To "Attempted Suicide" Study Results From Australia & New Zealand!

  To "Attempted Suicide" Results For Homosexually Oriented Males & Females: More Than 150 Studies!

Suicide Prevention Australia's Position Statement (2009, PDF Download):
Suicide and self-harm among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities.

Will ran away to Sydney following an argument with his parents when he was just 14... I was only there two weeks and I was on the streets taking drugs, working on the Wall, which is where all the boys go to prostitute themselves for money... Two years ago her girlfriend died of an overdose... When I first started using I didn't think that - morphine was something that could kill me, you know? And it was just something -- I suppose something to escape from whether I was gay or not. That was an issue, so I just used drugs to forget about it because I just didn't want to think about it... Bruce is another young person who has turned his pain in on himself. In his case, the pain of homophobic abuse as a young gay man and the agony of trying to summon the courage to tell his mother he was gay... In the end, Townsville can't be said to be any more or less homophobic than anywhere else in regional Australia."

Australia: - School of Hard Knocks. - A day in the life... (Slight variations of this speech were used at a project called There's Two In Every Classroom, a project by Family Planning ACT. This project was designed to educate teachers and youth workers on queer youth issues, and come up with ideas to help combat homophobia.) - Issues for schools - The effects of Homophobia. - Homophobia. - School's Out: We're all about letting gay, lesbian and bisexual high school students know that they are not alone. - The issue of gay books in schools.  -"Pooftah", "Wanker", "Girl" Homophobic harassment and violence in schools (From:  Anti Violence Council (AVC), Brisbane - Why Must Teachers Remain Closeted? Parents need to recognize that homosexual students need role models too. - High schools pressured to provide gay material N/A. - Bashed and bashed again: enough is enough: "When I reflect upon being called "poofter" nearly every day at school, when I think about having to move schools, losing friends and suffering rejection by family members..." - Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy Support Materials Section C. - Anger on school's gay plan: Education authorities have been accused of instructing all Victorian government school teachers to "celebrate" homosexuality in the classroom.

What we have to say: Getting over homophobia.  - Helping gay kids become part of the crowd. - Group tackles homophobia head-on: After concerns were raised by young people about sexual discrimination, the WayOut rural youth and sexual diversity project was established in 2002... The Kyneton based group has become a regular fixture at schools and forums in the area, providing a positive sexual message to its peers... Project coordinator, Sue hackney, from Cobaw community health Service said rural communities are less accepting of homosexuals which creates an unsafe environment for young people coming to terms with their sexuality. -  Homosexuality message threatens young people. - Proud teens battle prejudice: "Surviving your teenage years can be a struggle for just about anyone, but imagine if that time was also spent battling to come to terms with an alternative sexual persuasion to that of most of your friends, in a social, school and community environment without any real support." - Homophobia and masculinities among young men (Lessons in becoming a straight man): a presentation to teachers, O'Connell Education Centre, Australia, 1997.

Australian Association for Research in Education:  Conference papers - 1998 papers - Teacher positioning around 'homosexuality' in schools. (Homosexuality (gay and lesbian) within the school environment: Teachers' perspectives). - When we treat everybody the same we don't: Snipets of Gay and Lesbian School Experience:The need for naming names in policy. - Teaching Against Homophobia. - (1997 Abstracts) - Teaching Sexualities - Homosexuality and body image issues: teacher awareness. - Differences that matter and indifference in education. - Having what it takes: Homophobia and masculinities in educational settings in the UK and South Africa. - 1999 Papers - Dear Reader, There are 2 articles here: Are You Gay/Sir? is meant to be read first and is forthcoming in 'Melbourne Studies in Education' Are you gay/sir?: I'm not going to tell you: Towards a pedagogy of provocation. This is the paper that I presented at the AARE conference in 1999. - It's More Than a Game: Little boys, masculinities and football culture.

Sex Matters in Schools: "Schools normalise the binary gender/sex distinction between male and female, thus rendering invisible all those who might sit on the androgynous borderline between the two. This paper briefly examines institutional assumptions underlying gender identification and some of the consequences of assuming that gays, lesbians, transsexuals, transvestites, hermaphrodites, and other intersex people should present socially as either male or female." - Enabling and disabling conditions for teaching against homophobia. - Men in Primary Teaching: An Endangered Species? - Violence against teachers is increasing, but employers have done little to provide a safe workplace. Sharon Aris reports: "According to Barnes, the problem is not the lack of good anti-homophobia programs. The NSW Teachers Federation has produced a resource called the Anti-Violence Kit for all members in NSW, and can provide people who can speak and train staff in schools. The real problem is compliance: while schools are required to run anti-homophobia programs as part of their curriculum, there is no system in place to enforce this. Barnes estimates that 25 per cent of schools do it well, another 50 per cent pay lip service, and the rest ignore it completely."

We Don’t Have Any of THEM at Our School! Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student, Teacher and Parent Invisibility and Issues (PDF Download). - Homophobia and the production of shame: young people and same sex attraction (PDF Download). - Investigating the relationship between “school climate,” school-related outcomes and academic self-concept for Australian, secondary school-aged same-sex attracted youth (SSAY) (PDF Download): "These preliminary findings begin to shed some light on the school experiences of SSA students in Australia’s secondary schools. As the descriptive statistics on school climate show, both verbal and physical manifestations of homophobia occur with some frequency and teachers’ reactions in these instances are far less than ideal. As one would expect, students’ perceptions of their school climate as such is correlated with their sense of school community connection demonstrating that as the school environment is perceived as being more supportive (i.e. fewer accounts of homophobia, greater teacher intervention and greater “positivity” surrounding homosexuality), the strength of SSA students’ reported sense of connection to the school community increases. Likewise, the greater this reported sense of connection, the higher SSA students’ reports of academic self-concept become..." - ‘It’s a catch 22’: same sex attracted young people on coming out to parents (PDF Download).

