Back To the Main SiteDesiring Gendered Bodies
Pleasure Activism Australia was kind enough to republish an article on gender and sexuality that I wrote. They are a great website, and a group working for a very important cause. After all, who couldn’t use a little extra guilt free pleasure once in a while? Anyway, go check them out, and here is my article reposted for your enjoyment.
Parents Attitudes and LGB Health
A friend of my mothers once told me that it is a sin to be gay. This should have been entirely unsurprising given that my mother is heavily embedded in the Christian church. However, I was surprised in this instance because I thought that this particular woman would know better… she had a Masters in Science, and a Masters in Teaching, and was almost a year into her MBBS, to become a GP. A medical doctor. When I questioned her thinking, she went on to explain that it is clearly a sin, because Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people suffer poorer health than the general population.
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.
Request for Interviewees
Hat tip to Nix for this:
FOR CLEO MAGAZINE
Hi folks,
I’m looking to interview two or three young couples (20-35-ish), in which one partner is basically a straight female and the other is trans, for an article for CLEO magazine.
The article is looking at issues facing women whose male partner or boyfriend announces they wish to transition to female; and/or women who have been dating a guy who’s a trans man.
Let me say straight away that is no sensationalist piece aimed to titillate; it’s a chance to educate half a million readers of a mainstream women’s magazine about some of the challenges faced by couples in which one person is trans, how to overcome them, handling family and friends, ‘do’s and don’ts’ and so on.
About me: I am a freelance journalist who writes predominantly for the GLBTIQ media. I write for SX, Sydney’s weekly magazine for the queer community, am the former editor of Cherrie, which during my time was very trans and genderqueer friendly, and the co-editor of a new book called Trans People in Love (Routledge 2008), an anthology of real-life stories by trans people from across the globe of their experiences of being in love with a significant other or others. I am a lesbian who’s been in a relationship with a beautiful trans woman (co-editor Tracie O’Keefe) for 15 years. Tracie has on more than one occasion been ‘fitted up’ by mainstream media seeking to sensationalise her trans status so rest assured I know how horrible that is and would never put another person through that. I figure that if a mainstream women’s magazine such as CLEO is willing to run an article along these lines, they may as well have a writer who understands the issues and sensitivity required!
The reason I’m looking for younger couples and ones in which one of the partners is essentially a straight female (although their sexuality may change or broaden and this would be great to discuss) is simply that this is CLEO’s demographic (I’m not being ageist!).
I’m happy to do interviews by phone, email or in person (central Sydney only). CLEO would also like one couple to be photographed, so please indicate if you’re up for this (if not, but you’re willing to be interviewed anyway, please still get in touch).
Deadline: I need to do interviews by Friday 6 February.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PASS THIS CALLOUT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, NETWORKS ETC.
Thank you in advance for your help.
My contact details are:
Katrina Fox
Freelance journalist & editor
Ph +61 (0) 2 9399 8796
Mob 0404 089 045
Email info[AT]katrinafox[DOT]com
Web www.katrinafox.com
Recent Comments