Committee No. 6
“Question 1. Share experience and make recommendations on how AA’s message can be carried effectively to the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community. Could more be done to attract LGBTQ members?
Background
One
of the outcomes of Conference in 2013 was that questions pertaining
to 'special interest groups' would receive consideration given that
Conference had not been able to draw any conclusions from the 2013
special interest question due to the way it was phrased. We
were advised to reword any questions to make them more specific to
the special interest group.
- Evidence points to the fact that members of the LGBTQ community are far more likely to abuse alcohol than the general population (some studies estimate 25% vs. 3-10% general population) (Centre for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2003)
- Stonewall (the LGB charity) states on its website: ‘LGB people may not feel targeted by messages in this area, or feel able to disclose drinking habits and circumstances to a health practitioner. Preventative health messages, and campaigns, are generally only targeted at heterosexual people’
- The NHS acknowledges that transgender people in particular are likely to turn to alcohol to deal with their problems (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Transhealth/Pages/Transmentalhealth.aspx) “
Cheerio
The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS See also aacultwatch forum (section 4)
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The wording "special interest" should be replaced with "special needs" or "minority needs" Special interest makes it sound like sexual orientation is a hobby of choice, which it is not. LGBT people face serious issues of discrimination and abuse in society, and in AA from the more religious and fundamentalist groups, or from those who seek to trivialize their problems. I have witnessed and heard of gay people being cross shared openly in meetings, and told by sponsors their sexuality is a defect of character that needs God to remove.
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