Challenging Homophobia (Tasmania)... Background information, resources and activities for school and college leaders, teachers, Learning Services and other members of school communities addressing the requirements of the Department of Education's Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy: Background on homophobia, Sexuality and the Individual, Definitions relating to homophobia, Questions and answers about lesbian, gay and bisexual people, Sample student learning experiences dealing with homophobia, Resources relating to homophobia. - Just kidding? Sex-based harassment at school (New South Wales): A 107-page text for educators and carers that focuses only on sex-based harassment among students. It examines the behaviours through scenarios, explores social justice, equity and legal aspects; looks at how our talk and practice of gender relations every day makes sex-based harassment 'normal'; showcases projects in New South Wales schools; and provides ideas for eliminating the behaviour. - Duty of care to students ignored in gay school essay debate.

Shout! School's Out: An Internet resource for teachers, educators and parents. - Open Doors Youth Service Resources for Schools. - SSAFE in Schools Website: Transgender Young People. - Same Sex Attracted Youth Research, ARCSHS (LaTrobe University). - Supporting SSAQTY at school; Resources. - WayOut, Rural Victorian Youth & Sexual Diversity Project: a partnership between Cobaw Community Health Service and Gay & Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV).

Sex Worker Outreach Project: "SWOP focuses on safety, dignity, diversity and the changing needs of sex industry workers, to foster an environment which enables and affirms individual choices and occupational rights." 

"Sex Work' section in Gay and homosexually active Aboriginal men in Sydney: Sex Practices.- Newsletter of the AIDS Council of South Australia Inc: Report on the Male Sex Worker Focus Group N/A.(Section on Sex Workers) - South Australian Sex Industry Network (SIN). - A profile of the clients of male sex workers in three Australian cities. - Out of a group of 13 gay street kids who, by an early age, were being passed around by abusive men, only 3 survived to the age of about 30 - most by violent suicides, OD's, and AIDS.

Marsden: passing parade of names N/A: "Those sitting in the public gallery over the 136 days this matter has been running have heard a passing parade of names in connection with under-age sexual activities revolving around  Costello's, a nightclub open in the '70s and early '80s where men went to pick up young boys for sex... Others named have included Mr Tony Shenkwin, Mr Joe (Josie) Westwood, solicitor Mr Trevor Beasley and the late Mr Tony Bevan. Yesterday, former journalist Mr Simon Davies was said to have been involved in a shelter for homeless children which he would use to procure young boys. And also getting a mention yesterday was Karl Malden, the American actor famed for TV's Streets of San Francisco and his later ads for American Express  where he urges the viewer: "Don't leave home without it."

Many male prostitutes mature and educated, study shows: "The University of New England study was based on the sexual encounters of 192 male prostitutes with 1,700 clients in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane." - Community Policing and On-Street Prostitution in the Kings Cross Police Patrol (PDF Download): The transsexuals prostituting themselves on-street in the Kings Cross Police Patrol area are usually aged around thirty¾considerably older than their female counterparts... The majority of adult male street prostitutes are younger than their female counterparts and their age range is between 18 and 26..." - Transsexual prostitution in New Zealand: Predominance of persons of Maori extraction.

Project supports male sex workers. "The goal of the new service is to provide male sex workers with the same resources currently available to female prostitutes working in the area. This means access to counselling and legal services and to health, safety, employment and educational advice."

Community Panel on Prostitution (PDF Download): Submission by the West Australian Branch of the Australian Association of Social Workers May 1990 - "Even though male prostitution may appear to be less frequent in this State, it may merely be 'invisible' because it has not been subject to nearly the same degree of control as applied to female prostitution in this State: Acott & Hewett (1987)."

Commercial Sex Between Men: A Prospective Diary-Based Study (Full Text) - by Victor Minichiello (Journal of Sex Research, May 2000): "The data reported in this study were collected using a diary which male sex workers (MSWs) completed after each commercial sexual encounter with a male client over a 2-week period... The instrument was developed after consultations with three sex workers' organisations: the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) in Sydney... The total number of sex workers who completed the diary over the 2-week period was 186.."

Beyer, a transsexual and male prostitute who shucked off her past to become Mayor of Carterton is now aspiring to become Wairarapa’s MP. - Men sex workers and other men who have sex with men: how do their HIV risks compare in New Zealand? "We do find the sex workers to be different, however, in their being less likely to engage in safe sex practices. We provide an explanation for why this has not lead to their having a higher rate of seropositivity." - The Sex Industry in New Zealand: A Literature Review. - New Zealand’s National Plan Of Action Against The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children.  (PDF Download).  NZ: Child Prostitution in New Zealand (PDF Download): "Of the 194 child prostitutes in the ECPAT NZ survey, 10% were 12 years old or under, 15% were 13 years old, 20% were 14 years old and 30% were 15 years old (Saphira, 2001). It was not known at what age they had started sex work. At least 21% were recorded as male but it is unclear whether some were transgender." 

Young people more vulnerable to problems (Feb. 25, 2001): "In Fiji the number of young gay male prostitutes has also increased in recent years. Peter Sipeli, an activist with the Sexual Minorities Group in Suva, says that many boys who are rejected by their families turn to prostitution to survive.  "Many young boys face total rejection from their families because of their sexuality. Their young age and their lack of life skills pushes them into prostitution," he said."

Aboriginal GLBT/Sistergirl Issues: - Gay and homosexually active Aboriginal men in Sydney. (Alternate Link) - Aboriginal Reconciliation: A statement of support from Sydney Gay & Lesbian community organizations. (Alternate Link) - For the first time, an Aboriginal float will feature in Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras parade. - Gay and homosexually active Aboriginal men in Sydney - Bibliography. - The highlight for many was the moving speech - "Black & Gay" - by Aboriginal gay man, Noel Tovey {in Sidney). - The only Aborigine and lesbian in the world. - National Indigenous Gay and Transgender Consultation Report and Sexual Health Strategy (PDF)  and First National Indigenous Sistergirl Forum (PDF). - A Risky Business: Criminalising the Transmission of HIV in Australia.

