My aims for this summer project are to work with a range of charities in creating a magazine which explores stories of LGBTQ+ individuals overcoming mental health issues. I chose the title Identity in Mind, as I want to explore the mental health inequalities which exist within in LGBTQI+ community. for the project I also felt it was integral to include the I (Intersex) as part of the acronym due to the continued oppression intersex individuals face in the UK.
Who are Papyrus?
"We exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour."
Papyrus are an amazing charity who work toward preventing suicide by aiming to change social policies in government strategies for suicide prevention. They work closely with and provide support for those affected by suicide and also provide support for those contemplating suicide.
Papyrus provides support for everyone affected by suicide, they also provide particular support to LGBTQ+ youth including:
Providing informative resources which educate on the stigma and discrimination surrounding LGBTQ+ identities, which contribute to higher risk of suicide.
Liaising with a number of fantastic charities to provide support to LGBTQ+ people who are struggling with their identity and the challenges they face.
Providing 24hr phone services for those who are considering suicide.
They do some fantastic campaigns such as #spotthesigns
LGBTIQ+ Mental Health
This section explores the current trends of mental health issues within the UK LGBTQI+ community, based on the 2017 LGBT in Britain - Health Report. Read the full report here.
According to Stonewall UK's LGBT in Britain - Health Report between 2016 and 2017:
52% of LGBT people experienced depression.
One in 8 LGBT people said to have attempted to take their own life within the last year.
41% of trans people stated they have though about taking their own life, 31% of LGB people said the same.
42% of non-binary people said to have self-harmed in the last year.
One in 7 LGBT people have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination.
"A worrying number of LGBT people have experienced depression, anxiety, had suicidal thoughts or even attempted to take their own life in the last year. LGBT people are at a higher risk of experiencing common mental health problems than the general population. Participants explained how experiences of discrimination and harassment in day-to-day life, rejection from one’s family and friends and being subjected to hate crimes and incidents can have a negative impact on mental well-being."
Depression:
Depression disproportionately affects:
67% of trans people
70% of non-binary people
55% of LGBT women
48% of BGT men
"Having always known that my gender identity doesn’t match my birth sex it has just become more difficult year after year. Unfortunately, being married with children it will be impossible to ever do anything about it, which is the cause of my depression and which I have never discussed with my GP, even though I should have. I will have to rely on antidepressants to keep me sane. Torben, 41 (Wales)"
"One in eight LGBT people (12 per cent) have said they experienced an eating disorder in the last year. One in four non-binary people (24 per cent) have experienced this in the last year compared to 13 per cent of LGBT women and nine per cent GBT men. More than one in five Black, Asian and minority ethnic people (22 per cent) and one in five trans people (19 per cent) have experienced an eating disorder in the last year."
Trans and non-binary people are at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder, whilst BAME LGBTIQ+ people are 2x as likely compared to white LGBTIQ+ individuals.
What Needs to be Done About This?
There are a variety of factors which may lead LGBTIQ+ people to be more at risk to developing mental health issues and/or experiencing thoughts of ending their life. So what needs to change to address this inequality?
Suicide prevention strategies and CMHTs need updating to include and specify the needs of LGBTIQ+ individuals.
NHS training surrounding LGBTIQ+ mental health needs, must be implemented across sectors. - specifically Healthy Young Minds, GIDs and specified mental health care.
Studies of poor mental health in the UK need to be respective of specified prevelence within LGBTQI+ communities.
NHS services need increased resources which are readily available for LGBTIQ+ patients.
Exploring COVID-19's impact on LGBTQI+ Mental Health
The following information and quotations are from Finbarr Toesland's ID Magazine article, How Coronavirus Has Amplified LGBTQ+ Mental Health Inequalities
As discussed in the Stonewall report, LGBTQI+ people are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health issues, so as the UK has gone into lock down, it's no wonder the lack of access to services and support is putting more marginalised groups at risk.
