During my six years of involvement with youth organisation Minus18, I鈥檝e seen thousands of same-sex attracted and gender diverse teens struggling with their sexuality come through our doors.
It鈥檚 crucial to note, that for an overwhelming majority of young people, the 鈥榮truggle鈥� isn鈥檛 with identity itself. Most are happy, if not excited, to be exploring their newly discovered sexual and gender identities.
It鈥檚 the fear of homophobia that causes the most damage, and it鈥檚 this fear that increases a young person鈥檚 risk of depression, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide.
That鈥檚 why when I read Margaret Court鈥檚 most recent comments, drawing a link between being gay and being abused, my stomach dropped. Amongst other things, she insists, 鈥淚t is not something you are born with鈥� and her 鈥渃oncern is that we are advocating to young people that it is OK to have [same-sex] feelings鈥�.
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鈥檚 comments as nothing more than those of a zealot, the broader impact of her words are the most worrying part.
She鈥檚 not only undoing the efforts of groups such as Freedom2be, who work to bridge the divide between sexuality and religion, but she鈥檚 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鈥檚 comments, it鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
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.