Click a title to view the information for that section. Topics of these studies include health care accessibility, health equity, socio-economic issues, and Canadan statistics. Entries are listed chronologically beginning with the most recent.
What's a DOI?
International Journal of Transgender Health
"International Journal of Transgender Health (IJTH), together with its partner organization the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), offers an international, multidisciplinary scholarly forum for publication in the field of transgender health in its broadest sense for academics, practitioners, policy makers, and the general population."
Transgender Health
"This journal is the first peer-reviewed journal dedicated to addressing the healthcare needs of transgender individuals throughout their lifespan and identifying gaps in knowledge as well as priority areas where policy development and research are needed to achieve healthcare equity. This journal is the premier source for authoritative, multidisciplinary research, discussion, and debate on the healthcare needs of this patient population."
The Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies (BATS)
"BATS publishes timely research focused on identifiable and pragmatic social, cultural, and political issues of relevance to transgender people, both at the individual and collective level. The journal welcomes research from diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, and from all contextual areas. However, research that is focussed on biomedical aspects of clinical practice with transgender patients is not appropriate for BATS; for such research, we refer prospective authors to the International Journal of Transgender Health and Transgender Health. The journal will consider biomedical and/or health research with primarily social, cultural, and/or political implications (e.g., health communication, health and human rights, public health policy, etc.)."
TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly
"Over the past two decades, transgender studies has become fertile ground for new approaches to cultural analysis. TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly offers a high-profile venue for innovative research and scholarship that contest the objectification, pathologization, and exoticization of transgender lives. It publishes interdisciplinary work that explores the diversity of gender, sex, sexuality, embodiment, and identity in ways that have not been adequately addressed by feminist and queer scholarship. Its mission is to foster a vigorous conversation among scholars, artists, activists, and others that examines how “transgender” comes into play as a category, a process, a social assemblage, an increasingly intelligible gender identity, an identifiable threat to gender normativity, and a rubric for understanding the variability and contingency of gender across time, space, and cultures. Major topics addressed in the first few issues include the cultural production of trans communities, critical analysis of transgender population studies, transgender biopolitics, radical critiques of political economy, and problems of translating gender concepts and practices across linguistic communities."
The Journal of LGBTQ+ Mental Health
"The Journal of LGBTQ+ Mental Health seeks out and publishes the most current clinical and research scholarship on LGBT mental health with a focus on clinical issues. The Journal strives to represent the full breadth of LGBT mental health treatment, including issues relevant to patients and mental health care providers in all types of settings. The Journal of LGBTQ+ Mental Health also strives to cover the full spectrum of sexual and gender minority populations -- lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and gender-queer."
🍁🎣 Jacqueline (Jacquie) Gahagan, Ph.D.
Associate Vice-President, Research at 🎣Mount Saint Vincent University | Google Scholar
"Jacquie’s program of mixed methods health promotion research focuses on evaluating policy and programming interventions using sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA+) to address health inequities among marginalized populations, including those living with or affected by HIV, HCV or other STBBIs, the scaling-up of access to innovative HIV testing technologies, older LGBTQ2I populations and access to housing, primary healthcare utilization among LGBTQ2I communities, and end-of-life decision-making."
🍁 Celeste Pang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Humanities at Mount Royal University | Co-Founder, QriTical Hub | Website
"I am a sociocultural and medical anthropologist. My research, education, and community work focus on aging, disability, and care access and equity, with significant focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. My work is grounded in a commitment to examining and challenging cis-heterosexism, ageism, ableism, and other normative social dynamics that impact the communities I come from and work with, and engages closely with critical disability studies, critical gerontology, and queer and trans studies.
My research interests include aging; disability; care; consent and capacity; gender and sexuality; ethics; ethnography; public anthropology; arts-based methods."
🍁 Noah Adams, MSW
Google Scholar | Website
"I completed a Master of Social Work at Dalhousie University in 2015 and am now working on a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development at the University of Toronto. My research interests lie in autism, community development and activism, gender identity, surgical outcomes, archiving, and transgender suicidality."
Karen Fredriksen Goldsen, Ph.D.
Director, Healthy Generations Center at the Goldsen Institute | Google Scholar
"Dr. Fredriksen Goldsen is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar addressing equity and the intersections and trajectories of health, aging, and well-being over the life course among underserved, resilient communities. Characterized as an international leader in sexuality and gender longevity and aging research, she is principal investigator of multiple federally funded landmark studies, including the National Health, Aging and Sexuality/Gender Study: Aging with Pride; IDEA (Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action); and the Global Pride Study."
Professor Ada S. Cheung, Ph.D.
