Search

In Australia, surveillance data establish that there are higher rates of late HIV diagnoses among heterosexual migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and new HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men (GBM) from Southeast and Northeast Asia and Latin America. Together, these groups are identified as priority migrant communities in current efforts to eliminate HIV transmissions. HIV health literacy is recognised as a key means of improving access to services and health outcomes. This qualitative paper explores critical HIV health literacy among priority migrant communities in Queensland, Australia. To foreground community voices, peer researchers from priority migrant communities participated in the project design, data collection and analysis, with 20 interviews completed. The findings demonstrate how participants' engagement with HIV health information and services is highly relational and situated within the framework of sexual health and wellbeing. Participants strategically selected where to seek information and who they trusted to help them appraise this information. They further demonstrated reflective capacities in identifying the contextual barriers that inhibit the development of their HIV health literacy. The findings highlight the need for HIV health promotion strategies that embrace a sex positive approach, promote cultural change, and involve collaboration with general practitioners (GPs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the strategies used by Aboriginal young people to build positive relationships and sexual wellbeing. It does so to counter the risk-focussed narratives present in much existing research and to showcase the resourcefulness of Aboriginal young people. We used peer-interview methods to collect qualitative data from 52 Aboriginal young people living in western Sydney, Australia. Participants reported a strong desire to stay safe and healthy in their sexual relationships and to achieve this they relied heavily on oral communication and yarning strategies. Participants viewed communication as a way to gain or give advice (about bodies, infections, pregnancy, relationships); to assess the acceptability and safety of potential partners; to negotiate consent with partners; to build positive relationships; and to get themselves out of unhealthy relationships. Participants also discussed 'self-talk' as a strategy for building sexual wellbeing, referring to narratives of self-respect and pride in culture as important in establishing Aboriginal young people's positive views of self and as deserving of respectful and safe sexual relationships. These findings suggest that future programmes and interventions based on yarning could be well-regarded, given it is a cultural form of pedagogy and a strategy Aboriginal young people already use to build positive relationships and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, the response to HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B has largely been through the constructed category of 'blood borne viruses' which treats these viruses as an interconnected set of conditions with respect to their mode of transmission. In this paper, we explore how people understand their viral infection, and compare the logics underpinning these different understandings. In-depth interviews were conducted with 61 participants who were either living with a blood borne virus or were the family members of people living with them. Our analysis reveals that the viral infection was often described as 'just a condition that needs to be managed', albeit in potentially exhausting ways. This understanding hinged upon a biomedical logic in which viral invasion was seen as causing illness and in turn necessitating biomedical intervention. In contrast, some participants with hepatitis B presented their infection as a condition unintelligible through Western biomedical logics, defined instead by symptomology – in terms of 'liver disease', and/or 'liver inflammation'. This focus on symptomology calls into question the soundness of prevention and management responses to hepatitis B based in biomedical logics and reveals the extent to which living with a virus involves multiple, sometimes incompatible, cultural logics. The different logics underpinning HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B reveal shortcomings of framing these viruses together as a coherent single construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing survey data from 1,304 LGBTQ + young people in Australia collected in 2016, this paper considers key distinctions between the experiences of bisexual and pansexual participants, and lesbian and gay participants in relation to social media use and aspects of connection, harassment and mental health. Presenting quantitative data, illustrated by qualitative extracts, we found broad similarities in motivations for using social media and how participants connected to peers and communities. There were some statistically significant differences, however, in respondents' motivations for using social media and who they connected with on these platforms. Importantly, bisexual and pansexual participants reported more negative experiences of harassment and exclusion across all major social media platforms when compared to their lesbian and gay peers. Bisexual and pansexual respondents also reported poorer mental health experiences. These findings speak to the different impacts of discrimination and oppression that young people experience in everyday life. There is a need for focused attention on bisexual and pansexual young people in academic, policy and youth-work domains. Young people will benefit from more substantial school-based education on LGBTQ + identities - beyond the experiences of gay and lesbian people - to 'usualise' varieties of difference in gender and sexual identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many papers have been written on the process of coming out by individuals with predominantly same-sex sexual orientation but few of these papers have explored the concept of how people negotiate the idea of coming out in prison. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 prisoners and one ex-prisoner in New South Wales, Australia, who self-identified as gay, homosexual or bisexual men. Data was collected and analysed using an inductive or grounded theory framework since very little was known on the sexual behaviours and identities of Australian prisoners prior to the study and elsewhere. We examined and discussed the lived experiences of prisoners whose disclosure stories were seen to fall under four thematic categories: 'coming out', 'forced out', 'going back in' and 'staying out of the closet' on entering prison. Respondents were required continuously and contextually to manage their sexual identities and disclosure to different audiences while incarcerated. Findings suggest that the prison environment and its attendant heteronormative values and hyper-masculine culture, apply significant pressure on gay and bisexual men on how to manage their sexual identities and disclose their sexuality in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While transitioning gender historically precluded many transgender people from conceiving (more) children, there is now the option to undertake fertility preservation. However, the uptake of this option to date has been low. In order to extend existing limited research on the topic, this paper draws on responses to a questionnaire survey provided by 409 transgender and non-binary adults in Australia, which explored their experiences related to fertility preservation. The paper specifically focuses on the experiences of 295 participants who responded to open-ended questions about their experiences with, and views of, healthcare professionals in regard to fertility preservation. A thematic analysis indicated that healthcare professionals undertake a range of roles with regard to fertility preservation, some viewed positively (e.g. as providers of information), and some viewed negatively (e.g. as potential gatekeepers). The paper concludes by arguing that professionals need to ensure that transgender and non-binary people are provided with enough information, support and opportunity to make an informed decision about fertility preservation. The discussion includes a consideration of interweaving factors, particularly costs, and recommendations for further research that may inform clinical guidelines and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonialist views of Indigenous bodies and sexualities continue to affect Indigenous peoples worldwide. For Indigenous Australians, this burden has resulted in repression and oppression of power, sex and desire. Focusing on the sexual intimacies of Indigenous Australian women, this paper provides an account of the dominant Australian historical discourses, finding that Indigenous women were viewed as exotic, erotic, something to be desired, yet simultaneously something to be feared. Our sexualities were described as savage, promiscuous and primitive and we were often viewed as prostitutes with our voices and views constrained by patriarchal and imperial regimes of power. But within this context, Indigenous women fought back through both individual and collective acts of agency. This paper demonstrates how Indigenous Australian women's agency not as a new phenomenon but rather as a position that disrupts the popular discourses of exploitation and victimhood that have been persistently perpetrated against Indigenous women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive abuse is a poorly understood form of violence against women. It is defined as a deliberate attempt to interfere with or control a women's reproductive choices and is usually perpetrated by a male intimate partner. Reproductive abuse is associated with a range of poor health outcomes for women, increasing the likelihood that they will visit a healthcare provider. Despite this, there is a dearth of evidence to inform best practice in health settings, particularly research that highlights the voices of survivors. Qualitative studies to date have focused on intimate partner or sexual violence more broadly, yet it is likely that reproductive abuse presents its own nuance in terms of a supportive response. In this paper, we address this gap by reporting qualitative data from 14 women who self-identified as survivors of reproductive abuse. Findings suggest that healthcare providers have an important role to play in responding to reproductive abuse, focusing on taking the problem seriously, reinforcing that the behaviour is wrong, asking about other forms of violence and addressing women's needs and priorities for contraception and reproductive autonomy. This study has important implications for the development of best practice guidelines for healthcare providers responding to reproductive abuse in female patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian women use less effective, short-term methods of contraception more often than any other method, despite the availability of much more effective long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Although research examining the low uptake of LARC among Australian women has increased over the past few years, we still know little about the factors influencing this phenomenon. Using data from semi-structured telephone interviews with 15 Australian women in their 20s, this paper explores contraceptive experience to better understand the non-use of LARC. Findings highlight the ubiquity of the use of the oral contraceptive pill and perceptions of LARC as a more serious contraceptive choice. Among participants, the intrauterine device (IUD) was viewed particularly unfavourably. Furthermore, LARC was shown to be only considered for use after dissatisfaction with shorter-term methods (usually the Pill) if at all. Overall, these findings suggest further education in dispelling myths and discomfort around LARC use, while simultaneously recognising and respecting women's decisions to not use LARC methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When viewed over time, many gay men's relationships are not static, or firmly fixed to monogamy or non-monogamy. This paper uses in-depth interviews with 61 Australian gay men to explore how monogamy and non-monogamy are experienced over time, expectations of what constitutes the norms regarding gay men's relationships and how couples experience and practices change. Although some gay men may idealise monogamy, particularly