Queers for Reconciliation (Alternate Link):  - ANWERNEKENHE II was the second national conference for Indigenous Australian gay men and sista girls. And as Gary Lee writes, it was a time for breaking silences, making  resolutions, and naming some deep-running waters. - Vast distances... Vast differences: "There have been many "explanations" for the outrageous discrepencies between the health levels of Indigenous Australians and the health of non-Indigenous people. Transgender and Queer Communities. - Young, gay, black, green and female. - Boys to Men. - Anwernekenhe is an Arrernte word, meaning “us mob”. Anwernekenhe I was the first ever gathering of Indigenous gay men and sistergirls. Coming together for the First National Indigenous Australian Gay Men and Transgender Sexual Health Conference. Participants gathered together on the lands of the Arrernte people at Hamilton Downs, Central Australia in 1994, sharing their concerns and experiences of sexual health and well-being: Anwernekenhe I, Hamilton Downs, 1994 (PDF) and Anwernekenhe II, Tambourine Mountain, 1998 (PDF).

Anwernekenhe IV, fourth national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gay, sistergirl and transgender HIV/AIDS – sexual health conference: "The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health & Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005 – 2008, identifies Australian indigenous gay men, sistergirls, transgender and men who have sex with men as a priority group for HIV/AIDS and sexual health responses. The majority of HIV transmission of indigenous Australians’ is attributed to male-to-male sex." - Western Australian Aboriginal Sexual Health Strategy 2005–2008 (2005: (PDF Download). - Aboriginal health on the road to nowhere with unfunded policies.

ANWERNEKENHE III (Third National indigenous Gay, Sistergirl and Transgender HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health Conference: PDF Download) Strengthening Communities Through Prevention – Peer Education & Partnerships: "Day two of conference proceedings provided an Indigenous gay, sistergirl and transgender only stream, giving participants a confidential and supportive cultural space to discuss specific Indigenous gay, sistergirl and transgender community business. This was well received by all delegates and recommended for all future forums. Two of the most significant issues discussed at Anwernekenhe III were that of injecting drug use and child sexual abuse... - Breaking The Silence: Indigenous, Gay, Transgender, Sistergirl Sexual Abuse Workshop (by Gary Lee): "Our workshop on sexual abuse was about ‘breaking the silence’, and about giving ourselves permission to talk about our experiences, without feeling like there was something wrong with us. It is also about the community acknowledging that there is a problem. We hope it will force the community to confront the reality of just what is going on because it is not just our issue it is a community one... There have been few if any specific statistics collected, and even less social research conducted on Indigenous gay and transgender/sistergirl sexual abuse. In recent times, the calls for recognition of and action against Indigenous heterosexual abuse have risen around the country, largely through the initiatives and tireless efforts of Indigenous people themselves, with various levels of support from state and federal governments. It’s now time that we as Indigenous gay, transgender/sistergirl members of our communities gain the same levels of support for the sexual abuse issues facing us today. The cultural, social and emotional well being of our communities depends on it.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project: The primary aims Project are: To provide Indigenous gay and bisexual men, and transgender people (sistergirls) with gender specific and culturally appropriate information, education and support to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STI's). Enhance the sexual health and well being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gay, bi-sexual men and transgender people (sistergirls), to enable them to make informed decisions and achieve and maintain control of their own sexual health. - Queensland Survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Men who have Sex with Men (PDF Download).

Video presentation: ‘Sistergirls' – Stories from Indigenous Australian Transgenders (2006): "A ‘story telling' video-documentary of four Indigenous Australian sistergirls this documentary projects positive images of Indigenous Australian sistergirls - giving people an insight into why we live our lives the way we do. It also raises a number of issues that have, and continue to impact on our lives... The use of the term ‘sistergirl' is a self adopted term, recognising that the western definitions of transgender or gay do not reflect the culture and lived reality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander transgender people...In the documentary the sistergirls talk about sistergirl identity and explain how this term is used in Indigenous communities." - Indigenous Homosexuality: Aboriginal Gay And Transgender People - Silences In Indigenous Sexuality: Colonial homophobia marginalised homosexual and transgender Aborigines. But intolerance was never part of traditional life, as seen in the story of the Tiwi Sistergirls... Sistergirls don't like to be referred to as "gays". They prefer the term "women". They also reject a lot of the myths about them, both from the mainstream and from Indigenous society. Firstly, they reject the claim that they are "unnatural". A Sistergirl is born, not made. It is clear by the age of two or three if a person has been born this way, and when they get to the age of six, parents give them to older sistergirls to look after because they're in that special category..."

Reflecting on Practice: Current challenges in gay and other homosexually active men’s HIV education (by Gary Smith & Paul Van de Ven, National Centre in HIV Social Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, 2001 - PDF Download): "Challenges identified by the Indigenous educators (those working with Indigenous gay and homosexually active men / Sistergirls) included: ... Keeping sistergirl issues a priority on the service providers’ agenda was identified as a challenge and required constant contact with the providers to reinforce the importance of such issues. Racial prejudice among White gay men was identified as a major concern. This was especially a problem for Indigenous men involved in predominantly White gay settings. - Homophobia within Indigenous communities was also identified as a major concern, with attitudes being expressed along the lines of, “They’re all just sickos”. - Despite the homophobia experienced by sistergirls within their communities, the educators claimed that most sistergirls were nevertheless respected within their communities. This respect, however, had less to do with being sistergirls per se and more to do, for example, with being employed (where unemployment is generally high). Sistergirls’ respect seemed also to be contingent upon their keeping a low profile with regard to their sexual activities, which served to hamper open discussion and other education efforts... - Interactions between sistergirls and their sex partners were characterised as “short and sweet” and as “a quick bang in the bushes with some man who is not getting it from his wife”. This was often the only source of sexual interaction and/or affection sistergirls received. If the choice was between sex without condoms and no sex at all, the choice was likely to be the former... - Certain men (heterosexually identified and often married) were known by sistergirls as potential sexual partners and sistergirls shared this information among themselves. The rest of the community, however, was kept in the dark. Sistergirls’ sexual partners were identified as the biggest barrier to developing a safe sex culture among homosexually active men within Murri communities... - The issue of sexual assault, sometimes at a young age, was identified. Providing a safe environment for sistergirls (e.g. a safe house) was considered important. But even this measure was thought to be beyond QuAC’s resource capabilities (and perhaps jurisdiction)..."

