Results of coronial inquiry into tragic deaths by [self harm] of trans women [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on discrimination and self harm. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are (when I remember) shown in green.

 

Today the Victorian Coroner released a report into the deaths by  s u i c_de of several trans women, and made nine recommendations. Reports on this report that I consider are worth reading are:

“Coroner calls for urgent investment into health care for trans community, following five tragic deaths”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-29/melbourne-inquest-into-transgender-deaths/104284898   “A Victorian coroner who investigated the  s u i c_des of five young transgender women has recommended urgent investment to improve healthcare for trans and gender-diverse people.   Coroner Ingrid Giles has also identified several failings in Victoria Police's practices and has recommended systemic reforms.   ...   In setting out her findings, Ms Giles detailed how the impact of discrimination on trans community members, particularly in the health system, posed “serious issues” for the health of the community and was “wholly unacceptable” in 2024.   “You should not feel fear or profound dread when consulting a doctor,” she said. “There should not be a myriad of horror stories circulating in the community as to what could happen if you walk through the wrong door to get support. There should be no wrong door.””      

“Sale of chemical used in  s u i c_des of three transgender women should be restricted, Victorian inquest finds”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/29/sodium-nitrite-sales-restricted-trangender-women-death-inquiry-ntwnfb   “Giles also called for urgent consideration of increased funding to meet the growing demand for public-funded health services delivering gender-affirming care to transgender and gender diverse people to reduce waitlists.   ...   She recommended Victoria police implement all five recommendations from its review into Flack’s death, including identifying risks specific to priority communities such as LGBTQ+ people in missing person cases.   Giles also recommended mandatory LGBTQ+ training for all police and to improve data collection in relation to transgender and gender diverse people.”      

“Inquest into  s u i c_des of trans Victorians calls for urgent change”   https://qnews.com.au/inquest-into-s u i c_des-of-trans-victorians-calls-for-urgent-change/   “Transgender Victoria chief executive Son Vivienne said the coroner’s findings are “long overdue”.”      

And on LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joe-ball-74a80111a_istandwithtranspeople-transrightsarehumanrights-activity-7234855536008044547-YqQ6/     

 

I didn’t know any of these young women, but there have been others who I did. 

This follows the recent win that I wrote about in   “A major win for trans+ rights”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-major-win-for-trans-rights.html   and   “An activism email follow up to the major win for trans+ rights (in Australia)”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/08/an-activism-email-follow-up-to-major.html   , which in itself completes a cycle of court wins that began in 2000 in this, my adopted home state of Victoria (in Australia) with a case that was often interpreted as a win under the new gender identity attribute in my home state, but had actually been won on the basis of physical features, and thus was very close to this last win. 

Maybe now we can get officialdom to take what we have been saying for DECADES (about health care, workplaces, and elsewhere) seriously: words and other forms of discrimination KILL. 

I have some mourning that has been stirred up by all this - for all the lives that were lost because we weren’t listened to/taken seriously ... I’ll celebrate too, but that will be later ... 

(And I still hold those trans advocates who downplayed the devastation of misgendering responsible for a portion of the harm that has been done ... )

 

 

PS - a few other things have popped up on trans matters that I consider worth adding to this post:   

“What are puberty blockers? What are the benefits and risks for transgender children?”   https://theconversation.com/what-are-puberty-blockers-what-are-the-benefits-and-risks-for-transgender-children-226006   “...   To date, there have been no randomised controlled trials of puberty blockers for transgender adolescents, which has led some to label this treatment as experimental. However, conducting such trials of hormonal interventions in transgender youth is problematic, as it would be unethical to withhold treatment for research purposes.   It’s common not to have data from randomised controlled trials in paediatric care more broadly. The use of puberty blockers for early puberty displays similar research gaps.   However, the politicisation of trans young people has seen the use of puberty blockers in transgender adolescents held to a different standard.   ...  One of the main criticisms of the [Cass] review was it failed to consider the likely harms of denying transgender adolescents hormonal interventions.”   And as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, there are serious concerns that there may have been an active cover up of data on  s u i c_de risk (see also here)     

“Angry Gay Grandpa: Warning -- Google is censoring trans and LGBTQ youth content at YouTube”   https://youtu.be/Uc2nw4teg_s   If this is so - and the video presents a compelling case, it is unconscionable and, in some jurisdictions, likely illegal     

PPS - Prime Minister Albanese has partially reversed his decision to not include LGBTQIASB+ people in the census, as he will now allow a question on sexuality ... but not intersex status nor trans and gender diverse people ...
I would normally phrase a comment about that ... “nicely”, or softly - something along the lines of “it is hard to avoid concluding that the PM has trouble with gender identity”, but, in light in the clear warning that the coroner’s report has given, I am going to state my opinion more bluntly: I consider Albanese, MP is quite likely a religious and personal/cultural transphobe. He has shown his personal discomfort on gender identity matters, and that has impaired his ability to govern for ALL Australians ... 

“Labor’s spectacular census own goal hands Dutton a double victory”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/30/labors-spectacular-census-own-goal-hands-dutton-a-double-victory   “Government’s bungling has generated the damaging debate it wanted to avoid and shown it can be divisive too”   Dutton’s backflip also shows how, in my opinion, deceitful he has been, given his opposition to something he now claims to be fine with      

“Dutton says he is ‘fine’ with census sexuality question despite earlier attacking ‘woke agenda’”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/30/dutton-says-he-is-fine-with-census-sexuality-question-despite-earlier-attacking-woke-agenda     

PPPS - there is some additional excellent commentary in the following - including a perspective that PM Albanese may not have stayed up to date on gender identity issues. That may be a more accurate assessment of the problem, but I still find it hard to avoid the conclusion that there is at least an element of transphobia in the PM’s failures on this area of life (including his avoidance of being the person to make public statements ... ). 

“It don't make no census”   Out of the Pan, 3CR Community Radio   “Census debacle, media beatups, Stand bi us, TGD yoga”   Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/out-of-the-pan/id312435652?i=1000667939191 or at https://www.3cr.org.au/outofthepan/episode/it-dont-make-no-census     

I also note the ALP has tried a third (and highly questionable) justification, while the conservatives continue their hypocritical and, in my opinion, deceitful complete backflip by claiming to be OK with census questions ... 

See also: 

“Over 100 orgs call on government to count all of us in census”   https://qnews.com.au/over-100-orgs-call-on-government-to-count-all-of-us-in-census/     

PPPPS - following further pressure, the partial backflip was extended to allow a question on gender identity, but intersex people are still being excluded for reasons that lack credibility: 

“Jim Chalmers confirms census will include questions on sexual orientation and gender”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-08/census-sexual-orientation-gender-to-be-included-jim-chalmers/104325074      

“Statement From The Minister For Equality”   https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-minister-equality-3   “Questions for the 2026 Census however, do not include intersex people.   People with innate variations in sex characteristics are part of our LGBTIQA+ communities and always have been, but all too often their existence and needs are overlooked and misunderstood.   They also deserve to be counted, and Victoria will continue to advocate for their recognition and protection.”     

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post.  

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/