Professorial Fellow in Endocrinology, Department of Medicine at the Univerity of Melbourne | Google Scholar
"Professor Ada Cheung is a clinician scientist; endocrinologist at Austin Health and a NHMRC/Dame Kate Campbell Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne. Since completing her PhD in 2017 and listening to numerous barriers to health faced by her patients, she established the Trans Health Research Group at The University of Melbourne (www.transresearch.org.au) which aims to improve the health and well-being of the transgender and gender diverse community. Committed to evidence-based medicine and policy, her diverse team undertakes clinical trials in gender-affirming hormone therapy, research in health service delivery and research to improve mental health and wellbeing, providing robust evidence to improve the health and wellbeing of the trans community. Her research has had significant impact, leading to the development of new gender clinics in Victoria, a statewide training program for health professionals and national guidelines on hormone therapy."
🍁🎣 The IWK Foundation
🍁📑 The Case for Advancing Women’s Health in Canada
"This report outlines the current state of women’s health in Canada, identifies key gaps and challenges, and offers actionable recommendations for a comprehensive, inclusive, and accountable National Women’s Health Strategy. By prioritizing women’s health, Canada can achieve better health outcomes, foster economic growth, and restore its leadership in health innovation and gender equity. This paper examines the urgent need for Canada to update its national women’s health strategy. It highlights current gaps in women’s health outcomes and research and presents actionable recommendations for investing in women’s health and driving collaboration across sectors to achieve better health and economic results for Canadian women."
Author: IWK Foundation & Deloitte Canada
Date: 13 Nov 2025
🍁🦁🎣🥔📑 The Voice of Maritime Women: The Unspoken Burden of Women’s Health.
"The findings offer an unfiltered, deeply personal look at how women experience health and what it means to manage their health as a woman in the Maritimes today. While statistics capture the scale, it’s women’s own narratives that give these numbers meaning. In this survey, over 13,000 women courageously shared stories from their health journeys — stories of resilience, frustration, hope, fear, and systemic barriers. These are not isolated incidents, but recurring patterns that highlight shared realities. For too long, such voices have been overlooked; here, they are brought forward to reveal the realities that shape women’s health in the Maritimes.
What emerges is the picture of a woman who feels stressed and anxious; who carries the burden of care for those around her and who has self-censored her own health concerns due to a pattern of dismissal and bias. The challenge is not just medical, it is structural, societal, and systemic."
Author: IWK Foundation
Date: Oct 2025
🍁🎣📑 “Improving pathways to primary health care among LGBTQ populations and health care providers: key findings from Nova Scotia, Canada
Journal Link
"Our results indicate that, in several key areas, the primary health care needs of LGBTQ populations in Nova Scotia are not being met and this may in turn contribute to their poor health outcomes across the life course."
Author: Gahagan, J., Subirana-Malaret, M.
Publication: Int J Equity Health 17, 76 (2018).
Date: 13 June 2018
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-018-0786-0
🍁🎣📑 “I feel like I am surviving the health care system”: understanding LGBTQ health in Nova Scotia, Canada
Journal Link
"Our scoping review findings demonstrated the lack of strengths-based research on LGBTQ health in Nova Scotia. Specifically, the studies examined in our scoping review identified a number of health-promoting factors and a wide variety of measurement tools, some of which may prove useful for future strengths-based health research with LGBTQ populations. In addition, our community consultations revealed that many participants had negative experiences with health care systems and services in Nova Scotia. However, participants also shared a number of factors that contribute to LGBTQ health and suggestions for how LGBTQ pathways to health in Nova Scotia can be improved."
Author: Colpitts, E., Gahagan, J.
Publication: BMC Public Health 16, 1005 (2016)
Date: 22 Sept 2016
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3675-8
🍁🎣📑 Culturally Competent Health Care for LGBTQ Seniors in Halifax
Academa.edu Link
"Following a modified grounded theory methodology semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of four middle-aged (40-64yrs) LGBTQ adults who currently work in the provision of health care for seniors in Halifax. The study explored the following research questions:
What does it mean to deliver culturally competent health care to LGBTQ
seniors, from the perspectives of LGBTQ adults currently working in a stakeholder position of health care for LGBTQ seniors?;
What recommendations do LGBTQ adults who currently work in a stakeholder position of health care for seniors have for strategies to ensure that the needs of LGBTQ seniors are met within the Nova Scotia primary health care system?"
Author: Weldon, L.
Date: 20 Dec 2013
🍁 Canada’s Transgender and Non-Binary Population: Data Visualization Tool
"Statistics Canada has launched the Canada’s Transgender and Non-Binary Population: Data Visualization Tool to provide an overview of sex at birth and gender of people in Canada from the 2021 Census of Population. The Data Visualization tools includes those who identify as cisgender, transgender, and non-binary. The data can be filtered by province or by Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA’s)."
