Live GR: Discrimination, 18th of May, 7:30 pm AEST
Hey everyone!
This Monday we're going to be having another live discussion, this time to do with Discrimination.
Discrimination can take place in many forms, and is present pretty much everywhere. It affects everything from someone's day to day life to the kinds of policies we see in government. This has profound effects on people's welfare and mental health, and this is definitely something to remember with all of the news and information circulating right now!
Because discrimination is so pervasive, sometimes we might not notice it in circumstances that don't affect us, or we may even take part without realising it. Which is one of many reasons why it's so important to discuss and keep discussing topics like sexism, racism, ableism, and other forms of prejudice- as well as how we can tackle them as a society!
Beyond this, this Getting Real chat is a safe space to discuss discrimination and how it has affected you and your loved ones, as well as how to cope with it and who to reach out to for support- whether personal or professional!
We'll be kicking off the discussion at 7:30 pm AEST on Monday the 18th of May, and hope to see you all there! 😄 
“where are you from?”
“Oh I was born in Melbourne”
“No where are you from??”
“Australia”
“No”
“Yes, Australia”
I am mixed race and I am constantly asked to justify why I am not white and where I came from despite being born in Australia and having lived here my whole life. I have people constantly wanting to touch my hair and invade my personal space because it isn’t straight and apperantly that gives people permission to touch me without my consent. Even just hair styles that I can’t do because I don’t have straight hair and so all the popular styles in high school where for people with straight hair.
@Saltwaterdreamtime sorry to hear that 
racism is a form of discrimination, basically it's the umbrella and everything else (ageism, sexism, homophobia, racism) lies under that broad category!
@Saltwaterdreamtime
They are the same thing, discrimination is just an umbrella term for any sort of negative behaviour enacted on another person. I'm sorry that that happened though 😞 , it's no fun dealing with racism or any sort of discrimination.
@Saltwaterdreamtime
That absolutely sucks, that's absolutely disgusting customer service.Did you complain or talk to someone about this?
Yes and then there are also things like the cost of “girl” products vs “boy” products. T-shirts are like $30 for a female shirt and 10 for a male and shaving razors are also more expensive if they are pink.
@Eden1717
I totally feel that, one time I went to a store and wanted to get pants that were $30 but then. I got a few sizes up (same design) and then it was more expensive. I didn't get it because it felt so weird. That something like that had occurred.
@Eden1717 exactly! It occurs in so many ways people might not stop to think about!
question 2: people who are considered unattractive, people of color, women, men in certain situations particularly those pertaining to jobs in child care (as an example), people with disabilities, people with mental health issues.... the list could go on forever
@Eden1717 The discrimination between genders for certain jobs is so true. Sometimes, I see job ads asking for a female receptionist and I wonder what the difference is.
I also think people with disabilities and health issues get discriminated against a lot. When my sister's health got worse and she couldn't physically go to school, we sent her old school medical certificates and kept them updated on what was happening on a daily basis. But out of the blue, they decided to send us warning letters that she was going to not complete her courses. They listed reasons such as not being able to do exams (which she couldn't go to), not completing homework (when she had no way of showing it to them or proving whether or not she had done it), not doing homework that didn't even have a due date and which the teachers didn't email her even though we asked for it, and some were even for not handing in assignments that weren't even due yet for the rest of the cohort. We asked if her old school would accept her back if she temporarily moved schools while she recovered, but they told us they couldn't gaurantee it. We ended up sending a bunch of angry letters and putting her in another school which accommodates her needs more.
Next question!
What are some things we can do to prevent ourselves from judging or discriminating against others?
Free hugs for everyone in this thread, and everyone reading! You don't have to fight discrimination alone.
Next question! 
Definitely talk to someone! You could start with a trusted friend or a family member. If it's a workplace/school issue you could try bringing it to the attention of the boss/principal. As always, psychological support is available in a lot of ways, e.g. online (here, eheadspace), in person (a referral to a psychologist, a school counselor), over the phone (lifeline, kidshelpline). Sometimes things may escalate to the point you may need to report it to the Australian Human Rights Commission, or get the police or a lawyer involved... unfortunately I'm not really sure about the processes on that, though! 
Here is a good resource for supports you could access.
@Hozzles Thanks for posting that resource! I didn't realise there were so many other services out there or what the different state agencies were called.
@WheresMySquishy thanks for all the links! Especially the Fair Work thing, I feel like some employers can take advantage of people (especially young people) who don't know what their rights are when they're working.
@Hozzles I feel the same. Employers do a lot of shady things. I think I've been discriminated against by one at one point, but I didn't have time to take it further.
