June is Pride Month and in the midst of the celebrations it is also a time to remember that the LGBTQIA++ community continues to fight discrimination every day. In India, there are an estimated 45.5 million people who identify as queer.
The LGBTQIA++ community, despite being accepted by law, has had to face stigmatization, social rejection, victimization, homophobia and transphobia. It can lead to a person trying to deny or hide their sexual orientation and gender identity, which can cause long-term mental health problems and distress.
Institutionally, the queer community is one of the 12 least represented in public health equity research. In the 2018 Supreme Court verdict that overturned Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized “unnatural” sex, Judge DY Chandrachud had written about the responsibility of mental health professionals in providing support and advocacy to LGBTQI++ communities.
Yet there remains a gap in services and access, and little to no public conversation or information about queer mental health.
A conversation
What is required is a public discourse on queer mental health. The first step is to have a public conversation within the community and society at large about discrimination, stigma, and queer mental health.
Ensuring adequate representation, the dissemination of factual information, and the representation of diverse and queer narratives is the first step towards creating a more inclusive discourse.
The definition of a house evokes ideas of security and protection. Nevertheless, #QueerTrans People often live in constant fear of being discriminated against by people in their immediate environment. pic.twitter.com/kVAzT37kit
— Mhealthinitiative (@mariwalahealth) June 10, 2022
This can be done through social media, major news channels, and the arts and culture industry. Panel discussions, interviews, and articles should not be limited to English speakers, but should also be in vernacular languages, creating an inclusive space for all narratives.
Such speech should start early. For many LGBTQIA++ people, it is difficult to deal with sexuality in their families, communities, and even educational institutions. The most severe abuse and discrimination occur within these closed spaces.
A space to ‘get out’
The lack of family and community acceptance still generates fears about “coming out”. Mental health professionals agree that, in any way, shape or form, “coming out” is an important psychological step for the LGBTQIA++ community.
Without this, it is almost impossible to provide adequate mental health care with a focus on particular problems in the community. The question is, how can you create a safe space for people to come out without risking discrimination and prejudice?
Educational institutions at all levels play an important role in creating safer spaces and raising awareness among parents and children. They have the opportunity to build community spaces where members of the queer community can meet and discuss and resolve challenges.
#Coming out It is a continuous process of #queertrans folx & should not be seen as a necessary goal on your journey.
A decision not to date is not a sign of some kind of “incompleteness”, nor does it imply a lack of “authentic” #queer identity.#PrideMonth #Pride2022 pic.twitter.com/fX0ZgFFTw1
— Mhealthinitiative (@mariwalahealth) June 3, 2022
Institutions must ensure that teaching methods are queer-sensitive, thereby normalizing diverse family structures, sexualities, and gender orientations. Everyone must be trained to use inclusive language and ensure that stereotypes are not used.
At the school level, parents and children should be involved in awareness programs. Parents must be given the tools to be able to talk to their children about sexuality and identity in a sensitive and empathetic way. They need to be taught that being queer is normal, and even if they feel uncomfortable with the idea, they need to support their children.
Some schools in some cities have consciously incorporated such efforts. Studies have shown that queer people, whose parents do not accept their sexuality and gender, are more prone to suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, gender dysphoria, and other issues. This toxic cycle must be broken.
affirmative health
With the Covid-19 pandemic, this need for parental support has become critical. Gay children, youth and adults have been locked up at home with their parents, many of whom do not accept their children’s sexuality and gender, or do not know what it means. Therefore, the LGBTQIA++ community has become a home for many, providing support and strength to its members.
With the pandemic, this support has become more difficult to provide, leading to an increase in mental health problems due to isolation and fear.
Schools are supposed to be a safe space, but unfortunately in India, that’s where the downfall of childhood begins. If gender and sexuality were a table conversation, we could have saved many lives like our fellow queer boy from Faridabad. https://t.co/YlBDGW8i4E
– Vinay Arote (@VinayATOI) March 20, 2022
Social media, group chats, and other forms of online socializing can bring a sense of comfort to the community despite not being able to meet physically. However, what about those who do not have access to these resources?
The past two years have reinforced the need for affirmative and appropriate mental health care for all sectors of the LGBTQIA++ community.
Affirmative counseling within communities, especially at the grassroots, through inclusive narratives, can help a queer person to accept, discover, and build their identity. Such initiatives must be delivered through educational programs at the grassroots level in local languages.
bias in mental health
Even the mental health community is often biased and not accepting. Counselors must be educated about LGBTQIA++ affirmative treatment and the realities experienced by a queer individual as a result of stigma and prejudice.
Private counseling over the phone should be provided to those who do not have access to in-person care, while ensuring the privacy of those living in dangerous or disturbing circumstances. In addition, mental health care must be accessible to those who do not have the financial resources.
This goes doubly for mental health professionals: Coming out to anyone, including a professional you worry about who might assume your difficulties are due to your identity, is scary and anxiety-provoking even for homosexuals (p. g., me) who have a lot of experience in coming out. https://t.co/TmDU25w5Ia
— Alienor (Lili) LC (@alienorlc) February 18, 2020
Little research has been done in India on the queer community and that has added to the lack of available mental health care. The Raahat Project aims to bridge this gap by engaging LGBTQIA++ youth in mental health and self-care.
The idea behind the project is to create a multilingual Youth Mental Health Awareness, Literacy and Self-Care program led by LGBTQIA++ youth for whom it is intended.
There is an urgent requirement for India to act on LGBTQIA++ mental health. Community-focused, targeted programs and institutional awareness are required to ensure that the toxic cycle of prejudice is broken.
Open conversations today can help build an inclusive society tomorrow where one’s identity does not define one’s place in the world.
Samragni Dagupta, is a theater artist, queer writer, and public policy professional associated with the The Rahat Project.
.
