supporting lgbtiq carers with pride · private lives 2 (aus) ... 2012-13: asking questions...

Copyright Carers Victoria 2012 ©

Supporting LGBTIQ carers with pride

Carers Victoria & Carers NSW May 2015


• What we know about LGBTIQ carers

• Inclusive carer services

• How you can get involved


Respect for diversity is the basis for fair

and equitable access to services

Person first, not label

Never assume ─ if in doubt, ask!

Navigating the Rainbow Alphabet

Copyright © Carers Victoria 2014


What we know


Caregiving and Care Receiving Among Older LGB Adults (US)

+65% older LGB people provided care in the last 5 years

Private Lives 2 (Aus)

30% of LGBT people in Australia classify themselves as current carers

Survey of the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTI Older People 2013-14 (NSW)

15% of LGBTI people over 50 were caring for another person

A significant proportion of LGBTIQ people identify as having a caring role …

… yet LGBTIQ carers say they are often unsupported in this role


They often take on a caring role within their biological family if their

relationship is not recognised (seen as ‘single’) or have no children

LGBT carers care for:

• elderly people (32%)

• people with a long-term

illness (16%)

• people with a disability (13%)

• children (10%)

• people with illness, accident

or surgery (9%)

Source: Leonard et al. 2012


Carer stories


Holly cares for her mum who has

mental health challenges.

Holly’s girlfriend Sam helps her with

the care and is accepted by Holly’s

family as a ‘second daughter’.

Holly and Sam’s friends know they

have been in a relationship for 18

months but Holly hasn’t told her

family because she is worried about

making her mum’s condition worse.

Adapted from a carer’s story

Holly’s story

Copyright Carers Victoria 2012 © Caller to Carers NSW Carer Line, 2014

Geoff’s story

Geoff cares for his mother, who has diabetes and a vision impairment. Geoff is a shift worker, and is expected to work overtime, but these long working hours mean that he is too tired to care for his mum.

When Geoff told his employer that he wasn’t able to do overtime anymore, he was told he should take carers leave.

Geoff believes that he is experiencing discrimination because he is gay. He wants the same rights as his colleagues who have children and are able to leave work on time.


Marissa cares for her partner who

has a chronic illness. Marissa wants

to talk with other carers who know

what it’s like to support someone

with a long-term medical condition.

She has considered joining a local

carer support group, but she

doesn’t know if they will welcome

her as a transgender woman, and

so she decides not to attend.

Adapted from a carer’s story

Marissa’s story


‘I have been a single mother of a daughter with chronic health problems for the past 23 years.

Now I find myself on my own with little connection to the LGBT community and with little to no confidence on how to connect.

I envision living out the rest of my life alone if I can’t connect to others this saddens me deeply.’

Quoted from Hughes & Kentlyn (2014)

Dana’s story


Patrick described how care providers

organised respite so he could attend

Pride Week activities ─ but they didn’t

ask him first.

He found this to be ‘kind of nice,

really’ but ultimately misinformed,

because he hadn’t planned to attend

Pride Week activities.

‘They just decided that’s what all

gays do.’

Adapted from Washington et. al (2015)

Patrick’s story


Inclusive carer services



Policy context

Reform in aged care legislation & policy recognises LGBTIQ carers: LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care Strategy

LGBTIQ carers are largely invisble in carer policy

Diversity is acknowledged, but must address the specific needs of LGBTIQ carers


Carers NSW

Building the Foundations…

2010: GLBTI Carers – Hidden Carer Awareness project

On the Radar

2013: Established a diversity group

Renewed Focus

2014-15: Targeted outreach LGBTIQ services

Partnering with ACON to deliver LGBTIQ carer support


Carers Victoria

2006-08: First steps

Inclusive practice staff training GLHV)

Rainbow Carers information project

(ALSO Foundation)

2012-13: Asking questions

Reconnect with LGBTIQ organisations Plan for sustainable approach

2014-15+: On the journey

Staff education Diversity Working Group Quality audit

HEY YQC Grant LGBTI carers research Positive Caring Manual


Good practice = inclusive practice

• Listen to LGBTIQ carers (‘with us, not about us’)

• Foster rapport and trust with diverse communities

• Build capacity in inclusive and reflective practice

• Embed specific needs of LGBTIQ carers in diversity and business

planning

• Take action to ensure access for LGBTIQ carers to specialist carer

support services

• Advocate for LGBTIQ carers within policy shift to integrated carer

support



Get involved



• National LGBTI Carers Research

• LGBTI Carer Services Network

• LGBTI carer advocacy

• Staff/mgt/board PD – inclusive practice

• Join National LGBTI Health Alliance

• Conferences 2015:

• Health in Difference Conference (August, Canberra)

• LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care (October, Melbourne)


Find out more


Some key contacts

• National LGBTI Health Alliance

• Qlife (national)

• Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria/Val's Café

• Pride in Diversity

• The Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby

• The Gender Centre (NSW), Zoe Belle Gender Centre (Vic), Transgender Victoria

• Bisexual Alliance (Vic)

• Intersex Australia (OII Aust)

• ACON

• Victorian AIDS Council & the Gay Men’s Health Centre (and Cross Cultural Project)

• Living Positive Victoria

• Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council

• Rainbow Families Council

• PFLAG

• Rainbow Network Victoria

• Minus 18

• Ygender (Vic)

• Australian Lesbian Medical Association (DocLIST)

