Black Rainbow paving the way in First Nations LGBTIQA+SB suicide prevention

I started Black Rainbow almost ten years ago when I was working in suicide prevention in the Kimberley and realised the scarcity of resources, research and support for First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people. Institutional racism exists in the LGBTIQA+SB community and services, and homophobia in Aboriginal health services, so it is difficult for people who are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTIQA+SB identifying to find places they feel welcome and safe. So, there is a gap and need there.

Black Rainbow started as a way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB folk to see themselves represented positively online and know they are part of a community. As Black Rainbow’s profile has grown, donations have allowed us to provide a number of community initiatives and projects, including our Queeroboree webinar series, our 2021 COVID Study and the 2023 AIHW Report (both in partnership with The Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University), our KPMG partnered statUS: A case for First Nations LGBTIQA+SB Self-Determination report and our annual Futures Fund.

Unfortunately, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB people have generally been excluded from data and research. However, we know there are high rates of suicide-related behaviour among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and evidence of heightened rates of suicidal thoughts and self-harm among LGBTIQA+SB Australians. This suggests a compounded risk of suicide-related behaviour among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB people. This goes hand in hand with higher levels of discrimination, violence, and abuse because we can experience it both as racist abuse and as some homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic types of violence as well.

This heightened risk may be increased when other intersecting factors are added (for example, youth, disability, and incarceration). In fact, recently published research led by Professor Baden Hill found that almost 50% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB young people had attempted suicide in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 have attempted in the past 12 months.

We need more data and research to inform policy and direct funding toward supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB people, and this research must be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB led.

Family and community acceptance are the key priorities in protecting First Nations queer folk. We know from LGBTIQA+SB data that acceptance by family is one of the greatest protective factors for self-harming and suicide. It is also the same for First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people - family acceptance of our diverse sex, sexuality and gender diversity provides a barrier to racism as well.

The report with Macquarie University and AIHW also found protective factors to be strong cultural identity, strong social support networks, access to culturally appropriate mental health services, education, and awareness of LGBTIQA+SB issues.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+SB people need to navigate the societal levels of homophobia and racism on a daily basis, not just in service access. It is imperative that when it comes to accessing services, First Nations queer folk can see that they are welcome from the outside looking in. This can be something as simple as iconography, for example, displaying the pride flag, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, signs that say “First Nations queer folk – you are welcome here.”

Education is very important, and it’s not just remote First Nations communities who see the LGBTIQA+SB letters and go, “What does that mean? What do we do next?” Black Rainbow has products freely available, such as our Queeroboree series, for people to learn more about these issues and what they can do. Our last webinar had over 2200 registrations and continues to go from strength to strength!