at the beginning of a relationship, it is often experienced as temporary. Non-monogamy is often seen as a likely prospect for gay relationships owing to the social and cultural norms that operate in gay communities. These expected trajectories are reflected in practice - many relationships begin monogamously and then become non-monogamous over time. While the application of 'rules', experimentation and flexibility can facilitate change, couples may struggle to navigate new territory as their relationship structures shift. This is particularly the case when partners value monogamy and non-monogamy differently, or when one partner's values change. These findings shed light on how gay men approach change to the status of 'fidelity' within their relationships, and the tensions and opportunities that change can produce for couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most developed countries, competent patients have the legal right to refuse any medical treatment; Advance Care Planning mechanisms extend this right to non-competent patients. However, some groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, risk their wishes not being respected if they lose capacity, more than others. Little is known about medical practitioners' knowledge of, or attitudes to, the law in this area, especially in relation to LGBTI people, or how the law influences their decision-making. An Australian postal survey explored knowledge and attitudes of medical specialists to legal issues relating to withdrawing/ withholding life-sustaining treatment from adults without capacity. One scenario (the focus of this paper) asked which of four plausible substitute decision-makers, including a same-sex partner, had the legal authority to make such decisions. The overall response rate was 32% (867/2702). Less than one-third of respondents correctly identified the same-sex partner as the legally authorised decision-maker. LGBTI people face multiple obstacles to having their end-of-life wishes respected. Where healthcare providers are also ignorant of the partner's legal right to make such decisions, the problem is compounded. Improved legal education for clinicians and promotion of educational resources for members of the LGBTI community is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines young people's perceived vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their efforts to create a sense of personal safety within an environment in which risks may be high and where STIs are highly stigmatised. The paper reports on findings from research involving both Indigenous and non-Indigenous 16- to 25-year-olds from remote, rural and regional Australia, including communities in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. The study used qualitative methods, including body mapping and scenario based interviewing, to explore how young people made decisions about potential sexual partners and how STIs were understood within the context of young people's everyday social worlds. The paper has important implications for the design and implementation of sexual-health education programmes by documenting the stigmatisation of young people with STIs and the protective mechanisms peer groups employ to create perceptions of personal safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people from minority ethnic, migrant and refugee backgrounds are widely recognised as being under-served by mainstream sexual and reproductive healthcare in developed economy nations. This paper documents the views of professionals in Australia on the complexities of, and best practice approaches to, engaging members of this group with sexual and reproductive health promotion and care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 purposively selected key informants (health service providers, policymakers, academics and community advocates). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded in NVivo10 using interpretive thematic analysis. Principles of ‘cultural competence’ were employed to structure the interpretation of findings. Five key themes reveal pivotal aspects of how professionals work in, and make sense of, this complex field. These may be summarised as: (1) appreciating the complexities of cultural diversity; (2) recognising structural barriers and disincentives to engagement; (3) normalising sexual health; (4) balancing ‘youth-friendly’ and ‘culturally-competent’ priorities; and (5) going beyond simple translation. As migration to Australia continues to diversify the population, an integrated, national approach to the design and delivery of sexual and reproductive health promotion and care would be of value, along with training and support for those involved. Implications may have resonance for other countries similarly engaged in facilitating the successful settlement of migrants and refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on young people's construction of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) identities in contemporary Australia. Through the perspectives of young people, it seeks to position their understanding of LGBQ identities alongside current theoretical and empirical debates about the individual and social significance attached to these identity frames. In this qualitative study, 28 young people (aged 18 to 26 years) shared their stories of identifying as LGBQ through online, face-to-face or telephone interviews. The findings highlight how varying elements of LGBQ identities continue to have currency within this group and how young people adopt and refer to these terms interchangeably and in tandem. This is balanced alongside an awareness of both the limitations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer identity categories and of the homophobic discourses informing these subject positions. The paper concludes by arguing that health and social care professionals have a integral role to play in supporting LGBQ youth through a process of co-authorship – to work in partnership to construct more enabling self-stories that transcend restrictive identity frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how experiences of disclosure and passing among heterosexuals living with HIV in Australia can be meaningfully conceptualised beyond therapeutic discourses and habitual