"The two most common challenges we have observed have to do with living in hostile home environments and the effects of minority stress being exacerbated in lockdown,” explains Marc Svensson, founder of Helsa Helps, a platform that matches LGBTQ+ people with specialised therapists and works to improve mental health awareness. “Being forced to spend most of the days with hostile family members for months on end, due to the lockdown, is likely to impact young LGBTQ+ people's mental health negatively.”
Furthermore, young LGBTQI+ people are landlocked in hostile environments with non-accepting family members. This could have subsequent affects of familial abuse, and internalised homophobia which can contribute to a plethora of mental health issues.
With NHS services across the UK being stretched, underfunded and cut completely, mental health services are at critical capacity. With the added stress of Coronavirus, mental health services are drowning, while those who need them most are left with little to no support.
"From internalised homophobia, stigma, prejudice and concealment of identity, Marc points to many factors that contribute to the higher rate of depression, stress and anxiety observed in the LGBTQ+ community. “If we then add the additional stress and anxiety brought on by the pandemic relating to physical health and financial worries, it's not difficult to see how mental health struggles can be particularly tough for young LGBTQ+ people,” says Marc."
Other areas of the NHS are having a similar impact, with gender reaffirming surgeries and GIC appointments being put on hold, trans mental health issues are bound to skyrocket. One heartbreaking quote from the article states:
“Dysphoria seems to be running my life again," adds another. "Feeling that I'll never get to live my life without dysphoria. Physical transition put on hold. Afraid I'll die and have the wrong gender on death certificate."
This article truly shows the hidden cost of this pandemic, costing the lives of LGBTQI+ people across the UK. Now more then ever we need to be supporting our community and fighting for equal and substantial mental health care.
Art Exploring Queer Identity
For this project i plan on creating personalised photo-shoots to interview a diverse range of LGBTIQ+ people regarding mental health. The purpose of the final graphic magazine will be to educate an audience of the prevalence of mental health issues within our community. The aims for the magazine are to explore the relationship between queer issues and mental health issues, to discuss these mental health issues in a diverse and inclusive way, to raise awareness of the many impacts mental health issues can have on a persons life and to share positive stories full of tips and knowledge to those who may be in similar situations. I am inspired by a range of photographic LGBTIQ+ studies.
Sabira Haque and Alia Romagnoli, Huq That; Celebrating being queer and Southern Asian
Photos and info via Vice available here.
Huq That is a platform which aims to make Henna more accessible by taking it out of its traditional spaces. Collaborating with the queer photographer Alia Romagnoli Haque launched the project with a series of photos depicting queer creatives - mainly of Southern Asian heritage. The result is a beautiful set of images exploring the relationship between queer individuals and Southern Asian culture.
There's a strong regal theme within these images, with the lavish clothes and jewellery, the warm gold and red colour scheme and the idyllic poses. This gives a sense of empowerment to the pictures, the individuals are pictured with a sense of status and beauty - an adoration of the two co-existing cultures. This emphases a feeling of power and ownership over the subject's queerness.
Jesus Lacalle - 366 Portraits
366 Portraits is an Instagram feed collection of street photography, representing diversity with a daily portrait for each day of 2020. The portraits are a celebration of humanity, expression and queerness. Representing diversity, Lacalle photographs the out of the ordinary within the ordinary, we see elaborate fur coats, coloured hair and unique make-up, shot against the blur of the London streets.
As the year has progressed with the Coronavirus pandemic, the feed turns from urban street photography to a unique new style of photography, Facetime portraiture. Here we see a focus on queer identity, with a collection of non-binary activists, artists and models. The subjects are shot against pride flags, their bedrooms and even their bathrooms. We see gender non-conformity represented through clothing, make-up and physical expression. The series is a celebration of queerness throughout pride month, at a time where we were unable to celebrate.