🍁💬 La population transgenre et non binaire du Canada : outil de visualisation des données
"Statistique Canada a lancé l’outil de visualisation sur La population transgenre et non binaire du Canada. Cet outil de visualisation de données donne un aperçu du sexe à la naissance et du genre des personnes au Canada à partir du Recensement de la population de 2021. L'outil de visualisation des données inclut les personnes qui s'identifient comme cisgenres, transgenres et non-binaires. Les données peuvent être filtrées par province et par région métropolitaine de recensement (RMR)."
The Pink Paper on Health
🍁📑 Direct Link
"The Pink Paper on Health offers an unprecedented national overview of 2SLGBTQIA+ health and healthcare experiences in Canada, representing one of the most detailed studies to date. The evidence it presents shows how Canada’s healthcare system currently fails to meet the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly in rural and racialized contexts. Respondents described profound experiences of exclusion, stigma, and mistrust, all of which undermine care and contribute to a cycle of unmet health needs. This report therefore offers data designed to give policymakers, educators, and healthcare providers a clear direction to begin closing these gaps. Ensuring equitable and affirming care for 2SLGBTQIA+ people is not only a matter of health justice—it is an evidence-based imperative."
Author: Pink Triangle Press
Date: 1 Jan 2026
Le Rapport Rose sur la Santé
🍁📑💬 Le Rapport Complet
💬 "Le rapport rose sur la santé offre un aperçu national sans précédent des expériences des personnes 2ELGBTQIA+ en matière de santé et de soins au Canada. Il représente l’une des études les plus détaillées à ce jour. Les données présentées démontrent comment le système de santé canadien actuel n’arrive pas à répondre aux besoins des communautés 2ELGBTQIA+, en particulier dans les milieux ruraux et les contextes racialisés. Les personnes interrogées décrivent des expériences marquantes d’exclusion, de stigmatisation et de méfiance, autant d’éléments qui nuisent aux soins et contribuent à générer un cycle de besoins de santé non satisfaits. Ce rapport propose donc des données destinées à fournir aux décideur(euse)s politiques, aux éducateur(trice)s et aux prestataires de soins une orientation claire pour commencer à combler ces manques. Garantir des soins équitables et d’affirmation aux personnes 2ELGBTQIA+ n’est pas seulement une question de justice en matière de santé, il s’agit d’un impératif fondé sur des preuves."
Author: Pink Triangle Press
Date: 1 Jan 2026
Feeling ‘not enough’ or ‘too much’: Exploring how LGBTQ+ adults experiencing disability navigate Canadian health contexts
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Disability and LGBTQ+ communities experience healthcare disparities, however, most research has looked at these communities separately which erases the unique health experiences of people who belong to both. This project sought to explore intersections between gender, sexuality and disability within Canadian health contexts through three life-story interviews with seven adults (aged 25–35; 21 interviews total) who identified as LGBTQ+ and experiencing disability. Thematic narrative analysis resulted in interrelated themes associated with axes of self-identification that demonstrated how participants navigated tensions between being perceived as not disabled, trans and/or queer ‘enough’ or ‘too much’ within healthcare settings."
Author: Herrick SSC, Bennett EV, Bundon A.
Publication: Journal of Health Psychology. 2025;30(13):4075-4090
Date: 24 March 2025
DOI: 10.1177/13591053251327263
Canadian Health Research Funding Patterns for Sexual and Gender Minority Populations Reflect Exclusion of Women
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"We analyzed the publicly available database of grant abstracts funded by CIHR from 2009–2020 to examine what types of 2S/LGBTQI-specific health outcomes would be studied and in what populations.
Results: We found that 58% of awarded grant abstracts mentioned studying sexually transmitted diseases, the majority of which was on human immunodeficiency virus. Of the funded 2S/LGBTQI grant abstracts that specified the gender of the population to be studied (n=23), less then 9% mentioned studying cisgender women. Almost 40% mentioned including trans women/girls, and 30% mentioned including trans men/boys. None of the studies examined mentioned work with the Two-Spirit community."
Author: Namchuk AB, Stranges TN, Splinter TFL, Moore KN, Logie CH, Galea LAM
Publication: LGBT Health. 2025;12(2):144-151
Date: 3 March 2025
DOI: 10.1089/lgbt.2024.0014
The landscape of Medicare policies for gender-affirming surgeries in Canada: an environmental scan
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Many studies have described barriers to gender-affirming surgery (GAS) in Canada; however, few have explored why these barriers persist. To address this knowledge gap, we sought to describe documents related to public health insurance (Medicare) for GAS to identify the types of procedures covered, variations in coverage across provinces and territories, and changes in policy over time."
