May 16, 2022

IDAHOBIT event to launch report on services for multicultural gender, sex and sexuality diverse communities

UOW community engagement research project to extend outreach to multicultural gender, sex and sexuality diverse communities

During the COVID-19 pandemic community organisations have observed that gender, sex and sexuality diverse communities’ vulnerabilities have deepened. Gender, sex and sexuality diverse people, particularly multicultural queer communities have experienced higher rates of mental health issues, unemployment, financial hardship and housing instability than the rest of the population.

Community service organisations have reported access to healthcare and services continue to be constrained by existing forms of discrimination and marginalisation.

A new report, to be launched by the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Advance Diversity Services (ADS) on Tuesday 17 May, examines the knowledge, skills and attitudes of diversity service workers when servicing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) queer communities. By ‘queer’, the project refers to gender, sex and sexuality diverse from dominant gender, sex and sexuality binary systems and norms, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, intersex, trans, non-binary and gender queer.

The report is being launched virtually on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) to promote anti-discrimination.

The community-based research project Understanding diversity services workers’ knowledge and skills gap in servicing CALD queer communities in the context of COVID19 aims to better understand and equip community service workers with skills to provide more appropriate, effective and timely services to CALD gender, sex and sexuality diverse communities.

Dr Quah Ee Ling Sharon, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry and Chair of the UOW Ally Network, is the Chief Investigator of the project and will present the findings and recommendations on how to support CALD gender, sex and sexuality diverse people access mainstream services such as aged care, disability care and settlement services during the virtual event.

The project was awarded a 2020 UOW Community Engagement Grant enabling ADS to commission the research required.

ADS is a non-profit multicultural community organisation that provides crucial support services such as migrant and refugee settlement, aged care, disability and mental health support to the CALD communities across the Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale and Sutherland Shire Local Government Areas.

“There was evidence to suggest that gender, sex and sexuality diverse people were being left behind in the way the government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic,” CEO of ADS Antoinette Chow said.

“Simultaneously, we had observed that CALD queer people hesitated to approach multicultural community organisations for support due to uncertainty about the level of acceptance towards them among CALD local and migrant communities, and whether the services they’d receive would be queer sensitive and friendly.”

Dr Quah and her team surveyed respondents, conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews and facilitated focus group discussions on ADS staff and volunteers’ knowledge of gender, sex and sexuality, their attitudes and behaviours towards queer people, and thoughts and potential concerns about ADS extending its services to CALD queer communities.

“The sincerity and eagerness of multicultural organisations, like ADS, to extend mainstream services to gender, sex and sexuality diverse individuals, particularly CALD queer people is exciting to see,” Dr Quah said.

During the report launch Dr Quah will present strategies to address gaps, target diversity training and shape services for CALD gender, sex and sexuality diverse communities. Key project findings include the urgent need to conduct more in-depth knowledge building exercises and community forums on the multiple and diverse cultural meanings of gender, sex and sexuality.

“Through this project we found that it’s really important not to insist on mainstream understanding of gender, sex and sexuality diversity - like the notion of coming out or the use of pronouns on CALD communities or even CALD gender, sex and sexuality diverse people,” Dr Quah said.

“We know that there are multiple cultural groups in various parts of Australia and there are therefore diverse cultural meanings and systems of gender, sex and sexuality as well.

“Our understanding of using pronouns, for example, just doesn’t make sense in certain language groups. And for some, gender, sex and sexuality are considered as private matters and not as a central part of their personal narratives and identities.”

Dr Quah hopes by fostering strong relationships with community-based organisations and community leaders, this pilot project can be developed into a broader study to investigate the specific care needs and practices of CALD gender, sex and sexuality diverse people and how receptive they would be to access services from mainstream CALD organisations. She also hopes to investigate further the multiple cultural meanings and systems of gender, sex and sexuality across and within CALD communities.

The report launch “Understanding Diversity Service Workers' Knowledge & Skills Gap in Servicing Culturally Diverse Queer Communities” event will be held virtually via Zoom, on Tuesday 17 May at 10am AEDT

The event is free, and everyone is welcome to join. You can register your attendance via info@advancediversity.org.au.