I grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs during the 80s, a knockabout kid who was always a bit worried and generally a bit of a worry. My worry – to the point of fear – was that I could not see myself, let alone express myself, in a way that I knew to be real, and that in any sense – at that time – was acceptable.
The Catholic schools, particularly the all-girls high school I attended, saw me as an outlier – certainly not acceptable to God – which meant I saw myself even more as a problem.
It took another 15 years for me to finally figure out that I didn’t have a problem at all, I was just trans. The torment and distress I suffered through could have been avoided, if only more of the grown-ups around me knew that diversity is not only amazing, but an attribute of positivity and strength.
Tuesday was my 43rd birthday, and today my life is beyond my wildest dreams. I live authentically and don’t for one second regret or lament those days of chaos. They made me who I am and gave me a drive and passion to fight for a world where no one else must suffer for being themselves.
Tuesday was also the first of the remaining 10 sitting days of federal parliament. Among the torrent of birthday wishes, I was greeted with the news that some of our representatives had decided it was the best use of their time to debate why gay kids should not be kicked out of religious schools (being bullied out remains fine). However, trans kids can get the boot, and don’t deserve – or get – any protections at all.
I’m taken back to the years of the marriage equality fight and the final weeks of deals done to get it across the line. Those final months of the “no” campaign were not about trying to stop marriage equality, but were about setting the scene for what was to follow. This religious discrimination bill is one such deal and it feels like payback time.
These days we can look to the work done by exceptional researchers all over the world to tell us that marriage equality and equal rights for all is good for our health and wellbeing, and that kids from queer families do just as well, if not better, than their peers from non-queer families.
The literature for trans kids is clear on this too. There is a growing body of evidence that tells us that when trans young people are supported, affirmed, and able to live as who they are, at home, at school, and in the community, their mental health improves substantially. It improves their quality of life, increases social cohesion, and lowers the future public health burden that results from these early years of trauma.
At this point though, trans young people – binary and non-binary – are among the most vulnerable people in our community. In the largest Australian survey of LGBTQA+ young people aged 14-21, 71% of trans respondents reported considering suicide in the last 12 months, and 14% had attempted suicide in the same period; 38% reported having attempted suicide at some point in their life.
The proposed amendments to the religious discrimination bill sanctions the bullying, vilification and hate speech that is happening today against some of the most at-risk members of our communities – young people who need support, care and affirmation, not stigma, discrimination and unstable schooling environments.
While it is fantastic to see moves to protect sexuality diverse young people from discrimination, these protections will not ensure support and affirmation of these vulnerable kids; they merely prevent their expulsion. They do not uphold their right to a supportive environment within the school.
Many trans people also have diverse sexualities. These laws do not adequately protect our communities, nor do they capture the intersections of our communities, including where members of our communities hold religious beliefs.
These laws are not created in a vacuum. Right now, young trans people around Australia are seeing the news and hearing that they are not worthy of protection.
I encourage you to stay bold and courageous, stand up for trans people, many of whom live in your community, who are your colleagues, neighbours, friends and family members. Just like everyone in this country, we deserve protection under the law.
Please don’t forget that trans people are not an ideology; we are real, and we are someone you know.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Teddy Cook is ACON’s acting director of community health and wellbeing and vice-president of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health