metaphors. It engages in a dialogue between qualitative research material, HIV disclosure literature and theory. It is first argued that an emphasis on the therapeutic value of disclosure in much of the literature obscures the complexities of HIV stigma as socially produced and lived. Next, the paper considers the concepts of 'the closet' and 'coming out', which have become short-hand for a range of social stigmas. Although parallels are found between the productive effects of the closet and the research material, the idea of 'coming out' fails to capture the cultural context of HIV in Australian heterosexual society. This raises questions about the contemporary tendency to invoke the closet as a presumedly universal metaphor. Foucault's idea of heterotopia is proposed as an alternative way of conceptualising the lived worlds of disclosure and passing in this research study, with the hope of opening out future discussion and theorising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Australian Aboriginal conceptions of health have been described as holistic and collective, contemporary approaches to health services and health research are often premised on the rational, reflexive subject of neoliberal discourse. This paper considers how neoliberal conceptions of health and subjectivity arose and were negotiated in the context of a qualitative research project on Aboriginal experiences of HIV in Western Australia. Questions about 'coping', 'future' and 'life changes' stood out in the interview transcripts as examples of neoliberal discourse. This paper explores the reflexive, contextual and deflective responses to these questions and suggests they demonstrate how neoliberal discourse can produce the impression that 'everything is okay' despite the difficult social and economic conditions of everyday life experienced by many Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people with a chronic and serious infectious disease such as HIV may utilise the language of self-management and responsibility when talking about HIV with a non-Aboriginal researcher for pragmatic and utilitarian reasons. In this way, the responses of the Aboriginal participants in this study provide a valuable opportunity for exploring new approaches to both research methodology and health service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes findings from fieldwork conducted among Pitjantjatjara tribespeople of Central Australia between 1989 and 1997. The study examined the impact of a distinctive gender system and practices of masculinity, particularly sexual and ritual practices, on the risk of contracting sexually transmissible infections and other blood-borne diseases. The research was designed as an ethnography of masculinity, conducted via participant observation, life history interviews, ritual analysis, and critical reflection on the work of early ethnographers. The paper presents selected field data, examined in the light of early twentieth century anthropological description of Pitjantjatjara sexuality. It identifies a systematic deflection of male same-sex attraction away from possible resolution through sexual practices between men. Key components of this deflection are the ritual construction of a culturally distinctive masculinity, the inextricable linkage between masculinity rites and the system for arranging marriages, and the cultural coding of the penis during ritual. The paper concludes that although men may feel erotic attraction for each other, the gender and kinship systems of the Pitjantjatjara conspire to limit completely the possibilities for the physical, sexual expression of this attraction. The findings reported here add to our understanding of the cultural basis of heteronormativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data from a larger research study, this paper explores intersecting and competing social relations that influenced the romantic desires of women who became intimately involved with men who molested children. Through a feminist poststructuralist lens, women’s narratives were analysed with the use of feminist interpretations of Foucauldian discourse theory. Analysis informed of a discursive power over participants that made the attainment of romantic desires an imperative for ensuring social respect, worth and credibility as women. When all was not ideal, these same romantic desires compelled women to fix and hold onto their relationships – even when with men that attract damning societal responses towards them. Even upon acknowledgement of their partners’ sexual transgressions, the fear of relationship breakdown meant that romantic desires again featured as imperatives for the women. The imagined pleasure of achieving romantic desires is discursive; so powerful that it outweighed women’s fears and dangers of precarious intimate life with men who commit abhorrent acts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper offers a critical discourse analysis of media debate over social sex selection in the Australian media from 2008 to 2014. This period coincides with a review of the National Health and Medical Research Council'sEthical Guidelines on the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research(2007), which underlie the regulation of assisted reproductive clinics and practice in Australia. I examine the discussion of the ethics of pre-implatation genetic diagnosis (PGD) within the media as ‘ethical publicity’ to the lay public. Sex selection through PGD is both exemplary of and interconnected with a range of debates in Australia about the legitimacy of certain reproductive choices and the extent to which procreative liberties should be restricted. Major themes emerging from media reports on PGD sex selection in Australia are described. These include: the spectre of science out of control; ramifications for the contestation over the public funding of abortion in Australia; private choices versus public authorities regulating reproduction; and the ethics of travelling overseas for the technology. It is concluded that within Australia, the issue of PGD sex selection is framed in terms of questions of individual freedom against the principle of sex discrimination – a principle enshrined in legislation – and a commitment to publically-funded medical