Author: Gwun, Dave et al.
Publication: BMC health services research vol. 24,1 916.
Date: 10 Aug 2024
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-11361-w
Gender Inclusivity of Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines Intended to Be Applied or Implemented Based on Sex or Gender: A Descriptive Study
🍁 Journal Link
"The scope and implementation of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) frequently depends on sex or gender considerations. Ideally, who is included in CPGs and how they are implemented would consider people of all sexes and genders, including trans and gender-diverse people, even if just to state there is little evidence. We evaluated levels of inclusion of trans and gender-diverse populations in relevant Canadian CPGs."
"Of 49 eligible CPGs, 22 were produced by government-sponsored organizations, 15 by professional societies, and 15 by disease-interest groups (3 jointly produced). Ten (20%) mentioned trans or gender-diverse people, 2 (4%) included relevant recommendations, 1 (2%) addressed implementation, and 1 (2%) included trans and gender-diverse individuals in development."
Author: Henry RS, Allen-Flanagan E, Wall CSJ, Marshall Z, Thombs B.
Publication: Transgender Health. 2024;0(0).
Date: 8 July 2024
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2023.0172
Factors associated with primary healthcare provider access among trans and non-binary immigrants, refugees, and newcomers in Canada
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Results may inform settlement organizations of the unique needs and barriers of TNB IRN. Schools and LGBTQ+ organizations may better serve this population – especially those originating from highlighted regions, who live in Quebec or the Prairie provinces, and/or are non-permanent residents – by offering programs that connect them to primary healthcare providers who are competent in cross-cultural trans health."
Author: Monica A. Ghabrial, Tatiana Ferguson, Ayden I. Scheim, Noah J. Adams, Moomtaz Khatoon (Imptiaz Popat), Greta R. Bauer
Publication: Journal of Migration and Health Volume 10, 2024, 100241
Date: 28 June 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100241
Accessibility and Insurance Coverage for Gender-affirming Surgery in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"This cross-sectional study was conducted by examining provincial health ministry webpages and contacting health authorities and gender clinics to collect data on GAS coverage. Information on various procedures, including chest surgery, facial GAS, and genital surgeries was collected to determine which procedures are covered in each respective province. Geographic distribution of clinics that perform GAS procedures in Canada was also collected and sorted by referrals in-province and out-of-province."
Author: Gou A, Bonapace-Potvin M, Peters BR.
Publication: Plastic Surgery. 2025;33(4):626-634.
Date: 14 June 2024
DOI: 10.1177/22925503241258153
“They just knew, and that makes all the difference”: Understanding positive healthcare experiences among trans people in Canada
🍁📑 Journal Link
"33 longform interviews were conducted with trans individuals, with 29 being used for the final sample. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVIVO 12 software. Thematic analysis was conducted for the coding process with a combination of inductive and deductive approaches used to develop the coding frame."
Author: Goldfarb, Rachel et al.
Publication: International Journal of Transgender Health Volume 26, 2025 - Issue 3
Date: 31 Jan 2024
DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2024.2305196
Trans PULSE Canada Study Results
🍁 Study Page | Report Page
"Trans PULSE Canada is a national community-based survey of the health and well-being of trans and non-binary people in Canada. While this is a new study with data collection coming in the summer of 2019, the study traces its origins back to conversations between trans community members and allies at the Sherbourne Health Centre and The 519 in Toronto back in 2005. These early conversations led to the development of Trans PULSE (Ontario), a multi-mode study that collected focus group, survey, and interview data from trans people in Ontario. The original survey was in 2009-2010, and the results were produced into reports, e-bulletins, and academic papers that provided a foundation for policy change in Canada."
Date: 1 Jan 2024
Résultats de l’étude du Trans PULSE Canada
🍁💬 L’études | Rapports
💬 "Trans PULSE Canada est un sondage communautaire pancanadien sur la santé et le bien-être des personnes trans et non binaires au Canada. Bien qu’il s’agit d’un nouvelle étude dont la phase de collecte de données débutera à l’été 2019, Trans PULSE Canada est le fruit de conversations ayant eu lieu en 2005 entre la communauté trans et des alliés au Centre de santé Sherbourne et au Centre 519 à Toronto. Ces premières conversations ont conduit à l’élaboration de Trans PULSE (Ontario), une étude multimodale qui a recueilli des données par le biais de groupes de discussion, d’enquêtes et d’entretiens réalisés auprès de personnes trans en Ontario. Le sondage initial a eu lieu en 2009-2010 et les résultats ont été compilés dans des rapports, des bulletins électroniques et des articles universitaires qui ont servi de fondement à un changement en matière de politiques au Canada."