• LGBTIQ Legal Advice Service, Fitzroy Legal Service

• Specific cultural identity groups – some examples:

Greek and Gay

Queer Muslims

Yellow Kitties/Gay Asian Proud

Helem Arab Gay Group

Aleph Melbourne (Jewish)


• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ – QUAC 2 SPiRiTS (QLD); OutBlack (Vic); Moolagoo Mob (SA)

http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/health2013

https://www.qlife.org.au/

http://www.glhv.org.au/

http://www.valscafe.org.au/

http://www.prideindiversity.com.au/

http://www.vglrl.org.au/

http://www.gendercentre.org.au/

http://www.gendercentre.com/

http://www.transgednervictoria.com/

http://www.bi-alliance.org/

http://oii.org.au/faq/

http://www.acon.org.au/

http://www.vicaids.asn.au/

http://www.vicaids.asn.au/cross-cultural-project

http://www.livingpositivevictoria.org.au/

http://www.agmc.org.au/

http://www.rainbowfamilies.org.au/

http://www.pflagvictoria.org.au/

http://www.rainbownetwork.net.au/

http://www.minus18.org.au/

http://www.ygender.com/

http://www.doclist.com.au/

http://www.fitzroy-legal.org.au/

http://www.agmc.org.au/resources

http://www.qahc.org.au/2-spirits-promoting-healthy-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-communities

http://www.moolagoomob.com/


Reports & research• National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Ageing and Aged Care Strategy (2013)

• National LGBTI Health Alliance:

LGBTI Health 2013 – People, Profiles and Perspectives, August 2013

Health Information Sheet: Inclusive Language on Intersex, Trans and Gender Diversity, July 2013

• Private Lives 2: The second national survey of the health and wellbeing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Australians (Leonard et al. 2012)

• Well Proud – Victorian Ministerial Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex Health & Wellbeing

• GLHV and the Centre for Excellence in Rural Health:

Beyond: we treat everyone the same Transgender and gender diverse health and wellbeing (2014)

GLBTI inclusive practice: working with rural communities

• Dr Catherine Barrett, Matrix Guild & Vintage Men:

My People (2008) Permission to Speak (2009)

• We don't have any of those people here – GLBTI Rights in Ageing Inc (GRAI), Western Australia

• Rainbow Tick Practice Audit – GLHV

• Intersex for allies (OII Australia, 2014)

• TranZnation Report (ARCSHS, 2007) – survey of health and wellbeing of trans* communities (Aust & New Zealand)

• Submission to NSW Health on the Draft Multicultural Health Policy and Implementation Plan 2011-15 (acon, 2010)

• We’re Family Too (acon, 2011) – experiences of same sex attracted (SSA) people from Arabic-speaking backgrounds in NSW

• Double trouble? The health needs of culturally diverse MSM (Reeders, Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health, 2010)

• Nothing for them – support needs of LGBT young people from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds (GLHV/ARCSHS, 2014)

• Count Me In Too – University of Brighton, UK

• Survey of the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTI Older People in NSW 2013-14 (Hughes & Kentlyn 2014)

• Older LGBT people’s care networks and communities of practice (Hughes & Kentlyn 2011)

• Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minorities Caring for Adults with Non-Aids-related Chronic Illnesses (Washington et. al. 2015)

• Caregiving and Care Receiving Among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults (Grossman et. al. 2007)


http://www.health.gov.au/lgbtistrategy



http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/diversity

http://www.glhv.org.au/report/private-lives-2-report

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/diversity/glbti.htm

http://www.glhv.org.au/report/beyond-we-treat-everyone-same

http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/Transgender-and-gender-diverse-health-and-wellbeing

http://www.glhv.org.au/files/GLBTIinclusivePracticeInRuralCommunities.pdf

http://www.glhv.org.au/report/my-people-project-exploring-experiences-gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender-and-intersex-seniors

http://www.matrixguildvic.org.au/publications.htm

http://grai.org.au/category/research/

http://www.glhv.org.au/glbti-inclusive-practice

oii.org.au/allies

http://www.glhv.org.au/node/398

http://www.acon.org.au/sites/default/files/Multicultural Health Policy_ACON Submission.PDF

http://www.wearefamilytoo.com.au/index.html

http://www.glhv.org.au/report/double-trouble-health-needs-culturally-diverse-men-who-have-sex-men

http://www.glhv.org.au/files/Nothing_for_them_report.pdf

http://www.countmeintoo.co.uk/

http://www.grai.org.au/sites/default/files/Outrageous Ageing Survey Report (1)_0.pdf

http://epubs.scu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1704&context=sass_pubs

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/271644262_Experiences_of_Sexual_and_Gender_Minorities_Caring_for_Adults_with_Non-AIDS-Related_Chronic_Illnesses

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J041v18n03_02


Acknowledgements

• Carers who shared their stories and insights

• Claudia Validum, Carers NSW

• Wellbeing Programs Unit, ACON

• Samantha Edmonds, National LGBTI Health Alliance

• Jill Cameron, Carers Victoria; Tim Hackett

• Carolyn Whyte, Val’s Café Coordinator, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), La Trobe University

• Gay & Lesbian Health Victoria

• Pride in Diversity


Carolina Simpson (NSW)

Meredith Butler (Vic)

© Carers Victoria & Carers NSW 2015

Carers NSW Biennial Conference

May 2015, Sydney

Contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]

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