care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is based on a study exploring the experiences of men with refugee backgrounds from Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia (herein referred to as the Horn of Africa countries) during migration and on settlement in Australia. During data analyses, Plummer's concept of ‘intimate citizenship’ became a useful theoretical framework for understanding participants' experiences. Many men had migrated from traditional societies where individuals pursue intimacies within a constrained framework of acceptability dictated by collective cultures. Ravaged by civil wars, they were forced to flee their homelands and seek asylum in neighbouring countries. Eventually, these men were resettled in Australia, a society that provides a social space for individuals to exercise more choices in their personal lives. On arrival in Australia, participants in this study had to adjust to these new ways of pursuing intimate relationships. Some men found this process overwhelmingly difficult while others saw it as an opportunity to organise their intimate lives beyond the confines of traditions and cultures as well as family and community influences. Intimate citizenship helped in construing the opportunities, conflicts, tensions and ambivalences that characterised participants' experiences in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relatively recent practice of non-medical egg freezing, in which women bank their eggs for later use in conceiving a child. Non-medical egg freezing has only been available for about the last five years, as new vitrification techniques have made the success rates for actual conception more reliable than the earlier method of slow freezing. I draw on interviews with both clinicians and women who have banked their eggs to consider how this novel practice articulates with broader issues about the relationship between sexuality, reproduction and the political economy of household formation. Non-medical egg-freezing provides a technical solution to a number of different problems women face with regard to the elongation of the life course, the extension of education, the cost of household establishment and the iterative nature of relationship formation, thematised by the ubiquity of internet dating among the interviewees. I focus on the ways women used egg freezing to manage and reconcile different forms of time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Minority ethnic immigrant women are frequently vulnerable to poor sexual health outcomes, due to poor use of sexual health services, lack of knowledge and social stigma associated with the discussion of sexuality. This paper explores the sexual health accounts provided by a group of young, unmarried heterosexual Muslim women immigrants residing and studying in Sydney, an under-researched group in the Australian context. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted, focusing on sex before marriage, spouse selection and contraceptive use. Feminist discourse analysis identified ‘purity versus corruption’ as the primary construction of women's sexuality, where women positioned their sexual behaviour as that of purity and uninvolvement or corruption through unwedded participation. The subthemes ‘maintaining ignorance and naivety’, ‘remaining virginal’, ‘sex segregation’ and ‘the fallen woman’ capture women's personal sexuality-related experiences and values within the context of their religious and cultural communities. Additional research with this community is needed to examine the effects of negative social constructions of sex on young sexually active Muslim women, as well as further research on young women's sexual health within immigrant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racialised language is a salient and contested aspect of contemporary sexual cultures, particularly in the online domain. This paper explores the ways in which gay men in Australia employ race-related language when using online sex/dating websites. Using inductive content analysis, descriptive categories were developed to identify recurrent patterns in the racialised language employed by website users. A coding framework was then constructed to identify the ‘subject’ (self, other or concept) of each piece of race-related content, its ‘purpose’ (marketing, negative or positive discrimination, commentary) and the ‘position’ adopted (defensive, normalised or critical). Descriptive and comparative analyses revealed differences in the ways in which members of racial groups employed racialised language online. These differences are reviewed in relation to broader discourses on Whiteness and race in Australia, as well as recent community-produced anti-racism campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Increasing international mobility presents a risk for communicable disease transmission. Overseas-acquired HIV infections have been increasingly observed across Australian jurisdictions. This includes a mix of men emigrating from countries with high HIV prevalence and men travelling abroad. There is currently little research exploring international mobility and HIV risk, and as a consequence the increase of men acquiring HIV while travelling overseas is poorly understood. This paper draws on data from a qualitative study exploring the risk perspectives and experiences of 14 Australian men who acquired HIV while travelling overseas in the years between 2000 and 2009. Participants articulated a strong desire to distance themselves from the identity of a tourist. Social networks were highlighted as important entry points to engage with other foreign travellers and expatriates. These networks were highly influential and were understood by the participants to provide guidance on how they should negotiate the local scene, including where to meet sex partners. Limited discussion of safe sex and HIV was mentioned in these contexts. The findings suggest that prevalent social norms and social networks play an influential role in how participants negotiate sex and social relations in overseas settings. These networks could potentially provide sites for effective HIV-prevention programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores heterosexual women's accounts of conception and sex within