Focus on mental health rights
HOW can we promote the mental health and human rights of people, who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI)?
This was the question up for discussion at a recent advocacy event at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The event also saw the provincial launch of a historic document published by the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), titled “Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender Diverse People”.
This was the outcome of years of research by a core team in the PsySSA Africa LGBTI Human Rights Project. Although these guidelines are aimed at psychology professionals, it is applicable to all health practitioners to work sensitively, ethically and competently with people who are LGBTI.
This is an incredibly important piece of work, because no other African country has ever produced such a set of guidelines. Research shows over and again that LGBTI people feel discriminated against when seeking healthcare services and experience a range of verbal and physical abuse. As a result, LGBTI people tend to suffer more from depression and anxiety and are more prone to committing suicide.
The root cause is rarely about the individual – rather, it is about society.
Society is built on a terrible foundation – heteronormativity. This means that anything “heterosexual” is seen as normal and anything that deviates from that is seen as abnormal.
Religious organisations are the biggest culprits in promoting heteronormativity and these organisations need to start accepting culpability.
They often encourage hate speech, violence, prejudice and unscientific advice about how one can change their sexual orientation.
Most religious organisations use their power to make heterosexuality compulsory – anyone born in any other way is punished. In the 21st century, families, religious leaders and communities need to start actively challenging this absurd and dangerous idea of heteronormativity.
Our Constitution protects the right to sexual orientation and no religious text has authority over our Constitution in a secular democracy. These were the sentiments made by the three panelists at last week’s event.
Nonhlanhla Mkhize, the founder and director of Durban’s LGBT community health centre, spoke about how lesbian women in particular are murdered and that we need to ensure that these guidelines are put into practice.
Siya Khumalo, author of the book You have to be Gay to know God, confessed that his church messed up his identity and self-esteem as a teenager, causing him to unhealthily question who he was as a person.
Kerry Frizelle, a counselling psychologist and lecturer, urged everyone to disrupt these unnecessary binaries and embrace diversity, because gender is fluid and not fixed.
Niel Victor, the project leader, said all health professionals must disclose and rectify their personal biases and strive to work from an affirmative stance, where they respect their clients’ sexual and gender diversity.
The event was sponsored by UKZN’s Division for Student Services, which is responsible for safeguarding the rights of LGBTI students on campus.