Something I am particularly inspired by from this set is queerness against the background of conventional settings such as the street, the background of people's homes. Often when we celebrate queerness we are limited to queer spaces, pubs, clubs and bars. This environment is not accessible for all, limited who and what we see of our community. It is important to normalise the celebration of queer identity, to bring it into every day spaces. We don't switch off our queerness when we leave the gay bar, we take it with us as we walk down the street. And that's what this series captures so perfectly.
My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness
My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness” is an ongoing digital project in exploration of the multiple existing facets of black queer identity. It is a protest , a celebration that frames blackness as a polyphony, a genre or melody with a vast variety of notes & textures, denouncing both white queer racism and black queer antagonism by way art , film and literature through a print sale fundraiser, weekly journal & films screenings. This project is in dedication and celebration of the lives of trans brothers and sisters of colour — the ones who have survived violence and continue to exist unapologetically and the ones we have lost throughout the past few months & years —
MQBMBQ is a visual arts movement by Jordan Anderson, exploring the black queer experience, which is often left out of discussions surrounding queer identity. The project aims to challenge the outdated perception of pride which centres around white cis male bodies. Platforming black queer artists, MQBMBQ celebrates and addresses the black queer experience challenging racism entwined within homohphobia, transphobia and queer prejudice. Check out the whole project at mqbmbq.com
My favourite thing about this project is the beauty which is represented through the photography. There is a sensitivity apparent through the shoots, we see softeness, love, and beauty. Represented through the posing, colour schemes and design. Furthermore there is an element of high fashion. The series really gives a platform to the diversity which exists within the black queer community.
Andy Warhol, Sex Parts and Torsos & Ladies and Gentlemen
A pioneer of the pop-art movement and one of the most integral voices in the history of queer art, Warhol's Polaroid collections celebrate queer existence in 1970s New York. The collection captures the lives of queer identities, with their grainy over exposed quality, bringing feelings of nostalgia of a time we never lived. Trapped in these photos are the people who partied as our movement began, in the Soho nightclubs, when being gay was illegal, and being themselves a crime.
My own image of queerness is defined by the art and fashion of the 60's and 70's underground queer communities. There is a feeling of romaticism in the idea that this is where we began, without those in the nightclubs, the club kids, drag queens and transwomen, we wouldn't have any of the rights we do today. These people defied everything to simply be themselves, to express themselves, and their is an attatchment I have to this age as a queer person who is now seemingly free to do those things. It's important when discussing queerness to remember where we came from, to remember how we got here, otherwise we won't keep fighting. In my media choice I would like to emulate this vintage aesthetic in order to honour our history, and those who inspire me. I will be using vintage print style with grainy filters, photography media such as film cameras and polaroids.
Project Proposal
For this project I plan on speaking to around 20 LGBTIQ+ individuals surrounding their stories of mental health. Through interview I will explore each individual's personal experiences with mental health, how their identity correlates with their experiences of poor mental health, what issues they feel need to be addressed to improve the wellbeing of the wider LGBTIQ+ community, and what changes they would like to see within society and the LGBTIQ+ community to promote and encourage positive mental wellbeing. I hope these interviews will allow me to uplift silenced voices within the discussion surrounding mental health.
Aesthetically I will have a focus on improving my portraiture photography, exploring composition, and setting. My photography will aim to represent the identity of each individual based on their hobbies, interests, and their story. I will also create a focus on improving my graphic design when creating text based pieces, in order to create interesting pages. Throughout the project I will promote each interview via Instagram, by creating 2800x2800 pixel graphics which represent each interviewee.
In terms of publishing I will use Blurb, as I felt this created a successful magazine in my previous project, Consumption. I will explore the best way to distribute the magazine online, thinking about platform, pricing and print material. This is integral to ensure the highest possible profit, as the magazine is part of a fundraising project. I will also explore selling techniques such as pre-sale editions and different edition sets.
I hope this project will give me the experience of working with members of the community in preparation for my 3rd year practical project, improving my ability to reach out to participants, work with 'clients' and safeguarding. I hope the creative process of this project will enable me to develop my portraiture photography, improve my graphic design, and focus on creating clean and professional magazine prints.