1. Mis-education of Australian Youth: exposure to LGBTQA+ conversion ideology and practises.
- Author
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Jones, Tiffany, Jones, Timothy W., Power, Jennifer, Pallotta-Chiarolli, Maria, and Despott, Nathan
- Subjects
GENDER identity ,QUALITATIVE research ,FOCUS groups ,LGBTQ+ people ,HUMAN sexuality ,SEX distribution ,INTERVIEWING ,PILOT projects ,STATISTICAL sampling ,CONTENT analysis ,CONVERSION therapy ,RETROSPECTIVE studies ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,SOUND recordings ,RELIGION ,RESEARCH methodology ,GROUNDED theory - Abstract
Lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and asexual (LGBTQA+) Australians are vulnerable to religion-based attempts to change or suppress their sexuality and/or gender identity, including conversion ideology messaging in school-based sex education. Conversion bans are currently being debated across the country. This paper reports on a critical survivor-driven study which retrospectively explored Australian LGBTQA+ youth exposure to conversion practices both within and outside of education settings. It privileges the perspectives of self-titled 'survivors' of conversion ideology and practices through the use of a reference group and constructivist grounded theory. Qualitative data were collected 20 from Australian LGBTQA+ conversion ideology and/or practice survivors aged 18 years and over, using focus groups and 35 individual interviews between 2016 and 2020. In conversion-promoting religious contexts including education institutions and groups, messages concerning sexuality and gender changed as individuals grew older and were drawn into more/enclosed settings in which core conversion messages of LGBTQA+ 'brokenness' were prevalent. While individuals progressed through the conversion experience in different ways, their experience was characterised by the absence of any form of affirming LGBTQA+ education – enabling conversion itself to become their LGBTQA+ (mis)information source. School policy addressing conversion, alongside enhanced provision of affirmative age-appropriate gender and sexuality education, may mediate this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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