Date: 1 Jan 2024
Access to Healthcare and Unmet Needs in the Canadian Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual Population
🍁🦁 Taylor & Francis Link
"Given the limited research on Canadian healthcare access for sexual minorities, our purpose was to use data (n > 2,800) from the 2015–16 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to investigate the perceptions of healthcare access for LGB and non-LGB Canadians. Although non-LGB and LGB participants reported comparable access to a regular care provider and were equally likely to have consulted with a general practitioner in the past 12 months, LGB respondents were more likely to have seen a specialist and reported more unmet health needs."
Author: Hickey, P. M., Best, L. A., & Speed, D.
Publication: Journal of Homosexuality, 71(14), 3276–3294.
Date: 29 Nov 2023
DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2023.2287034
Review of current 2SLGBTQIA+ inequities in the Canadian health care system
🍁🦁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"A better understanding of the current Canadian health care context for individuals of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is imperative to inform public policy and develop sensitive public health interventions to make meaningful headway in reducing inequity. Our search strategy was Canadian-centric and aimed at highlighting the current state of 2SLGBTQIA+ health inequities in Canada. Discrimination, patient care and access to care, education and training of health care professionals, and crucial changes at the systemic and infrastructure levels have been identified as main themes in the literature. Furthermore, we describe health care-related disparities in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and present available resources and guidelines that can guide healthcare providers in narrowing the gap in inequities."
Author: Comeau D, Johnson C and Bouhamdani N
Publication: Front. Public Health 11:1183284.
Date: 17 July 2023
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1183284
Attitudes, awareness and behaviours surrounding 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada: report / prepared for Women and Gender Equality Canada
🍁📑 Direct Link
"Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) commissioned Abacus Data to conduct a public opinion research survey to understand Canadians' attitudes, awareness, and behaviours surrounding 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada. A total of 3,400 Canadians were surveyed using an online panel to reflect the Canadian population, including an oversample of self-identified Indigenous people, those who self-identified as part of a 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and regional oversamples. The online survey was conducted between March 8 and 20, 2023."
Author: Women and Gender Equality Canada, issuing body. Abacus Data, consultant.
Date: 31 March 2023
Résultats de l’étude du Trans PULSE Canada
🍁💬 Attitudes, sensibilisation, et comportements à l'égard des communautés 2ELGBTQI+ au Canada : rapport / préparé pour Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada
🍁💬📑 Rapport
💬 "Abacus Data a été mandaté par Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada (FEGC) pour la réalisation d'une recherche sur l'opinion publique dans le but de mieux comprendre les attitudes, sensibilisation, et comportements des Canadiennes et Canadiens à l'égard des communautés 2ELGBTQI+ au Canada. En tout, un échantillon représentatif de la population du Canada composé de 3 400 Canadiennes et Canadiens a été interrogé à partir d'un panel en ligne ; cela comprend un suréchantillon de personnes qui s'identifient comme Autochtones et de personnes qui s'identifient comme membres des communautés 2ELGBTQI+, ainsi que des suréchantillons régionaux. Le sondage en ligne a été mené du 8 au 20 mars 2023."
Auteur: Women and Gender Equality Canada, issuing body. Abacus Data, consultant.
Date: 31 Mars 2023
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and or Queer Patient Experiences in Canadian Primary Care and Emergency Departments: a Literature Review
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"This literature review synthesises existing evidence and offers a thematic analysis of primary care and emergency department experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or any other sexual or gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals in Canada. Articles detailing first-person primary or emergency care experiences of LGBTQ + patients were included from EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINHAL. Studies published before 2011, focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, unavailable in English, non-Canadian, specific to other healthcare settings, and/or only discussing healthcare provider experiences were excluded."
"Heteronormative assumptions were a key theme among general LGBTQ + experiences. Trans-specific themes included barriers to accessing care, the need for self-advocacy, care avoidance, and disrespectful communication. Only one study reported positive interactions. LGBTQ + patients continue to have negative experiences within Canadian primary and emergency care – at the provider level and due to system constraints. Increasing culturally competent care, healthcare provider knowledge, positive space signals, and decreasing barriers to care can improve LGBTQ + experiences."
Author: Campbell, J., Nathoo, A., Chard, S., Messenger, D., Walker, M., & Bartels, S. A.
Publication: Culture, Health & Sexuality, 25(12), 1707–1724.
