My research question was; how could the emotional and psychological effects of identifying on the LGBTQI+ spectrum within an Australian Indigenous community be addressed? My research question came about due to a passion for social justice issues and keen interest in the treatment of mental illness. Especially inspiring was the fact that this topic has not gained mainstream attention, but still has an effect on many people’s lives. To substantiate findings, a variety of primary and secondary sources were used. These included the collation of survey responses, the review of academic articles and the analysis of government statistics. The outcome was presented as a formal report, covering the key issues, the main causes of these key issues, …show more content…
Specifically, the use of Dameyon Bonson’s book, Voices from the Black Rainbow, was the most useful academic source utilised in my literature review, as it aided me in confirming research from less extensive research. This therefore significantly increased the reliability of my own research, as it meant the information in my research was backed up by an array of credible sources. The credibility of Bonson, the 2016 recipient of the Dr. Yunupingu award for Human Rights and an Indigenous gay man himself, enabled me to gain a deeply informed, academic perspective. Importantly, beyond this, I was also able to gain a personal perspective, which is integrated into his work. This explained the lack of care for mental health within his community and shared that it is something that had a deep personal impact on him. This was important for my work as it meant that I incorporated a personal perspective in my project despite not having direct primary …show more content…
Due to the peer-reviewed nature of the academic press, the validity and reliability of these sources was increased. This is because academic papers are edited by a team of research professionals in a peer review process. However, due to the research pool of such papers also not accounting for the intersecting identities, further challenges are raised with validity and subjective bias. Despite this, a cross comparison of these sources reinforced the reliability of previous sources, and provided me with an array of professional, academic opinions as to the main roots of key issues, such as suicide. In turn, this enabled me to understand more deeply why the main psychological issues were so prevalent and how removal of systematic barriers would be extremely beneficial in the treatment and prevention of mental illness within the Indigenous LGBTQI+