4 Ways to Be an Ally - A spotlight on Mental Health
Happy Pride Week, Halifax!
Being that it’s Pride week in Halifax and Tranquility cares deeply about mental wellness, I wanted to chat today about mental health in the LBGTQ+ community and how to help.
First, some facts:
According to the Homewood Health Centre (one of the leading Mental Health centres in Canada), there are a few things that contribute to one’s positive mental health and wellness. Those three things are:
Social inclusion
Freedom from discrimination and violence
Access to economic resources
Since members of the LGBTQ+ community are often excluded from experiencing this freedom, inclusion and access, there is a significant risk for mental illness to develop. According to the CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association), those who identify as Queer face higher rates of:
depression,
anxiety,
obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorders,
suicidality
substance use
Compared to heterosexual people, sexual minority individuals are:
2x more likely to have PTSD
2.5x more likely to attempt suicide
2-4x more likely to abuse alcohol, tobacco and other substances
LBGTQ+ youth are 14x more at risk for substance abuse and suicide
Some signs that you might benefit from getting help are that you feel on the verge of tears, tired, shut yourself off from others, no longer have any interest in doing things you used to enjoy, use substances to cope with your feelings, harm yourself or have thoughts of taking your life.
If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone, you are cared for and important. There are ways to get help and if the first few ways you try don’t work, there will be one that does.
Here are some resources for Canadians:
Rainbow Health Ontario has developed a fact sheet about LGBTQ Mental Health and provides additional resources.
It Gets Better Campaign – In response to publicized suicides by LGBT youth, author Dan Savage initiated the It Gets Better campaign (http://www.itgetsbetter.org) through which supportive LGBT people and allies share supportive messages through online videos.
Kids Help Phone – Children and youth ages 5 to 20 can speak with trained counsellors at Kids Health Phone (1-800-668-6868).
Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Trans Youthline – The Lesbian, Gay, Bi & Trans Youthline offers free peer support for youth aged 26 and under (1-800-268-9688).
Parents, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) (www.pflagcanada.ca) is a resource for LGBT people and their families.
GLAAD- Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -A collaborative list of resources categorized by how one might identify
Here to Help- BC based resource list with options open to all Canadians
The stats go on and on and are NOT uplifting. Our society is failing the LBGTQ+ community members.
So with all those stats, what can we do? I know reading those facts can feel very disheartening, (imagine experiencing it!). Thankfully there are lots of resources available (listed above) and things we can all do to help ease the pain of those experiencing discrimination due to their sexuality.
4 Ways to Be an Ally
An Ally is a straight and/or cisgender person (a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex) who supports and advocates for LGBTQ+ people. Because an ally hasn’t had to experience the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community has faced, it might be hard to understand certain situations and know how to be an authentic ally.
Here are some tips.
1. Acknowledge your privilege and use it to benefit the community
Our society normalizes being straight/cisgendered. Start by recognizing you’ve benefited from this and use your privilege, position, voice, and influence to create new opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to create a truly equal and inclusive society.
2. Continuously educate yourself and listen
Learn about LGBTQ+ history and make sure you’re aware of the correct terminology. Read books and articles and blog posts (like you’re doing now!), watch movies, documentaries, tv shows that give you a look into what its like to be a Queer person. If there’s something you don’t understand, open your mind and your heart, have respect, ask questions and educate yourself. Listen to the personal stories of LGBTQ+ people and put yourself in their shoes.
3. Actively show your support
Share on social media, stand up to bullies, call out ignorant comments and jokes, attend events, volunteer at organizations that promote inclusion, protest, march, donate, contact congresspeople, lawmakers and politicians to urge them to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
4. Embrace all members of the community
You can’t be an ally if you only favour one group. It doesn’t work like that. The LGBTQ+ community is a minority group made up of many other minority groups. This means double the discrimination and exclusion from society. Remember to include EVERY member of the community and always treat them with love, kindness, and respect.
Being a person who identifies as a sexual minority is very difficult in this society. The Gay Pride Movement is doing wonderful things to make being proud of who you are a more acceptable thing, but there is still so much work to do - both internally and externally. Start first with your own thoughts and feelings, challenge yourself and always treat people with respect. As simple as it is, it’s very important to follow the Golden Rule:
If you are a member of the LBGTQ+ community and there’s anything we got wrong in this blog post or something you’d like to add, please let us know by contacting info@tranquility.app
Be kind to each other,
Stephanie
Senior Coach at Tranquility