Date: 15 Feb 2023
DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2176548
“Expectation is Always that the Practitioner Might Not Be Okay with Queerness”: Experiences of LGBTQ+ With the Healthcare System in Saskatchewan, Canada
🍁📑 Taylor and Francis Link
"The LGBTQ+ community reported negative experiences within the context of four emerging themes: (a) perceived stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, (b) practitioners’ LGBTQ+-specific healthcare knowledge, (c) the need for LGBTQ+-specific cultural sensitivity and inclusion, and (d) a call for changes in healthcare policy. Each theme and its corresponding experiences serve as a baseline of information to demonstrate the need for improved access to safe healthcare and increased sustainable health for the LGBTQ+ community members. This calls for training and education, establishing cultural sensitivity, and mandating policy changes could improve the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community members."
Author: Ashlyn Schwab, BSc, Nedra Peter, PhD, Karen Lawson, PhD & Abbas Jessani, DDS, MSc, PhD
Publication: Journal of Homosexuality Volume 71, 2024 - Issue 1
Date: 5 Aug 2022
DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2022.2103871
At-a-glance - Programs and interventions promoting health equity in LGBTQ2+ populations in Canada through action on social determinants of health
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"LGBTQ2+ individuals often have poorer physical and mental health than heterosexual and cisgender people. The physical health disparities that lesbian, gay and bisexual populations experience range from poorer general health status to increased rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, arthritis and other chronic conditions." "To date, most research in this domain has focussed on health inequities and there has been substantially less research on intervention development and evaluation. There is no comprehensive portrait of the interventions addressing these determinants among LGBTQ2+ people in Canada. We conducted an environmental scan between February and March 2019 to meet this need."
Author: Higgins R, Hansen B, Jackson BE, Shaw A, Lachowsky NJ.
Publication: Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2021;41(12):431-5.
Date: Dec 2021
DOI: 10.24095/hpcdp.41.12.04
A Framework for Enhancing Access to Equitable Home Care for 2SLGBTQ+ Communities
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Canadian, US, and UK public health and clinical research has identified barriers to health service access for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary, and intersex (2SLGBTQ+) communities. While offering important insight into the health service experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, this body of research only recently, and still only minimally, reports on home care access experiences. Drawing on key findings from the 2SLGBTQ+ Home Care Access Project, a mixed-methods, Ontario-wide study, this paper animates an Access and Equity Framework, using participant stories and perspectives to underscore the relevance and effectiveness of the Framework as a tool to support systematic organizational assessment, evaluation, and implementation of access and equity strategies. Home care organizations can use this tool to assess their programs and services along a continuum of intentionally inviting, unintentionally inviting, unintentionally disinviting, and intentionally disinviting care for 2SLGBTQ+ people. To support this process, the framework includes six indicators of access to care: community engagement, leadership, environment, policies and processes, education and training, and programs and services."
Author: Daley A, Brotman S, MacDonnell JA, St. Pierre M.
Publication: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(20):7533
Date: 7 Oct 2020
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17207533
State Involvement in LGBT+ Health and Social Support Issues in Canada
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"For the first time, the broad health issues, needs and concerns of LGBT+ people in Canada were taken up by the federal government’s Standing Committee on Health in 2019. The findings of their consultations with LGBT+ Canadians produced a report that at once captures the breadth of input received, and provides an opportunity for accountable state response to LGBT+ health needs in the form of research, education, policy, funding and programming, yet questions arise as to the socio-political approach that will ultimately be taken. This focus on the health of LGBT+ Canadians follows decades of grassroots and sometimes state-funded research on this very issue. This study undertook a critical content analysis, premised on the queer liberation theory of The Health of LGBTQIA2 Communities in Canada report issued by the Standing Committee on Health."
Author: Nick J. Mulé
Publication: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(19):7314
Date: 7 Oct 2020
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197314
Gaps in Transgender Medicine Content Identified Among Canadian Medical School Curricula
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"To evaluate the role that Canadian medical schools play in addressing these proposed deficits, program administrators were invited to provide curricular information detailing their delivery of transgender health, and medical students were surveyed to assess the impact of current curricula on their knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with regard to transgender health."
Author: Chan B, Skocylas R, Safer JD.
Publication: Transgender Health, Volume 1 Issue 1, January/December 2016
Date: 2 Aug 2016
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2016.0010
Etuaptmumk: Cultural Foundations of Two-Eyed Seeing for Conducting L'nu Research in Mi'kma'ki
🍁🔶 📑 Direct Link
"The study employs Etuaptmumk to explore knowledge about developing support for Two-Spirit (2S) and Indigenous LGBTQIA+ people in Atlantic Canada, including cultural activities, ceremonies, and language development. Etuaptmumk, or Two-Eyed Seeing, has been the core of Two-Spirit research in the Atlantic region. Etuaptmumk is steeped in cultural teachings as its strengths, and one of the two eyes. However, there is a limited understanding of what constitutes the strength of the eye that reflects L'nu'k, encompassing our knowledge, philosophy, and worldview to understand 2S gender, sexuality, and sex."