GLBT/sistergirls Research: I am a young gay researcher of Mauritian background. I'm currently a PhD candidate in Health and Social Anthropology at the University of Provence (France) and I arrived in Australia 3 months ago to further a research project about Australian Indigenous GLBT/sistergirls experiences in urban settings. I collected about 50 life stories over 2 previous fieldworks and I am still seeking more participants in every States. The semi-directed interviews last about 1 hour and 30 minutes; it is anonymous and conducted in a culturally sensitive and respectful manner..." - "Sistergirls: stories from Indigenous Australian transgender people"  by Brown, Kooncha. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 28(6) Dec 2004: 25-26.

For all Australians? (Alternate Link) In a time when many are hailing advances in HIV/AIDS treatments, and lauding Australia's response to HIV as exemplary, just how proud of our record should we be? Gay, Indigenous and HIV positive, Rodney Junga-Williams tells a different story. For Aboriginal Australians, he writes, its a question of: What access? Whose equality? - Survival '99 Queer, black and speaking out. - Gay Aborigines to gather for second 'Corroborree'. - 'BlackOUT' is a newsletter by and for Aboriginal gay people. - OutBlack (Victoria) - This section looks at homophobia and its impact on Indigenous people - those from the first peoples of the land and sea in Australia. - SISSY [a 30-minute documentary] takes you behind the scenes to give a rare insight into a sub culture that has created its own space within the gay culture, and it explores the bond that sets the black ‘sisterhood’ apart from the white gays. SISSY is an expression of gay black identity: “We are glamorous, we are here and we are queer”: PDF Download.

"Too Busy Studying and No Time for Sex?" Homosexually Active Male International Students and Sexual Health [in Australia]: PDF Download. (Related Information: PDF Download) - Race, Sexuality and Education. What does it mean to be Aboriginal and gay in education in Australia? (Related Information) - Going That Way: "'…homosexuality has existed here for a long time, its not a White man's disease - its probably the only thing we didn't catch off the White man!' - Rea Saunders, Gay Perspectives II, (ed.) Robert Aldrich, Sydney Uni Press, 1994, p.9 Going That Way to me is about life energy, commitment and resistance. It is one of the least bullshit exhibitions I have ever been to. Ali Baker, 2000." - Postcolonial Nationalisms and the Problem of Heterosexual Whiteness. - Black-banning homophobia.

""Jugga" is the nom de plume of a Brisbane-based artist and his homoerotic artworks. The word Jugga is a northern aboriginal Australian term meaning "good mate". It was chosen specifically to emphasize that aspect of the Australian working-man's life that the artists drawings and paintings capture. Jugga concentrates on the Blue-Collar/rural working-class men who have same-sex encounters but don't identify as being homosexual or gay... Jugga's work captures this class of men engaged in homoerotic situations. It focuses the artist's sense of this group of ordinary men based on his own personal experience in the blue-collar working environment. Although these men are not represented in mainstream gay art and culture they are often pivotal to the sexual desires and fantasies of many in the gay community..." - The end of gay? (PDF Download: some information on the gay aboriginal situation.)

Black + White + Pink:  is a group of volunteers from the lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual community who have come together to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues remain on the agenda of the gay and lesbian community in New South wales. - Sweeties for a Treaty. - Sydney Mardi Gras!!! Black+White+Pink. - Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander participation in Sidney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2000 N/A. - Mardi Gras 2001 N/A. - Black+White+Pink Consultation Forum. - Gay Perspectives II - 1994 - edited by Robert Aldrich: "This volume includes articles on homosexuality in traditional and contemporary Aboriginal life; the life of a homosexual convict in colonial Australia..." Gays and Lesbians Aboriginal Alliance, ‘Peopling the Empty Mirror: The Prospects for Lesbian and Gay Aboriginal History’, in Aldrich (ed.), Gay Perspectives II, pp. 1-62

Silverfoxes Club Digest: "He also thought that the Aborigines were ignorant of homo-eroticism. When he was asked about conditions in the colonies, particularly about .unnatural acts., the Bishop noted that those crimes were unknown to .the savage. until they were taught them by the convict. We know this to be false. Anthropological evidence points to the institutional arrangements and ritual practice among some of the native groups. These ranged from permissive sexual arrangements between a man and his wife.s brother (since the latter belonged to the same marriage class as his wife) to men masturbating each other before setting out on a warrior mission. One of Ullathorne.s great concerns was with the moral contamination of the young. He laid much emphasis on the way in which boys and young men became educated about unnatural activities.."

‘Kerryn and Jackie’:  Thinking Historically about Lesbian Marriages (by Barnara Baird, PDF Download): "The Gays and Lesbians Aboriginal Alliance (GLAA) give an account of the how homosexuality has appeared in historical records, mainly anthropological, about indigenous peoples in Australia. While noting the scarcity of recorded information about indigenous women’s sexuality generally, the GLAA nevertheless quote Phyllis Kaberry’s contribution with respect to the Kimberley district: ‘The lesbian relationships of Australian women were an acknowledged part of their sexual behaviour and were included in their ritual activities’. The authorscomment that it was when Aboriginal communities felt the full brunt of colonisation and Aboriginal people were institutionalised in missions and reserves that ‘the social structures in which homosexual relationships were integrated began to collapse’. The GLAA’s article concludes with reference to US queer theorist Michael Warner’s claim that ‘the heterosexualization of society was … a fundamental imperative of modern colonialism’."

