possible inmate in some mental hospital. On the media: Tabloid stories about trans people are often exploitative, invasive of privacy, inaccurate, irrelevant or intended to drum up transphobia in their readers, often successfully as revealed in the comments on stories. Reading these sometimes upsets and angers me because it shows how hostile many people are to trans people in current society.

The caricatured and stereotyped portrayal of trans issues is the same as racist and sexist jokes. It gives phobic people a means of expression towards other people who are specifically targeted by these jokes. Where are the transgender social heroes who have raised thousands of pounds for charity? It makes me angry. It also denies me my civic rights. I would never DARE to stand for election, either to the parish, borough or county council, much less to parliament as I would be sure to be outed and made to look stupid by the gutter press. The media consistently misgenders, refers to previous names, makes a trans persons body theirs, theorises why we do it without talking to us properly, makes assumptions about our genders and motivations. They use language that makes trans a third gender, stripping us of our identities. They use language that refers to us as abnormal and disrespects our bodies and our rights. At best its patronising, at worst its a hate crime. We are made out to be freak shows and I am scared that they may come after me or my friends next.

Disclaimer For writers wishing to be anonymous, a non-de-plume will suffice, providing a contact number is supplied. ATSAQ is committed to healthy debate and/or constructive criticism upon any subject, we reserve the right to omit material, which is offensive or inappropriate for publication Ideas and opinions in this publication are not necessarily those of ATSAQ or those of our advertisers. Articles appearing in THE UPDATE are written expressly for ATSAQ unless otherwise stated. All articles may be reprinted providing that the source and author is acknowledged.
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NEWS and EVENTS

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We are seen as having sex swaps and mutilating our genitals or we are sexual deviants, we are never just seen as us, the trans angle is always there for titillation. It is a constant reminder of how much most people despise me for what I am. My parents read into the news too much and think being trans is wrong, this affects their treatment of me. The ways trans people are portrayed in the media generally fosters negative views of trans people. It makes me feel unsafe because it normalises ridicule and violence towards trans people, portrays our identities as invalid, posits being cis as the natural, normal way to be etc. Researchers of the Trans Mental Health Study have launched an online fundraising page with aim of creating suicide prevention resources more details can be found here

lesbians and trans* people and to educate community members and active group organisers on strategies to establish and maintain a community group. The showcase will include a free barbeque and the program will be a combination of short presentations by representatives from a variety of community groups that are currently active and a series of small work-shops on community groups. The Lesbian Health Action Group are seeking registrations of interest from community groups who would be willing to give a 5 minute presentation on the who, what, where, how and when of your group. The presentations will be accompanied by 20 minute workshops on topics which will educate community members and group organisers on the benefits of participation and how to start up, market, and maintain a community group. The Lesbian Health Action Group would like to encourage organisers who have experience in running community groups to share their knowledge and run the workshops on topics that pertain to group organisers experience and interests. If you or someone from your groups has a particular interest in running a workshop you are encouraged to propose your idea as soon as possible to avoid crossover of topics. The Lesbian Health Action Group would also like to invite groups who are attending to consider organising a group event or meeting on the evening of the 25th of May to coincide with the showcase. For more information or to register your interest in a 5 minute presentation, a 20 minute workshop or if you would like to have a resource (eg. mailing list, newsletter, event flyer) at the showcase please contact Amelinda at QAHC by email: acope@qahc.org.au or call the office between 10am 3pm on (07) 3017 1777. Interested groups are encouraged to please RSVP by Monday the 22nd of April as the program will be planned around community interest and depends on community involvement. Kind Regards, Amelinda Cope
ATSAQ UPDATE | ISSUE 127 | APRIL 2013 | PAGE 3

27th APRIL 2013

11am
You are invited to come and enjoy the company, the conversations, and share knowledge or learn new things. Yes its the ATSAQ Luncheon ~ THAI CHICKEN VEGE & RICE Garden Salad Dessert Mystre Wine, tea & coffee Vegetarians also catered for please advise when booking ~ Lucky Door Prize Cost $15 ATSAQ Members $10 Contact ATSAQ 07 3843 5024 atsaq.inc@gmail.com by APRIL 24 20123 to reserve your place and for the Venue address ~All are Welcome~

http://www.scottishtrans.org/Uploads/ Resources/trans_mh_study.pdf

Lesbian and Trans* Community Groups Showcase

To whom it may concern, My name is Amelinda and I am currently in the process of planning a Lesbian and Trans* Community Groups Showcase event in Brisbane for the Lesbian Health Action Group. The event will be held on Saturday the 25th of May and run from 12:00am 4:30pm at the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities office and will be completely free to attend. The primary goal of the showcase is to increase the awareness of community run groups that are currently active in Brisbane that are run for or inclusive of lesbian and trans* people. Secondary goals for the showcase are to highlight the benefits of participating in group activities with other

(you do not have to be a member to attend)

Schools and Toilets A transgender girl, 9yo, has with her family's support transitioned and all her documentary evidence now state that she is now legally female for all intents and purposes. She is attending a QLD state school, one in which the school principal was supportive. From a quiet reclusive individual, who self harmed and whose scholastic records were below average she became alert, attentive and her grades improved. The school were accommodating, her family overjoyed, and the girl herself was starting to academically excel. Then came the day when ONE complaint was made to the principle about, ( we will call her Jane), utilising the female toilets. The principle, as he or she must, made it known to Education QLD who in their supposed wisdom instructed Jane, via the principle, to use the disabled toilet. Let us recap; Jane has all her approved legal documentation to state that she is legally to be regarded as a female. Jane is not disabled and she, quite rightly considers it insulting to be considered thus. Now this is where the whole bureaucratic system will leave the average person in absolute bewilderment. On behalf of her parents, ATSAQ contacted QLD Education to try to resolve this ONE isolated complaint. We were informed that we could appeal this decision of disabled toilets to the Assistant Regional Director and if none favourable outcome was achieved we could appeal to the Regional Director for

South-East QLD. Again if we lost that appeal thence we have the privilege to appeal to the Director personally. So from the school principle up too the Director there are 4 levels of appeal ATSAQ was assured but wait there is more if the Director finds the appeal against Jane, disabled toilets remember, then we were informed all is not lost, we can utilise the services of the Ombudsman.

Australian TRANSGENDER SUPPORT Association of Queensland. Inc. ABN 15 319 522 768 PO Box 212 NEW FARM Q 4005 trans.atsa@bigpond.com atsaq.com 07 3843 5024 8am-6pm weekdays ATSAQ is run from a private residence PRESIDENT: Gina Mather

To Pee or not to Pee, That is the Question!

Google transgender poster toilets

FIVE levels of appeal just to have a pee. Knowing, as I do know, the public service by the time Jane or ATSAQ has exhausted these levels of appeal she my well be in high school or dead. Answer me this and make an old fart happy. When a family are home with brothers and sister do they have a problem with the toilet? If they have a birthday party and invite their classmates over the question if using the bathroom is a non issue so what am I missing here! I informed QLD Education that they had inadvertently omitted another form of appeal and that was the QLD AntiDiscrimination Commission one in which Jane could eliminate the trauma of going through a bloated bureaucratic bulldust.

SECRETARY: Kristine Johnson ADMINISTRATION & SUPPORT: Roz Ferguson Gail Fleming J.P. (Qual) SPECIAL THANKS: Aunty Pat & Sally Geraghty many, many things Linda Lovell Volunteering Linda L & Aunty Pat Fund Raisers : The SPORTSMAN HOTEL Alternate Fridays

ATSAQ UPDATE | ISSUE 127 | APRIL 2013 | PAGE 4