MHM Magazine

Beyond experiencing oppression in society in various ways related to their race, class status, mental health and/or disability, young people also experience challenges as they begin to actualise their gender identities, expressions, and sexuality. It’s evident youth are becoming increasingly vocal around LGBTIQ+ issues, and are visibly rejecting heteronormative 1 and binary societal expectations at home, in school and online. Young people with varying gender expressions and those who are open about their sexualities, and don’t identify as heterosexual, often face immense difficulty in society, but particularly in school environments. Queer youth experience bullying, name-calling, discrimination, prejudice and at times violence in schools because of their gender expressions and/or sexual orientations. Schools are often the most contentious spaces where these issues are raised, and school councillors are frequently the first responders when there are cases of homophobia 2 and transphobia 3 in school environments. In many instances, the school councillor may not have the knowledge and the experience to respond to an LGBTIQA+ 4 learner, at risk of self- harm or suicide, and in need of urgent help. The young person that meets the school councillor, who experiences bullying and resultantly suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts, will be in a very vulnerable position if the councillor is not sensitised and equipped to understand the complexities of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). What the young person who is engaging with a councillor during that crucial moment of trauma containment needs, is allyship and empathy… certainly not judgement and misunderstanding around their identity. It therefore becomes crucially important to take stock of one’s own biases and beliefs related to gender and sexuality, before counselling a young and vulnerable LGBTIQ+ person. GETTING SCHOOLED: LEARNING FROM THE VOICES AND EXPERIENCES OF LGBTIQ+ YOUTH EDITORIAL By Genevieve Louw Research Associate GALA Queer Archive www.gala.co.za 1. Heteronormativity: A socio-political system that, predicated on the gender binary, upholds heterosexuality as the norm or default sexual orientation. Heteronormativity encompasses a belief that people fall into distinct and “complimentary” genders (men and women) with natural roles in life. It assumes that sexual, romantic and marital relations are most fitting between a cisgender man and a cisgender woman, positioning all other sexual orientations as ‘deviations’. 2. Homophobia: The fear or dislike of someone, based on prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs or views about LGBTQIA+ people. 3. Transphobia: The fear or dislike of someone based on the fact that they are transgender, including the denial/refusal to accept their gender identity. 4. LGBTQIA+: An acronym standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual. This is not an exhaustive list, as denoted by the inclusion of the plus symbol, which nods to the varying sexual orientations and gender identities that exist around the world. Issue 4 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 1 MHM