Author: Sylliboy, John R.
Publication: Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 42(2).
Date: 5 Dec. 2025
Co-creating occupational science research with 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous communities: Developing community-driven research priorities through relationship-building
🔶 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"With a history rooted in colonialism and erasure of Indigenous Peoples and their experiences, occupational science research carried out with 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous Peoples requires intentional and occupation-focused priority setting in order to develop and implement studies that align with a community’s needs, interests, and values. The priority setting project described in this methodological paper centres the intersection of occupation, as a means of facilitating a research-focused relationship, with the process of fostering community involvement."
Author: Reid, H., Waddell, A., Johnson, K., Waldron, K., Ballendine, O., Wilson, R., … Huot, S.
Publication: Journal of Occupational Science, 32(3), 438–455
Date: 7 July 2025
DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2025.2501944
Wrapping a Rainbow Around the Medicine Wheel: A Scoping Review of Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Queer, Trans, and Two Spirit Native Youth
🔶 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth are rarely represented in research, with extant evidence continuously pointing out health disparities and pathologizing individual characteristics rather than accounting for the structural aspects of colonial society. Global Indigenous scholars have put forth a holistic conception of social and emotional wellbeing that integrates Indigenous sovereignty, strengths, and cultures, positing that Indigenous health is a culturally bound phenomenon. To move beyond these deficit-based framings and collate available scholarship, the present work presents the results of a scoping review surrounding the social and emotional wellbeing of queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth. Informed by the Indigiqueer ecological medicine wheel, the present work includes a breadth of health and wellbeing concepts for QT2S Native youth across micro and macro domains."
Author: Asher BlackDeer, A.
Publication: Social Sciences. 2025; 14(5):274
Date: 29 April 2025
DOI: 10.3390/socsci14050274
A Spotlight on Two Spirit (Native LGBT) Communities
🍁🔶 📑 Archive.org Mirror
"Over the course of the past year, Two Spirit (Native LGBT) communities have garnered a great deal of attention with respect to the status of their civil rights, health and personal safety, employment opportunities, and more. This is a synthesis of current research reflecting their realities. The NCAI Policy Research Center wanted to highlight the status of Native LBGT and Two Spirit communities by sharing data and reports that show where we are gaining ground and where further support is needed."
Author: The NCAI Policy Research Center
Date: Aug 2015
Gender affirming and non-affirming language and the healthcare experiences of transgender and gender non-binary individuals: A systematic review
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"We argued that a cultural shift toward the person-centered framework is necessary across all healthcare domains to improve TGNB clients’ experiences. Within this framework, we highlighted two recommendations: following the client’s lead with language and allyship. Additionally, comprehensive and periodic trainings on transgender themes should be accessible to all medical staff. More broadly, the review shed light on what could be the root cause for discrimination in healthcare based on sex and gender."
Author: Vi Nguyen, Enny Das, Charlie Loopuijt
Publication: Patient Education and Counseling, Volume 144, March 2026
Date: 9 Dec 2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2025.109449
Efficacy of a co-designed transgender health training program for primary care general practitioners
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Transgender and gender diverse (trans) people face challenges accessing healthcare, reflecting a need to better support General Practitioners (GPs) with training. In response, the State Government in Victoria, Australia funded the creation of a training program for GPs working in the community. We aimed to evaluate the program’s impact on GP’s self-reported competence, change of practice, and access to collegial support.
Methods: A training module was co-designed by trans and cisgender practitioners, including GPs from LGBTIQA+ focused clinics in Victoria, Australia. Participants completed surveys pre-training, post-training, and 3 months after training. Mean competency score comparisons and odds ratios of pre- and post-training were analyzed."
Author: Grace, J., Skewis, L. F., Zwickl, S., Clune, S., Harden, V., Dutton, M., … Cheung, A. S.
Publication: International Journal of Transgender Health, 1–12
Date: 11 Nov 2025
DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2025.2583469
Health and Wellbeing: A Report of the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey
📑 Direct Link
"This report, coming from the 2022 USTS, provides an updated, detailed look at the health and healthcare of trans and nonbinary respondents. Topics focus on general health and access to healthcare, transition-related healthcare, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, life satisfaction and happiness, and substance use. The findings reveal a complex portrait of strengths and challenges that our respondents experience in their lives when seeking healthcare."
Author: Rastogi, A., Menard, L., Miller, G. H., Cole, W., Laurison, D., Caballero, J. R., Murano-Kinney, S., & Heng-Lehtinen, R.
