I’d never spoken on this topic before, but unfortunately I was the only person available for the presentation. I felt very nervous, and probably should have made more effort to prepare before hand. Still, people seemed to be into the presentation, and I gave out our website address, so that hopefully some of the people in the room will be able to come here and find some more useful information.

Talking to people who genuinely want to be able to help trans people is something that really makes this gig worthwhile. Sometimes I get frustrated, and burned out, and wonder if anyone actually cares about this stuff… and then I present somewhere, or speak to someone who is curious, and interested, and wants to be helpful. The vibe I got from this presentation was amazingly positive, and I really appreciate that the teachers at the University of Canberra are making the effort to equip their students to make life a bit easier for the next generation of gender non-conforming and queer kids going through our schooling system.

Would you like to be part of this study? If you would, could you email or ring one of us at Curtin University

Many thanks

Dr Rose Chapman, PhD, MSci (Nursing), Lecturer, School of Nursing & Midwifery.

Professor Linda Shields, PhD, F.R.C.N.A., F.R.S.M., Professor of Paediatric and Child Health Nursing,

Email: r.chapman@curtin.edu.au or l.shields@curtin.edu.au
Telephone: (08) 9266 2095

That logic is flawed right from the beginning, after all, the native Aboriginal people of Australia have the poorest health of any minority group in the country, but one can hardly claim it is a sin to be born black. (For more information about Indigenous Health, see Health Info Net)

The part of that argument that I most want to address today though, is the incorrect notion that LGB people are suffering from poor health *because* they are LGB. A recent study has shown that there is a clear link between a young lesbian, gay or bisexual identified persons health, and their relationship with their family. That would imply that these people have poorer health, not because they are LGB, but because their family has a negative attitude to a large part of their identity.

“For the first time, research has established a predictive link between specific, negative family reactions to their child’s sexual orientation and serious health problems for these adolescents in young adulthood such as depression, illegal drug use, risk for HIV infection, and suicide attempts,” said Caitlin Ryan, who is the lead author of the paper.

So, if you are the parent it would seem that the greatest gift you can give your child, the best way that you can help ensure them a happy, healthy future, is not by trying to ’stamp out the gay’ in them… but to love and accept them for who they are, whether they are same-sex loving, or have a gender identity at odds with how you perceive them.

Abbey is a well known face in the local Sex and Gender Diverse community, she has helped organise NewCTN for years, and has been instrumental in uniting the trans-boys and trans-girls, who until recently had not had much at all to do with one another. She’s heaps of fun, and I hope that she’ll go on to write many more things for our blog.

Here’s the review.

—

As Nature Made Him: the Boy who was raised as a Girl
by John Colapinto

Not heard of this book? Not heard of Dr John Money either?
Well you should go out and get this book a read it and read it you must for it displays a truth about not only the field of psychology but about humans themselves. Which is it that dictates a person, what is it that influences how a child grows up and become? Is it Nature versus Nurture?
I finished reading this book with a sadness. But was at first revolted by the level thinking going on in the field of psychology and still is going on now, as shown. I was appalled by the intensity and sheer bloody-minded personality of Dr Money to force things and people to his way of thinking, and his pettiness and childishness in responding to anyone attempting to argue versus him.
I was equally appalled by the gross sheepish thinking going on by people at the time and to some extent a thinking that still exists. They remain so unaware that their advisory status has the ability to deny true happiness and to destroy the life of the most youngest of children, a most vulnerable section of our population.
It makes you think carefully about the Nature versus Nurture statement. I was appalled by the unquestioning behaviours of people but buoyed by the words of Dr Diamond and his peers whom fight to stop the old ways in favour of a new approach to intersexed individuals.
This book is primarily not about intersexed people, it is about an experiment that should never ever have been allowed to take place, the background that led to the experiment being undertaken and the failure of this experiment despite it having been repeated more than once.
I won’t spoil the story for you but say this; Yes you will feel a range of emotions bought on by the contents, and yes you will feel a sense of relief too at the ‘time of print’ outcome for the experiments’ subject and his family, but at no time forget this happened to a real living person, not some fictional character. This family exists and so does the badness and the goodness too. Let the book fill you will an energy too; the urge to not let other people make a mistake of rushing into any decisions first without careful consideration and neutral consultations over extended periods of time. It reminds me to never just blindly accept the advice of any ‘one expert or experts’, and to acknowledge that who is it that knows your best, you or the expert!
It will also cause you to think about Nature Versus Nurture.
I’m a supporter of the Nature, its born into us, and no matter what Nurture does, Nature will always reveal a person for who and how they truly are. You can learn and yes be guided however ultimately you cannot overcome how you were always meant to be. Perhaps cold comfort but you can always find a middle ground without it and yourself being inflexible.

There is a copy of this book in the ACT Library Service, its catalogue code is 305.9066 Cola.

Cheers

AbbeyJane