Then and Now: Gay Men and HIV (PDF Download): "The experience and possibilities of doing gayness and Indigeneity are discussed in various ways and places (Gays and Lesbians Aboriginal Alliance 1993; Willis 2003a, b). Of relevance here too is Gregory Phillips’ Addictions and Healing in Aboriginal Country (2003). HIV positive Indigenous gay men and sistergirls are included, but not differentiated by sexual identity, in Willis et al (2002b). The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations has auspiced community consultations and major documents on Indigenous Australian gay men and transgender people and on sexual health (AFAO 1998a, b). Three Indigenous gay men’s accounts of gayness and community can be found in Hodge (1993). Hurley (1996: 1-2) contains a bibliography. Wayne King speaks autobiographically (1998) and Sydney experiences appear in Brady (2001). Tony Ayres’ film Double Trouble (1991) and Noel Tovey’s play Little Black Bastard (Benzie 2003) are also key documents. While discrimination appears as a major issue in all of them, there are also complex discussions of how sociality, the scene and community are negotiated."

Double Trouble, film by Tony Ayres: nterviews with indigenous gay men and lesbians in Australia discuss the problems of being a minority within a minority.

Black Hours (by Wayne King). Wayne King: "Over several years, he had thoroughly uprooted himself from a culture in which he and his kind were the object of racism. He lived in a world that was relatively autonomous from the person-defining processes of family and nation. One word that describes this semi-detached world is ‘impersonal’; here was ‘impersonality’ in a benign form, the demands and opportunities of international bureaucracy and of gay sexuality combining to foster an ethos of personal liberty..." - Re-historicising 'Racism': Language, History and Healing in Wayne King's Black Hours: Although education rarely fulfilled its promise to open doors for Aboriginal people, the 'sissies' course' allowed King to earn good money, remain in steady employment, and avoid what he calls the 'manual labour mentality that pervaded the Aboriginal community'. His office skills also proved to be his 'passport out of Ipswich'... As a gay Aboriginal, however, in racist, homophobic Australia, King was doubly marginalised on the basis of both race and sexuality. He experienced racial prejudice from the gay community, and homophobia amongst sections of the Aboriginal community. He recalls being picked up by a gay man in a car, and thrown out again as soon as the man learned he was Aboriginal. Even more hurtful was his discovery of the depth of racial prejudice amongst his gay friends: "Rejected and spurned by society for being homosexual, they had spoken angrily of the discrimination they had to face. Yet they saw nothing wrong in their attitude towards me; saw nothing to condemn in themselves... Those white boys in that room thought that a racist was some yobbo in a blue Chesty Bond singlet, shorts and thongs with a beer can in one hand, the other scratching his balls. The subtlety of racism had escaped them. If you had an education, you couldn't be racist. Terry's racist comment [that the right place for Aborigines was in the bottom of an ash-tray] had tipped the scales for me. Gays may have been outsiders, but as a gay Aborigine, I might as well have been from Mars.""

Little Black Bastard: "It was during the early 1950s at school that the sexual abuse he had experienced as a young child was crystallised. Tovey was attractive to boys. He was, despite his colour, welcomed into their circle, but only if he paid with sexual favours. His unsparing recollections about the many beatings he endured for being black and frequent rapes while at school, are unsettling. Remarkably, he looks for no sympathy, he expresses no bitterness. He knew men wanted him, but his own homosexuality was not evident until later... Besides his clear artistic interest and developing skill as a dancer, Tovey was, by the mid-1950s, also a teenage rent-boy. "I was inured to the act of sex," he says. "My obvious good looks, exotically coloured body and total lack of morals were my entree to some of the best addresses in Melbourne." It was also at this time, he says, that the defining moment in his life occurred. After a police raid on a drag party in Albert Park that Tovey was attending, he was charged with buggery. He was sent to Pentridge. He was soon released, but not before he went through his own dark night of the soul. He contemplated suicide and was visited by a profound sense of his indigenous self..." Review. Interview.

Gender Trouble Down Under: Australian Masculinities: "is divided into seven chapters... Then Chapter VII, entitled “Double Trouble,” addresses lesbian and gay aborigines, the amazing destiny of Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery abroad (Bowery, extreme transgenderist, has recently been incarnated by Boy George on Broadway), and finally transgendered and transsexual individuals and politics."

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO):  - The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Gay, Sistergirl and Transgender HIV/AIDS – Sexual Health Project..- Indigenous Projects: AFAO Strategy for responding to sexual abuse of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gay men and sistergirls. This document, published May 2005, proposes some specific interventions that might be trialled to determine their effectiveness in reducing sexual abuse. - Hot Chocolate: Access for all A training package addressing Indigenous gay men and transgender / sistergirl's access to HIV and sexual health services. - First National Indigenous Sistergirl Forum (PDF Download).

Risk behaviour among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gay men: comparisons with other gay men in Australia.

Sample Policy & Procedures Manual For Services funded under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP): "Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander): The National Indigenous Sexual Health Strategy (NIASHS) states that sexual health includes the personal rights to freedom from fear, shame, guilt and myths about choice of sexuality and sexual relationships. Multiple risk factors include the variety of identities, where the balance between race, sexuality and gender identity is complex and may vary over time. The term “Sistergirl” refers primarily to a transgender male to female within the Indigenous communities, an Eastern States term which is being used more and more in WA. There are many Indigenous cultures partly or fully accepting of people with DSG. Some of the specific areas for Indigenous people with DSG are:

Fear of being “outed”, particularly in the rural communities. - Lack of confidentiality in service provision. - Community and social relations, where service users are related to service staff. - Absence of Aboriginal Medical Service’s (AMS) in rural areas. - Local AMS not equipped to deal with DSG issues, as well as HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and other sexual health. - Alienation from Indigenous and non-indigenous health services for reasons of actual and perceived homophobia. - Lack of acceptance of DSG within Indigenous communities. It is sometimes seen as a ‘whitefella’ disease. - Lesbian women may hide their sexuality and even live in a heterosexual relationship. - Racism from the DSG community, as well as internalised. Internalisation of culture of violence. - Some research has identified adult male to youth male rape by men who have sex with men (MSM), but don’t identify as gay and often have wife and children. - Increased risk of HIV and other STI’s due to unprotected sex, either mutually agreed or sexual abuse/rape. This includes risk to wives by their MSM partners. - Opportunistic or commercial sex work for survival, financially and otherwise. - Injecting drug use, alcohol and other drug abuse. - Displacement from home and families due to perceived or real non-acceptance. - Dual identities, which can not always be harmoniously combined. - Difficulty in talking about sex, including safe sex. - Lack of positive role models. - Indigenous lesbian women are rarely visible and little is known about their particular issues. - Indigenous female to male transgender people are even less visible.

