Rainbow Community House Fundraiser
This Thursday 16 May, Secondary School students are invited to participate in fundraising activities to acknowledge IDAHOBIT Day, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia.
Money raised on the day will be donated to Rainbow Community House, an LGBTQIA+ counselling service for young people and their families. Students can donate a gold coin to wear their usual winter uniform with a solid-coloured item (e.g. a shirt, scarf, or socks) or a rainbow item. Students will be encouraged to get together at lunchtime to use their colours to complete the rainbow for photographs. There will be a bake sale outside the Library and music in the Quad.
If any students or their parents would like to contribute baked items for sale, they can be dropped off at the Secondary Library on the day of the bake sale.
IDAHOBIT Day helps to highlight issues important to the LGBTQIA+ community. We have members of the St Mark’s community who are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The School’s support of fundraising for the Rainbow Community House is to recognise that a number of life experiences for members of the LGBTQIA+ community are relatively poor. Rainbow Community House works to support young LGBTQIA+ people who require outside support or assistance.
When I wrote in 2022 to our community about a similar fundraising effort for Rainbow Community House, I highlighted findings from a report released in 2021 (a survey conducted in 2019) by La Trobe University. The Writing Themselves in 4 national report was conducted by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University, with support from Rainbow Health Australia and Rainbow Network.
The survey asked 6,418 LGBTQA+ people aged 14 to 21 about their experiences with education, homelessness, harassment, assault, mental health, community connections and more.
Findings from the report included:
- After disclosing their sexuality or gender identity, 88.3 per cent felt supported by their friends and 65.2 per cent by teachers.
- In the past year, 60.2 per cent reported having felt unsafe or uncomfortable at secondary school due to their sexuality or gender identity. This was also true for 33.8 per cent of those at TAFE and 29.2 per cent of those at university.
- In the past year, 40.8 per cent had experienced verbal harassment; 22.8 per cent sexual harassment or assault; 9.7 per cent physical harassment or assault.
- 81 per cent reported high or very high levels of psychological distress.
- 10.1 per cent had attempted suicide in the past year, and 25.6 per cent had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.
- 23.6 per cent had experienced homelessness, and for 11.5 per cent, it was in the past year. This was often directly related to family rejection of participants being LGBTQIA+.
- In relation to almost all findings, trans and gender-diverse young people experienced disproportionately poor health outcomes, while rural youth had experienced more harassment or assault and were more likely to face mental health challenges compared to those living in cities.
Lead researcher, La Trobe Associate Professor Adam Bourne, said the report highlighted the ongoing and significant impact of stigma, discrimination, violence, and abuse on LGBTQIA+ young people.
Source: Youth National Survey
In her letter of 31 October 2018, the Archbishop of Perth, The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy, wrote, “Our school communities should be places which reflect the imprint of God’s grace for the students and staff within them. Our school communities should be places in which all members of the community may grow into the full measure of God’s love. Faith, excellence, justice, respect, integrity and diversity are the ASC core values which are part of every ASC school.“
The ASC’s Strategic Plan 2025 lists ‘Inclusion, Justice and Respect’ as a core activity.
In its Strategic Plan 2021-2025, St Mark’s notes that it is a priority to create a safe, equitable, optimistic, and inclusive environment of trust, care, and support and to work to understand, learn with, and serve others, including those of diverse identities, communities, and beliefs, and those experiencing hardship or disadvantage.
St Mark’s is very clear that we value diversity and inclusion. We align with the Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Perth and the Anglican Schools Commission in this regard.
St Mark’s is pleased to contribute to Rainbow Community House, which aims to help achieve better health outcomes for young people in the LBGTQIA+ community, including those who are also part of the St Mark’s community.
Mr Steven Davies,
Principal