Projects

Previous research indicates that bisexual women experience subtle stressors and supports (or microaggressions and microaffirmations), and that these experiences are related to mental health. However, there is not yet a valid way to measure these day-to-day experiences. This project is aimed at developing a validated measure that can be used to assess daily microaggressions and microaffirmations in order to better understand the relationship between these experiences and the mental health of bisexual women. We are approaching this project from a community-based mixed-methods design, in order to ensure that the eventual quantitative measures are rooted in the lived experience of bisexual women.

Funded by CIHR, The Mothering on the Margins (MOMs) project was a research study carried out by researchers at CAMH and the LGBTQ Parenting Network. The goals of this research were (a) to learn about the factors that contribute to emotional well being in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBT) mothers and mothers-to-be, and (b) to learn what services LGBT mothers and mothers-to-be find helpful, and what services they wish existed, to address their emotional needs.

Peer researchers are individuals who are hired to work on research projects because of their lived experiences with the topic being studied. In order to contribute to more meaningful inclusion of communities on topics they have experience with, it is often recommended to hire peer researchers for community-based and participatory research projects. However, little research has examined how peer researchers experience their involvement in these research projects, in order to determine whether or how they were meaningfully included.

Pathways is one of several research projects led by the Re:searching for LGBTQ2S+ Health team designed to build our understanding of barriers to accessing culturally competent mental health care among gender and sexual minorities in Ontario.

2SLGBTQ+ people are one of the least studied populations in the labour market, despite disproportionate rates of poverty, workplace discrimination, and wage disparities. Precarious employment now dominates the labour market, leading to poorer health outcomes, stress, and isolation. Marginalized groups bear the greatest burden of this. Unfortunately, 2SLGBTQ+ people have been left out of current research on precarious employment, and this study aims to begin to address this gap.

This critical narrative inquiry sought to better understand the labour market experiences and outcomes of low-wage and precariously employed gay, bisexual, and queer men. Interviews with gay, bisexual, and queer men were conducted about their stories of employment. We critically examined how the experiences of these men were shaped and facilitated within contemporary socio-political and economic contexts. In partnership with employment agencies throughout Toronto, we were interested in developing strategies for service providers and employers, as well as informing policy, to reduce barriers to stable and safe work.

Postpartum depression is a significant health issue for women and their families, yet research has focused almost exclusively on heterosexual married women. Sexual minority mothers may have distinct risk factors for postpartum depression. For example, experiences of discrimination have been associated with mental health outcomes in the general LGBTQ2S+ community.

Research shows that 2SLGBTQA+ people experience greater economic inequities than their heterosexual and cisgender (non-trans) peers. Although poverty is widely understood to be a critically important determinant of health, few studies have investigated the relationships between poverty and health in 2SLGBTQA+ populations, or the possible social and structural relationships that sustain these inequities. In this research project we explored the factors that act as barriers and facilitators in accessing social assistance for 2SLGBTQA+ community members through an online survey, interviews and focus groups. We hope to use the findings of this study to advocate for changes to the social assistance system in Ontario to better meet the needs of 2SLGBTQA+ people.

QueerCOVIDTO is a study of the mental health of sexual and gender minority people living in Toronto during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This project aims to document the impact of public health measures (for example, social distancing and self-isolation) on 2SLGBTQIA+ (2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender) people's mental health and well-being; identify how 2SLGBTQIA+ people experience current government and public health responses to COVID-19; document 2SLGBTQIA+ people’s knowledge, practices, concerns, and resilience around COVID-19; explore socioeconomic factors shaping 2SLGBTQIA+ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 crisis; recognize differences and variations among SGM communities' experiences of COVID-19; and raise awareness among (and issue a call to action to) policymakers and health service sectors regarding 2SLGBTQIA+ health and socioeconomic concerns.

The Re/DeTrans Canada research study is a qualitative, interview-based project that seeks to build knowledge and supports for detransitioners, retransitioners, people who stop transitioning, and others who experience shifts in gender identity after initiating a gender transition.

Our study objectives are to examine how individuals experience changes to how they experience their sex and gender, transition and detransition processes (social, legal, medical), and to identify detransition-related healthcare and social support needs. We also aim to develop better guidance for care providers who work with trans, nonbinary, gender-fluid, detrans/retrans, and other gender diverse populations who change the direction of their transitions.

In 2010, our team collaborated with the LGBTQ2S+ Parenting Network at the Sherbourne Health Centre on a research project about the experiences of trans parents: Transforming Family. In this study, some trans women shared with us that even though they were both a woman and a parent, they felt excluded from claiming to be a mother. With the Regulating the Boundaries of Motherhood study, we are following up on these stories to ask trans women who are parents to tell us more about their inclusion in, or exclusion from, motherhood.