There are many diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that are different in language, land and cultures. Each has different ways of talking about sex, sexuality and gender. Many say that their sexual identity decides what someone’s life will be like. For some people, who they live with and enjoy being with, defines who they are and their identity. For many Indigenous people these ideas don’t explain who they are, as they have a more holistic view of themselves and their relationships within their community or with other people. For many Indigenous people their DSG does not determine their role in the community. When they are born they are taught who to talk to and who their mob is, as well as their relationships to other people in the community. They are told who they can sleep with and who they can’t. This is also true for Indigenous people identifying with sexuality and/or gender diversity. Family relationships are very important for the acceptance in their community for people identifying with sexuality and gender diversity. Many will find these relationships too hard and un-accepting and will leave their community to live in bigger cities.

"Attempted Suicide" Incidences/Risks: New Zealand & Australian Homosexually Oriented Youth or Adults
Study	Sample Size (N) GLB	Compa- rison Group	Attempted Suicide % (n / N)	Sampling Information Age Odds Ratio (95% CI)
Nicholas & Howard (1998)	57 (M*) Gay Identified	54 (M) Heterosexual Identified	28.1% (16 / 56) vs. 7.4% (4 / 54) Lifetime	Australian Volunteers: Sidney Area Mean Age: 20.6 Years 53.2% Post=Secondary Students OR: 5.0 (1.5, 16.1)
Kelly et al. (1998)	164 (M) HIV +	None	21.4% Lifetime	Australia: Convenience Sample Homosexual & Bisexual Males From Sidney, Victoria and Brisbane. Mean Age: 32.5, 20 to 60 Years Attempted Suicide Incidence for All Homosexual/Bisexual Males: 25.2%
	165 (M) HIV -	None	29.1% Lifetime
Fenaughty (2000) Thesis	111 (M) 83.8% Gay or Homosexual Self- Described	None	20.7% (23 / 111) Lifetime	New Zealand Volunteers: Auckland 52.3% European Ancestry Age = 16 to 26 Years Suicide Attempts verified via descriptions of Suicide Attempt(s). Some Study Related Information: Fenaughty & Harre (2003)
Welch et al. (2000)	561 (W*) 95.2% Lesbian Identified	None	20.3% (114 / 561) Lifetime	Volunteer: New Zealand 87.5% European Ancestry Age Range: 19 to 66 Years  84.2%: Between 25 to 50 Years First Attempted Suicide: 80.7% Before the Age of 25 Years
Nicholas & Howard (2001)	105 (M) Gay Identified	94 (M) Heterosexual Identified	20.8% vs 5.4% Lifetime	Sidney, Australia, Mostly Metropolitan Mean Age: 21.8 Years, 16 to 30 Years
	76 (F) Lesbian Identified	192 (F) Heterosexual Identified	20.0% vs. 8.3% Lifetime	Sidney, Australia, Mostly Metropolitan Mean Age: 21.3 Years, 16 to 30 Years
Thorpy et al. (2008)	164 (MF)	None	37% Lifetime	Internet Sample: Queenlands, Australia Age Range: 14-20, Mean Age: 17 54% Male, 44.5% Female, 0.6% Gender Queer. 89% Urban. 72% Gay/Lesbian, 23% Bisexual. 50% in High School, 20% Working, 9% at University
	164 (MF)	None	59% Self-Harm Past year
Fleming  et al. (2007) 2001 Random School Sample New Zealand N = 9,570	Not Given Also NOT Given  is Number of same-sex and both-sex attracted individuals, that is somewhat equivalent to GLB	Not Given For all Males: 4.7% For all Females: 10.5%	Not Given	OR: 1.3<1.7<2.4 For Having Attempted Suicide in the Past Year, Non-Heterosexual vs. Heterosexual. with 20 Control Variable! "Non-heterosexual orientation was defined as being attract to the same sex (as oneself), both sexes, neither sex or not sure." The Existence of the LeBrun et al (2004) Report - below - is not mentioned by Fleming et al. (2007) GLB Results Estimates: Table Below.
Le Brun et al. (2004) 2001 Random School Sample New Zealand N = 8,997	701 7.8% of Sample	8696 92.2% of Sample	Not Given	Question Asked: "Which of the following are you sexually attracted to…?" Non-Heterosexual: Same-Sex (68, 0.75%), Both-Sex (277, 3.1%), Unsure (206, 2.3%), Neither (150, 1.7%) 9,570 - 8,997 = 573 - The Non-Responders to the "Sexually Attracted" Question = 6.0% of Sample GLB Results Estimates: Table Below.
* M = Males - F = Females

