The Seed Theatre dedicates itself to the health and wellness of queer people. It is of the utmost importance that individuals in our community can access care -- and affirming care at that. However, many of these safe practices cannot accept insurance, aren't covered or in network. This fund exists to assist individuals in seeking affirming care when they cannot afford it on their own.
According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, “70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.” Just like physical illness, having a mental illness can be debilitating, make everyday life challenging, and make maintaining recovery a battle.
These traumas can trigger a ripple effect of negativity through the emotions giving rise to pain affecting individuals, families, friends, and communities.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that the average delay between symptom onset and treatment is 11 years and less than 45% of adults with mental illnesses seek treatment.
Inspired by Project Semicolon, To Write Love on Her Arms, and The Trevor Project, S.P.R.O.U.T.S aims to provide survivors with the funds and connections to reach mental health services and eliminate accessibility barriers.
www.TheNationalCouncil.org
www.nami.org
LGBTQIA+2s Communities & Mental Health
Most LGBTQ+ individuals are incredibly resilient and will thrive in the face of adversity, with the help of supportive families, communities, and peers. One study even found that LGBTQ+ people used mental health services at 2.5 times higher rates than their heterosexual counterparts. [1] However, they are also at particular risk for experiencing shame, fear, discrimination, and adverse and traumatic events.
Also, many people who identify as LGBTQ+ are part of second (and sometimes third or more) community that is marginalized. Examples of these groups are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color), people with a physical disability, people practicing a religion different than their neighbors, and people with low socioeconomic status. These people have complex experiences that cannot be easily addressed in one area of their life.
There are many negative stereotypes about being LGBTQ+ which makes many uncomfortable letting people know this important part of their identity. When people do openly express this part of themselves, they face the potential of rejection from peers, colleagues, and friends can exacerbate feelings of loneliness.
- LGBTQ+ teens are six times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than non-LGBTQ+ identifying teens.
- LGBTQ+ youth are more than twice as likely to feel suicidal and over four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth.
- Forty-eight percent of transgender adults report that they have considered suicide in the last year, compared to 4 percent of the overall US population.
Access to Treatment
- In a survey of LGBTQ+ people, more than half of all respondents reported that they have faced cases of providers denying care, using harsh language, or blaming the patient’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the cause for an illness. Fear of discrimination may lead some people to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity from providers or avoid seeking care altogether.
- In 2011, the Joint Commission, an independent non-profit national organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S., began to require that hospitals prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in order to be accredited.
- Approximately 8 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals and nearly 27 percent of transgender individuals report being denied needed health care outright.
- In mental health care, stigma, lack of cultural sensitivity, and unconscious and conscious reluctance to address sexuality may hamper effectiveness of care.
- Evidence suggests that implicit preferences for heterosexual people versus lesbian and gay people are pervasive among heterosexual health care providers.
This Fund is dedicated to those who lost their battle to Depression
Gaws Lee (12.1.93 - 4.12.23)
Randall “Gaws” Lee was named Gaws as in swag spelled backwards. He was never one to rock fancy clothes or flashy jewelry and therefore had “no swag” but would still grab the attention of everyone in the room. He made a memorable impact on the lives of the people around him and genuinely wanted to see his people win. To those who have lost someone to self-harm and live on without your loved ones; take comfort in the knowledge that one day you will carry the honor of their life instead of the pain of their death.
Submit a Dedication
We don't know everyone who has lost their battle. Share with us their story.