Writing Themselves In 4

Two cartoon LGBTQA+ young people look at eachother in front of a purple gradient background

The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia

2020-2021

Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne

In 2019, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University, with support from Rainbow Health Australia and Rainbow Network, asked 6,418 LGBTQA+ people aged 14 to 21 about their experiences with education, homelessness, harassment, assault, mental health, community connections and more. This is the largest ever study on the experiences of LGBTQA+ young people aged 14-21 in Australia.

The national report includes these findings and recommendations.


Book cover with design of three diverse cartoon people in bright colours on a pink-orange gradient background, with text 'National report: Writing Themselves In 4: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne, February 2021’ and the logos of La Trobe University and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Download the Writing Themselves In 4 National Report (PDF, 9MB)


Summary reports

These reports summarise key findings from Writing Themselves In 4 that are specific to the participants who were residents in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW), South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC) at the time of completion. They are designed to complement the national report by providing data relating to specific topics broken down at the state/territory level. These reports cover issues that can at times represent challenges for LGBTIQA+ young people (such as mental health, discrimination or abuse) as well as aspects of life that can enhance health and wellbeing (such as supportive relationships and community engagement).


Book cover with design of three diverse cartoon people in bright colours on a blue-green gradient background, with text 'New South Wales summary report: Writing Themselves In 4: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne, February 2021’ and the logos of La Trobe University and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Writing Themselves In: New South Wales summary report (PDF, 5MB)


Book cover with design of three diverse cartoon people in bright colours on an orange-yellow gradient background, with text 'South Australia summary report: Writing Themselves In 4: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne, February 2021’ and the logos of La Trobe University and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Writing Themselves In: South Australian summary report (PDF, 5MB)


Book cover with design of three diverse cartoon people in bright colours on a pink-purple gradient background, with text 'Victoria summary report: Writing Themselves In 4: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne, February 2021’ and the logos of La Trobe University and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Writing Themselves In: Victorian summary report (PDF, 5MB)


Book cover with design of three diverse cartoon people in bright colours on a purple-blue gradient background, with text ‘Australian Capital Territory summary report: Writing Themselves In 4: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne, February 2021’ and the logos of La Trobe University and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Writing Themselves In: Australian Capital Territory summary report (PDF, 5MB)

For access to these reports in an alternative format, please contact arcshs@latrobe.edu.au


Additional analyses and outputs

Hand-lettered map of Australia painted with the progress pride flag, with the states slightly separated and magnifiying glasses over sections of the map

LGBTQA+ mental health and suicidality briefing papers

Drawing from Writing Themselves In 4, as well as Private Lives 3 and Pride and Pandemic, these reports document the rates and associations of mental health and suicidality for LGBTQA+ community members at the State and Territory level in Australia. Across eight individual reports, analyses focus on State- and Territory-level rates of suicidality, mental ill-health, healthcare service access and modalities, risk factors such as discrimination and harassment experiences, and protective factors such as community- and school-based belonging. Each report also documents the association between these factors and levels of suicidality within each State and Territory in Australia.

To establish a broader context for these results, each report also provides comparative estimates between (a) the State or Territory results with general population estimates in Australia from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and (b) a comparison between States and Territories (broadly) from the available data. Lastly, these reports also provide an assessment of each State or Territory's current policy and programming context (along with an assessment at the Primary Health Network level) to establish ways of furthering policy and health reform at the State and Territory level.


Group of diverse cartoon LGBTQ+ people

Rainbow Realities

The Rainbow Realities report was commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to inform development of the 10-year LGBTIQA+ Health and Wellbeing Action Plan. Rainbow Realities provides a synthesis of pre-existing findings as well as more than 50 new analyses derived from the data of six surveys of LGBTQA+ populations in Australia, including Writing Themselves In 4, as well as Private Lives 3, SWASH, Trans Pathways, Walkern Katatdjin (Rainbow Knowledge) and Pride and Pandemic.

The report has been thematically organised into 10 chapters relating to either a key determinant or contributing factor to LGBTQA+ health outcomes, or a topic of particular interest: Mental health and suicidality; income inequality; housing and experiences of homelessness; discrimination and abuse; family violence and sexual assault; alcohol and other drugs; relationships; parenting and sexual and reproductive health; gender affirmation and trans affirming practices; general healthcare; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and intersectional identities.


Text: ‘Research Report: Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQA+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys. Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University’ with the logo of the Australian Government and text ‘Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability’ and ‘November 2022’. Design of purple, dark teal and light teal triangles.

Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQA+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys

This report was compiled to inform the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. It presents data on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer and asexual (LGBTQA+) people with disability in Australia from Writing Themselves In 4, as well as Private Lives 3.

The report covers a wide range of experiences and issues of concern for LGBTQA+ people with disability. This includes: disclosure of sexuality or gender identity to others, and feelings of acceptance or support when doing so; feelings of safety (or otherwise) at work, in educational contexts and in LGBTQA+-specific spaces; experiences of harassment, abuse and discrimination; family and intimate partner violence; mental health or experiences of suicidal ideation or attempt; and feelings of connection to communities of people living with disability and/or those who are LGBTQA+.


Journal articles

The Writing Themselves In 4 research team is currently preparing a range of journal articles that focus in on specific issues in more detail. These will be added to this webpage as they are published online. If you are not able to access them via the links below, please contact arcshs@latrobe.edu.au


Key figures slide set

This slide set provides an accessible means of utilising key figures and data included in the Writing Themselves In 4 National Report. The slides are available to download under a CC-By attribution for use in presentations relating to LGBTQA+ health and social wellbeing. Individual slides can be copied in their entirety but should not be edited, and must be attributed to ARCSHS.

Animated video

In this animation video, members of the study’s Youth Advisory Committee members share what the findings mean to them.


Replay the launch webinar

The launch event features two keynote presentations. First from the study's lead researcher Associate Professor Adam Bourne to present the key findings. The second is from co-author Marina Carman, Director of Rainbow Health Australia.

This is then followed by a panel discussion from co-author Associate Professor Jen Power. Thank you to our panelists Rory Blundell, Oliver Keane, Jasmine Phillips, Deb Tsorbaris and Tim Bavinton.


Highlights from the media

Funding

Writing Themselves In 4 received generous support from:

  • The Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet
  • The Australian Capital Territory Government Office for LGBTIQ+ Affairs
  • The New South Wales Department of Health
  • SHINE SA, with support from the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist in South Australia.

Triangle logo with text 'Victoria State Government: Premier and Cabinet

Black and white swan logo of the ACT Government, with text 'Chief Ministry, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate: The Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs

NSW Government red waratah logo with text 'NSW Health

Text 'Shine SA' in a rounded all caps font

South Australia crest of a piping shrike with wings raised, with text 'Government of South Australia: SA Health