Regrettably, a significant body of research supports the view that LGBTIQ individuals have a higher per capita level of risk of mental illness, self-harm and suicide. For a variety of factors their life journey can be much more difficult to navigate.

LGBTIQ individuals from multicultural, multi-faith and multi-lingual backgrounds often face additional challenges around coming out, family acceptance and soliciting support from within their own communities.

Often being gender or sexually diverse means putting themselves at odds with cultural norms, being in conflict with doctrinal positions or failing to meet family expectations. The results can include living in denial or a second life; being shunned; mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression; or self-harming as a means of coping or escaping the psychological pain.

This workshop examines some of the issues affecting this demographic, provide some suggestions as to how to support them, and suggest some resources that may be of assistance to those working with clients from CALD backgrounds who identify as gender and sexually diverse.

Presenter

Dr Tony Mordini is an educator, commentator and academic with over 30 years of experience in the education, health and community services sectors.  He is particularly passionate about the needs of children and adolescents who are affected by trauma, identify as sexually and gender diverse, come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and/or are burdened by mental illness. 

His broad experiences include the leadership of two schools in the Northern Territory; a Ministerial appointment as a senior policy consultant; and senior university and school leadership roles with portfolio responsibilities for equity, disability services, counselling, policy and learning support.