serodiscordant relationships in the period after the advent of Anti-Retroviral Treatment in Australia. It utilises Goffman's theory of stigma and narrative identity theory as a framework for analysis. Six women had planned and conceived pregnancies, four had an unexpected pregnancy and one was attempting to conceive. Accounts of conception usually consisted of a story that involved unprotected sex, once, for the purpose of conceiving. This included what they perceived to be an acceptable risk; one they were willing to take for the desired outcome. Two women gave accounts of artificial insemination. The conception story was usually constructed for the benefit of family and friends aware of the women's status thereby reinforcing the woman's identity as responsible and moral. However, most women revealed their partner did not like condoms and used them sporadically or not at all, directly contradicting the ‘conception story’. To justify their actions as informed and responsible, women constructed accounts around low viral load and female-to-male transmission. But a consequence of limited or no condom use was that some women reported worrying about ensuing stigma from their partner's and their families if their partner did seroconvert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2004, the Australian government legislated to prohibit 'gay marriage'; the religious right had lobbied vigorously for passage of this legislation. Drawing on Durkheim's theory of sacred and profane, this paper examines the argument proffered by right-wing Christians that allowing legalised unions between lesbians and between gay men would seriously undermine the institution of marriage and the family. Claims about the spectre of gays and lesbians marrying reveal a deeper unease about the status of heterosexual marriage and the nuclear family. These concerns, in turn, house a deeper unease about the nature and place of masculinity in contemporary Australian society. This disquiet about masculinity and masculine authority is isomorphic with concerns about challenges to the notion of an objective epistemological order. Marriage and nature are both sacred in Durkheimian terms because they must be radically separated from matters profane. By locating heterosexual marriage within the domain of nature, it is protected from contact with things that threaten its sacred status. However, Durkheim's theory of the sacred is simultaneously an account of the exercise of ideological power. Attempts to cast heterosexual marriage as sacred and, therefore, as inviolate are inextricably linked with attempts to protect an epistemological order linked to masculine authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suicide rate among young people in Australia has caused considerable concern and been the focus of research and intervention. Issues related to sexuality and gender can be the source of conflict for young people within their communities, and have been implicated in suicide attempts. This paper examines the cultural context of youth suicide, and asks how youth suicide may be related to emerging sexual identity, which all young people must negotiate through the customs, discourse and taboos of their society. In particular, it focuses on the situation of young heterosexual women. The findings are based on interviews with 41 young people, parents and youth service providers regarding youth suicide. Interviews were semi‐structured and open‐ended, and conducted in a suburban community. They included the use of scenarios or vignettes. Finding, suggest that traditional constructions of gender remain widespread, and that these are often disadvantageous to both young women and young men. Parents may be unaware that they have little control over, or even knowledge about, their teenagers' behaviour. Young people are more inclined to confide in their friends, who may not be equipped to deal with crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teenage pregnancy is typically presented as a problem to be solved, if not as an epidemic in need of urgent intervention. This paper reports on Australian research that examined the phenomenon of teenage motherhood from the perspective of the young women themselves. The theoretical frame of narrative was adopted in order to understand both the way in which the young mothers were making sense of their own lives, and the way in which they interpreted the canonical narrative of teenage motherhood. Interviews with 20 young mothers demonstrated both their awareness of the canonical narrative, in which they are judged and condemned, and their contrasting autobiographical narratives, in which they are represented as good mothers who are capable of learning the skills of motherhood. Although the women refused to emphasise the disadvantages of teenage motherhood, they acknowledged difficulties. Throughout their autobiographical accounts, a 'consoling plot' was evident. Young women may be supported in their endeavour to emplot their lives to their own benefit by family narratives of teenage motherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from a national survey of young homeless people aged between 12 and 25 in Australia, revealed a marked contrast between the mainly safe injecting practices and the mainly unsafe sexual practices of a subgroup who injected drugs. This paper offers an analysis of the selfreported sexual and drug injecting behaviours of 178 young people and the qualitative accounts of injecting drug use and sexual behaviour of a smaller group of thirty who were interviewed as part of the larger sample. Young people's stories of the culture and practices surrounding injecting were encouraging in the attention given to notions of responsibility and care for others, and a coherent discourse of belief in 'safe' injecting practices was evident. A notion of the 'druggie' or responsible drug user was contrasted with the 'junkie' or irresponsible user, within the culture of drug use described. Conversely, reported sexual behaviours revealed neither consistent discourses about safe sex, nor an unambiguously expressed personal commitment to safe sex. Analysis of the differences between sex and drug use talk, and the potential implications for intervention, are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]