"Attempted Suicide" Risks: Special Population Samples Homosexually vs. Heterosexually Oriented Adults
Study	Sample Size (N) GLB	Compa- rison Group	Attempted Suicide % (n / N)	Sampling Information Age Odds Ratio (95% CI)
Fergusson et al. (1999)	29 (MF*) Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Identified	979 (MF) Heterosexual Identified	32.1% (9 / 29) vs. 7.1% (69 / 979) RR: 4.5	Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 21 Years Attempted Suicide: Age 14 - 21 Years OR = 6.2 (2.7, 14.3)
Skegg et al. (2003)	427 (M) Reporting Any Same-Sex Sexual Attraction	53 (M) Reporting Only Opposite- Sex Sexual Attraction	17.0% (9 / 53) vs. 6.1% (26 / 427) RR: 2.3	Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 26 Years Attempted Suicide: Lifetime OR = 3.2 (1.4, 7.2) (With Control Variables)
	119 (F) Reporting Any Same-Sex Sexual Attraction	343 (F) Reporting Only Opposite- Sex Sexual Attraction	12.6% (15 / 119) vs. 9.3% (32 / 343) RR: 1.3	Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 26 Years Attempted Suicide: Lifetime OR = 1.4 (0.7, 2.7) ns (With Control Variables)
Fergusson et al. (2005)	Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 26 Years Attempted Suicide From age 21-25 Years. See Below.
Fergusson et al. (2005)	Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 26 Years Attempted Suicide From age 21-25 Years. See Table Below.
McNair et al. (2005)	8.6%, n = 801 Mainly Heterosexual to Lesbian	91.4%, n = 8,482 Exclusively Heterosexual	Self-Harm / Attempted Suicide Past 6 Months 11.1 - 17.3% vs. 2.7%	Australian ALSWH Cohort Young Women in 2000 ORs: 4.3 to 8.0 (3 Control Variables) ORs: 3.1 to 5.3 (6 Control variables) Detailed Results: Table Below.
McNair et al. (2005)	2.5% n = 261 Mainly Heterosexual to Lesbian	97.5% n = 10,035 Exclusively Heterosexual	Self-Harm / Attempted Suicide Past 6 Months 2.0 - 16.1% vs. 0.8%	Australian ALSWH Cohort Mid-Life Women in 2001 ORs: 2.3 to 24.3 (3 Control Variables) ORs: 21. to 24.6 (6 Control variables) Detailed Results: Table Below.
* M = Males - F = Females -- ** RR = Risk Ratio, Estimated - "ns" = Not Statistically Significant

Christchurch, New Zealand: Birth Cohort: At Age 26 Years Attempted Suicide From Age 21 to 25 Years by Sexual Orientation (Latent Class Determination) Fergusson et al. (2005)
Heterosexual	Predominantly Heterosexual	Predominantly Homosexual	p	Risk Ratio* Ods Ratio
Males, N = 469
93.7%,  n = 439	4.8%, n = 23	1.5%, n = 7
1.6%, n = 7	0.0%, n = 0	28.6%, n = 2	<0.001	RR-1: 4.5<17.9<71.4 OR-1: 4.1<24.7<149.6 RR-2: 0.9<4.2<19.3 OR-2: 0.9<4.4<22.2
Females, N = 498
81.9%,  n = 408	14.2%, n = 70	3.9%, n = 20
1.6%, n = 7	4.5%, n = 3	10.0%, n = 2	<0.005	RR-1: 1.3<5.8.<26.3 OR-1:1.2<6.4<32.8 RR-2: 1.2<2.4<4.8 OR-2: 1.04<3.4<10.9
*Note: Only the percentages - NOT the counts - are given by study authors. Counts are Estimated from Percentages. RRs & ORs  are approximate estimates given the estimated counts used in calculations. RR-1 & OR-1: Attempted Suicide: Predominantly Homosexual vs. Heterosexual RR-2 & OR-2: Attempted Suicide: Predominantly Homosexual &Predominantly Heterosexual vs. Heterosexual

Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) Self-Harm & Attempted Suicide, Past 6 Months Young & Mid-Life Women: McNair et al. (2005)
Categories	n. (%)	% Self-Harm / Attempted Suicide	Odds Ratios 1 (3 Control variables)	Odds Ratios 2 (6 Control variables)
Young Women: 22 - 27 Years of Age in 2000
Heterosexual	8,214 (91.5%)	2.7% (n = 222)	Reference Category	Reference Category
Predominantly Heterosexual	604 (6.7%)	11.1% (67)	3.1<4.3<5.9	2.2<3.1<4.4
Bisexual	73 (0.81%)	18.7% (13)	4.1<8.0<15.8	2.5<4.8<9.3
Predominantly / 100% Homosexual	90 (1.0%)	17.3% (16)	4.3<8.0<14.7	2.9<5.6<11.0
Percent of Young Women Who Self-Harmed or Attempted Suicide who are not 100% Heterosexual Women (8.5% of Young Women)		30.2% (96 / 318) 3	All Non-Heterosexual Women, No Controls 4 4.0<5.1<6.6	-
Mid-Life Women: 50 - 55 Years of Age in 2001
Heterosexual	9,676 (97.4%)	0.8% (77)	Reference Category	Reference Category
Predominantly Heterosexual	121 (1.2%)	4.0% (5)	1.5<5.0<17.3	1.2<4.6<17.3
Bisexual	15 (0.15%)	16.1% (2)	3.6<24.3<163.9	4.1<24.7<148.6
Predominantly / 100% Homosexual	123 (1.2%)	2.0% (2)	0.42<2.3<13.0 ns	0.38<2.1<11.9 ns
Percent of Mid-Life Women Who Self-Harmed or Attempted Suicide who are not 100% Heterosexual Women (2.6% of Women)		10.5% (9 / 86) 3	All Non-Heterosexual Women, No Controls 4 2.2<4.5<9.0	-
1. 3 Variables: age, region of residence, highest education. - 2. 6 Variables: age, region of residence, highest education, abuse, social support, and stress. - 3. Related N's and Percentage Estimated by Web Page Author: PJT. 4. N's Estimated (An Approximation), and Related ORs Calculated byWeb Page Author: PJT. - "ns" = Not Statistically Significant

