Court’s impact on youth

Court’s impact on youth

During my six years of involvement with youth organisation Minus18, I’ve seen thousands of same-sex attracted and gender diverse teens struggling with their sexuality come through our doors.

It’s crucial to note, that for an overwhelming majority of young people, the ‘struggle’ isn’t with identity itself. Most are happy, if not excited, to be exploring their newly discovered sexual and gender identities.
It’s the fear of homophobia that causes the most damage, and it’s this fear that increases a young person’s risk of depression, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide.

That’s why when I read Margaret Court’s most recent comments, drawing a link between being gay and being abused, my stomach dropped. Amongst other things, she insists, “It is not something you are born with” and her “concern is that we are advocating to young people that it is OK to have [same-sex] feelings”.

When 75 percent of Australian same-sex attracted young people are still experiencing homophobic abuse, it troubles me deeply that the very same people Court is claiming to want to protect, are those whom her words will impact the most negatively.

While it might be easy for us to dismiss Court’s comments as nothing more than those of a zealot, the broader impact of her words are the most worrying part.

She’s not only undoing the efforts of groups such as Freedom2be, who work to bridge the divide between sexuality and religion, but she’s condoning the actions of those who perpetuate hate, and (very loudly) telling gay teenagers all over Australia that who they are is wrong, and should be changed.

Yet amongst the ignorance, and the hate of Court’s comments, it’s heartwarming to hear from those who are expressing their support for same-sex attracted young people. They include headspace CEO Chris Tanti and comedian Tom Ballard, amongst hundreds of thousands of comments on Facebook and Twitter.

Court’s words bring to light how vital it is to raise our voices about comments that perpetuate hate or bigotry, and the importance of organisations like Minus18 in continuing our efforts to support same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people throughout Australia.

INFO: Micah Scott, 23, is Minus18 general manager.

Minus18 is a youth-led organisation for same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people throughout Australia. www.minus18.org.au

You May Also Like

One response to “Court’s impact on youth”

  1. Thanks for speaking up on behalf of young people, Micah. Remember the quote attributed to Edmund Burke: all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.