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Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Experience of Emergency Management

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Abstract

As climate change exacerbates exposure to disasters, a growing body of scholarship provides evidence that some groups experience significant barriers in accessing and participating in emergency services. This article reports on the findings of an exploratory, qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with four lesbian or bisexual women in Australia. The aim of the study is to better understand the degree to which emergency services’ policies, programs and procedures accommodate diversity and the needs of lesbian and bisexual women as ‘clients’ and paid staff or volunteers. Results are organised under five key categories: language; discrimination; sector acknowledgment; the role of faith-based organisations; and ways forward. The data is presented through the women’s voices and documents their lived experiences of discrimination. The study provides an opportunity to consider how discrimination against sexual and gender identity diverse minorities (LGBT people) intersects with, as it draws on, discrimination against women, increasing lesbian and bisexual women’s experiences of marginalisation as emergency sector clients, employees and volunteers. It also provides an opportunity to address the effects of systemic discrimination in the organisation and delivery of emergency services, promoting a more diverse and inclusive emergency sector.

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Notes

  1. In this paper, ‘emergency services’ refer mainly to fire-fighting organisations in Victoria including primarily the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA). The ‘emergency management sector’ refers to the broader range of emergency services such as the MFB, the CFA, State Emergency Services, Police, Ambulance, etc.

  2. The term ‘LGBT’ is used in this paper. The research project sits alongside a broader study commissioned by Government, where the term ‘LGBTI’ was used. However, no intersex people were recruited in the broader study nor did emergency service personnel raise issues relating to people with intersex variations as clients or staff of emergency organisations. The participants in our study identified as female and the gender discrimination they face overlaps with discrimination based on their sexual minority identities and discrimination faced by trans and gender diverse people in emergency sector employment and service provision. However, the term ‘LGBTI’ is used in this paper when referring to research, policies or practices that use this acronym.

  3. A separate research report presents the findings from the two online surveys commissioned by Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC). [18]

  4. This is not her real name. Pseudonyms are used throughout this paper.

  5. There have been efforts from senior leadership in Victoria to begin culture change. See Emergency Management Victoria. (2016). The Emergency Management Diversity and Inclusion Framework: Respect and inclusion for all. Melbourne: EMV. Retrieved from http://files.em.vic.gov.au/EMV-web/Emergency-Management-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Framework.pdf.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University, Women’s Health in the North, Women’s Health Goulburn North East, Clayton, Wangaratta, Australia

    D. Parkinson

  2. Women’s Health in the North, Melbourne, Australia

    Alyssa Duncan

  3. Adjunct Research Fellow Monash University, GAD Pod Associate and Women’s Health in the North, Melbourne, Clayton, Australia

    William Leonard

  4. Disaster Resilience Initiative (MUDRI), Monash University, Clayton, Australia

    Frank Archer

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  1. D. Parkinson
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Correspondence to D. Parkinson.

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Parkinson, D., Duncan, A., Leonard, W. et al. Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Experience of Emergency Management. Gend. Issues 39, 75–98 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-021-09276-5

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