The New Zealand Youth 2000 National Secondary School Youth Health Survey GLB / Non-Heterosexual Results Given & Estimated Almost "Everything" About Same-Sex Attracted Youth & Suicidality Was NOT reported! Data Used for Estimates: Fleming et al. (2007) & Le Brun et al. (2004)
Sexually Attracted To? --> Categories	Opposite -Sex	Same- Sex	Both- Sex	Unsure	Neither	All Non- Hetero- sexual	All
n	8,296	68	277	206	150	701	8.997
%	92.2%	0.7%	3.1%	2.3%	1.7%	7.8%	100%
Depression	?	22.9%. n = 156 (683 X 0.229 = 156) 1				22.9% n = 156	8,997 - 2.6% = n = 8,763 2
Depression	?	98 / 336: 29.2% n = 68 + 277 = 345 Non-Responders: 9 = 2.6%					1,071 / 8,763 = 14.0%
Depression	1,071 - 156 = 915 915 / 8,062 = 11.3% 4	98 / (345 - 9 = 336) = 29.2%		Depressed = 156 - 98 = 58 58 / (356 - 9 = 347) = 16.7%			1,071 / 8,763 = 14.0%
Attempters, n % Attempting Suicide, Past Year	?	15.3% (.153 X 701) = 107					739 / 9,450 = 7.8% 3
Attempters, n % Attempting Suicide, Past Year	620 620 / (9,321 - 701 = 8,620) 7.2%	15.3% (.153 X 701) = 107 Approx. RR: 1.7<2.1<2.6 Approx. OR: 1.9<2.3<2.9				15.3%	727 / 9,321 7.8% 5
(Suicide Attempter Count Distribution) 6 Estimated % Attempting Suicide, Past Year	620 / 8,620 7.2%	(62.8% of 107 = 67) 6 67 / 336 = 19.9% Approx. RR: 2.2<2.8<3.5 Approx. OR: 2.4<3.2<4.2		(37.2%  of 107 = 40) 6 40 / 356 = 11.5% Approx. RR: 1.1<1.6<2.1 Approx. OR: 1.2<1.6<2.3			727 / 9,321 7.8% 6
What Might the Results be for Males????	< 4.7%	Would the OR & RR be Higher for Males???		Would the OR & RR be Higher for Males???			4.7%
1. Estimated by Web Page Author (PJT), percentage given. Assuming a 2.6% Non-Responder incidence. Therefore n = 701 - 18 = 683 2. Depression % given separately for males (9.0% for 46.2% of sample = 4,048 X .09 = 364) and females (18.3 % for 53.8% of sample = 4714 X .183 = 863) 3. Number of Male/Female Suicide Attempters given by Fleming et al. (2007): 739, with male (46.2% of sample) incidence being 4.7% and females (53.8% of sample) incidence being 10.5%. Responders to "Attemted Suicide" question = approx. 9,450. Average "attempted suicide incidence for males and females combined = approx. 7.8%. Question Non-Responder: 9,570 - 9,450 = 120 4. Estimated given the other information in the row.  5. Numbers reduced given that only 97.4% of sample responded to "Sexual Attraction" question. 6. Giving a usually strong relationship between depression and attempting suicide, "attempted suicide" counts given the same disbribution as "Depression" counts. Same Sex attracted adolescents had 98/156 = 62.8% of the "Depression" counts for all Non-Heterosexual adolescents. ORs and RRs, "Attempting Suicide" in the Category compared to their  Heterosexual Counterpart.

The New Zealand 2007 National Secondary School Youth Health Survey GLB / Non-Heterosexual Adolescents. Awaiting Related Suicidality Results
Sexually Attracted To? --> Categories	Opposite Sex	Same Sex	Both Sex	Unsure	Neither	All Non- Hetero	All
All: n, %, (95% Confidence Interval) 9,098 Males & Females Non-Responders, Sexual Attraction: 1,096 / 9,098 = 12.05%	7,370 92.10% (91.4 - 92.9)	343 4.28% (3.7 - 4.8)		289 3.61 (3.0 - 4.2)		632 7.9%	8,002 100%
All: Attempted Suicide n, % Non-Responders, Suicide Question: Approx: 311 / 9,098 = 3.4%	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	413, 4.7% (4.1 - 5.3) N ~ = 8,787 *
All: Attempted Suicide, Required Medical Treatment.	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	114, 1.3%, (1.0 - 1.5) 114 / 413 = 26.7% of Attempters N ~ = 8.769 *
Male: 4,911, 54.0% Non-Responders, Sexual Attraction: 666 / 4,911 = 13.56%	3,968 93.47% (92.7 - 94.4)	165 3.89% (3.2 - 4.5)		112 2.64% (2.0 - 3.2)		277 6.52%	4,245, 100% 53% of Sample
Males: Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	138, 2.9% (2.4 - 3.5) N ~ = 4,758 *
Males: Attempted Suicide, Required Medical Treatment.	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	47, 1.0%, (0.7 - 1.3). 47 / 138  = 34.1% of Male Attempters N ~ = 4,700 *
Māori Males: Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	4.4%
Pākehā/NZ European Males: Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	2.4%
Female: 4,187, 46.0% Non-Responders, Sexual Attraction: 430 / 4,187 = 10.27%	3,402 90.55% (89.6 - 91.6)	178 4.74% (4.0 - 5.3)		177 4.71% 3.9 - 5.5		355 9.45%	3,757, 100% 47% of  Sample
Females Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	275, 6.7% (5.9 - 7.5) N ~ = 4.104 *
Females: Attempted Suicide, Required Medical Treatment.	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	67, 1.6% (1.2 - 2.0). 67 / 275 = 24.36 of Female Attempters N ~ = 4,187 *
Māori Females: Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	9.6%
Pākehā/NZ European Females: Attempted Suicide: n, %	n, % ?	n, % ?		n, % ?		n, % ?	5.1%
* Estimates From the Number as Related to Percentage Given. E.G. 413 / 0.047 = 8,787. But correct N could be from about 8,713 (413 / 0.0474) to 8.862 (413 / 0.0466) Data Sources: Adolescent Health Research Group (2008) & Clark et al. (2008)