Issues facing same-sex couples in New Zealand include stresses associated with 'coming out', and facing the possibility of familial rejection, health issues and homophobia, a new report from the Families Commission has found. As part of the study Reaching Out: Who New Zealanders turn to for relationship support researchers talked in depth to 50 people - including 13 who were in same-sex relationships - to find out how they accessed information and support to sustain their couple relationships. Gay men in particular discussed receiving an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, and lesbian participants discussed the stressful impact of single motherhood and stepfamily arrangements. "The age gap was a challenge," said one young woman in the study, who was in a same-sex relationship. "She had done a lot and I had just 'stepped out'. She wanted me at home and I wanted to go out. "Her kids were a challenge. Their friends knew their mum was having a relationship with a woman and they got teased at school. It was difficult being a step-mum and a student at the same time." People often discuss relationship problems, not with professional counsellors, but with their family, friends, GPs, nurses, school teachers, church ministers and community elders, the study suggested. Questions were also asked about what helped them seek support and what hindered them. "Understanding how couples find support is important. We know that when relationships go wrong they can seriously affect people's emotional, mental and physical health; their work productivity; and the wellbeing of their children," says Chief Commissioner Dr Jan Pryor. "This study is a first step in th Commission's research into building a better understanding of how couple relationships are supported in New Zealand. We hope it will be useful for organisations working to strengthen and support couple relationships and prompt new thinking and discussion about the provision of information and support." The full Families Commission report, called 'Reaching Out - Who New Zealanders turn to for Relationship Support' is available to download as a 76-page .pdf on the link below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 23rd February 2009 - 4:23pm