#mindthefacts 鈥撀爒ote 鈥榊ES鈥櫬爁or better youth mental health
As many as 3000 youth suicide attempts could be averted each year with a 鈥榊ES鈥� vote for marriage equality, the nation鈥檚 leading youth mental health organisations have revealed today.
Launching the national聽#尘颈苍诲迟丑别蹿补肠迟蝉听campaign, the聽Black Dog Institute,听headspace, ReachOut, and Orygen, the National Centre for Excellence in Youth Mental Health,听are encouraging Australians to carefully consider the real and devastating links between youth suicide rates and discrimination against young LGBTIQ people when they cast their vote over the next six weeks.
#尘颈苍诲迟丑别蹿补肠迟蝉听uses real facts and evidence to urge Australians to cast a 鈥榶es鈥� vote, drawing attention to the peer reviewed studies confirming the negative health impacts caused by discrimination against LGBTIQ people.
The campaign follows urgent high-level talks between the mental health groups after a surge in demand for mental health services in recent weeks, as a result of the same sex marriage postal survey.
鈥淭his confronting statistic highlights both the human impacts of the current discrimination against LGBTIQ relationships, and the positive future that marriage equality can achieve for Australia,鈥� said Jono Nicholas, CEO, ReachOut speaking on behalf of the campaign coalition.
鈥淭hat is why we are asking Australians to #mindthefacts and vote 鈥榊ES鈥� when filling out their postal survey form over the next month.
鈥淎s Australia鈥檚 leading youth mental health organisations, we see, hear and feel the real and devastating link between LGBTIQ discrimination and youth suicide rates and mental illness every day.
鈥淭his has only been heightened by the decision to proceed with this postal survey, despite our warnings.
鈥淲e deal in facts 鈥� and there鈥檚 one fact Australians can鈥檛 ignore: discrimination against young LGBTIQ people leads to poor mental health outcomes and a higher risk of suicide.
鈥淲e therefore feel collectively compelled to intervene in this debate to ensure Australians have access to real clinical evidence and research, not alternate facts and fiction.
鈥淭his campaign is not about politics, ideology or shaming those considering voting 鈥楴o鈥�.
鈥淚t is about asking Australians to #mindthefacts, because voting 鈥榊es鈥� will undoubtedly change thousands of young lives for the better.鈥�
Methodology
In the United States, implementation of same-sex marriage policies has been associated with a 7% relative reduction in the proportion of high school聽. The association was strongest among sexual minority students. Based on figures from the聽聽this would equate to almost 3000 fewer suicide attempts made by Australian secondary school students per year.
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