Transpathways ambassadors Leon and Drew
The Trans Pathways report had an immediate impact for those it concerned most – trans young people struggling to find understanding and support within the community.
When Trans Pathways ambassador Drew, 17, came out as trans three years ago, the biggest hurdle for him was the availability of services and the time it took to access support.
“The help needs to be more readily accessible and faster,” Drew said. “It takes a long time to get into the system to get the help that sometimes is really necessary.”
He said research such as that which led to the Trans Pathways report was vital in raising awareness, educating people, and turning around judgment and misunderstanding in the community and amongst service providers.
“Trans people really need the support of the people around them. If we can make people understand and make that information more available, there’s less likelihood that there will be hate or misunderstandings which can result in mental health issues.”
Since the release of Trans Pathways, there had been a definite shift. The report’s high profile had made it easier to explain trans experiences, including the severity of what trans youth experienced, and people around him had found it easier to understand his experiences.
“Instead of telling people to just google the word transgender and hope something useful comes up, I can now tell them to search for Trans Pathways,” Drew said. “It’s got everything they need to know.
“When it first came out there was a couple of school people that came up to me and said they read some of it, and they understood everything a lot better straight away.
“The availability of clear and accurate information has made life so much easier, in that there’s now some pretty widely accepted stats and easily accessible information. It’s just made everything so open.”
The Trans Pathways survey was carried out by The Kids Research Institute Australia in collaboration with The University of Western Australia, Curtin University, YouthLink (Youth Mental Health, Western Australian Department of Health), and the WA AIDS Council’s Freedom Centre.
Related: Trans Pathways Provides Evidence Base To Improve Mental Health Of Trans Youth