Date: June 2025
Research Brief: Supporting 2SLGBTQAI+ Survivors
📑 Journal Link
"It is only because of the social movements that originated in the 2SLGBTQAI+ community that they now have the human rights and legal protections they have long been denied (GBV Learning Network, 2015). However, 2SLGBTQAI+ people still experience discrimination, harassment and oppression in their workplaces, in the health system, and in the public and private spheres (Rainbow Health Ontario, 2016). Because of the constant battle for recognition and respect, it is often difficult to identify, recognize and address IPV within 2SLGBTQAI+ relationships."
Author: Rennie, K., Nicholson, L. & Daurie, M.
Publication: 🎣 Transition House Association of Nova Scotia
Date: Oct 2024
Physical activity among transgender individuals: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Physical activity (PA) is a fundamental aspect of health and well-being, with numerous physical, mental, and social benefits. However, transgender individuals face unique challenges that may impact their ability to engage in PA which can contribute to health disparities and worse health outcomes"
"In this article, we aim to review the current literature on PA among transgender individuals, including the rate of PA, barriers and facilitators to engagement in PA, and the potential impact on health outcomes. We will explore the ways in which transgender individuals experience PA, including the impact of gender identity on participation in sports, fitness, and other physical activities."
Author: Lightner JS, Schneider J, Grimes A, Wigginton M, Curran L, et al.
Publication: PLOS ONE 19(2): e0297571
Date: 28 Feb 2024
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297571
Transgender Health between Barriers: A Scoping Review and Integrated Strategies
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Transgender people have garnered attention in recent years. They have different health problems; the fact, however, that they belong to a minority means that this is characterized by complex mechanisms of stigmatization. This paper aims to analyze the current literature on the barriers to health services encountered by transgender people. This scoping review is based on the following research questions: (1) What are the main barriers to health care encountered by transgender people? (2) Is it possible to organize these barriers according to a macro-, meso- and microanalysis approach? (3) What are the main characteristics of the barriers to health care encountered by transgender people? (4) Are there significant relations between the different types of barriers?"
Author: Davide Costa
Publication: Societies 2023, 13(5), 125
Date: 14 May 2023
DOI: 10.3390/soc13050125
Trans Expertise and the Revision and Translation of ICD-11: An Analysis of Available French Data from a Trans Perspective
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"We used a peer-driven participatory approach to conduct qualitative analyses of the French version of the ICD based on contributions from 72 TGD participants in the French study for ICD-11. The results highlight a major incongruence between participants’ propositions and the final official translation. Alternative terms were proposed and discussed by participants in regard to usage and concepts, but also encompassed participation and perceived futility of maintaining pathologization. We found discrepancies in the French publication and translation processes, respectively on gender categorization and back translation. These results question the relevance and implementation of ICD-11 for TGD communities and highlight failures at all three stages of the official French translation. Power issues have an impact on knowledge production and, while mechanisms vary, all relate to epistemic injustice. Involving TGD communities in all stages of medical knowledge production processes would reduce transphobic biases."
Author: Anna Baleige, Mathilde Guernut, Frédéric Denis
Publication: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 11983
Date: 22 Sept 2022
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191911983
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies
📑 Journal Link
"Having an authoritative, academic resource like The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies can go a long way toward correcting misconceptions and providing information that is otherwise not readily available. This encyclopedia, featuring more than 300 well-researched articles, takes an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to trans studies. Entries address a wide range of topics, from broad concepts (e.g., the criminal justice system, activism, mental health), to specific subjects (e.g., the trans pride flag, the Informed Consent Model, voice therapy), to key historical figures, events, and organizations (e.g., Lili Elbe, the Stonewall Riots, Black Lives Matter).
Entries focus on diverse lives, identities, and contexts, including the experiences of trans people in different racial, religious, and sexual communities in the United States and the variety of ways that gender is expressed in other countries. Among the fields of studies covered are psychology, sociology, history, family studies, K-12 and higher education, law/political science, medicine, economics, literature, popular culture, the media, and sports."
Editors: Abbie E. Goldberg & Genny Beemyn
Date: 7 April 2021
DOI: 10.4135/9781544393858
“We Just Take Care of Each Other”: Navigating ‘Chosen Family’ in the Context of Health, Illness, and the Mutual Provision of Care amongst Queer and Transgender Young Adults
📑 Direct Link
"Understand the ways in which “chosen family” functions in terms of care for health and illness. Several themes emerged, allowing us to better understand the experiences of this population in navigating the concept of “chosen family” within and beyond health care settings. Emergent themes include: (1) navigating medical systems; (2) leaning on each other; and (3) mutual aid. These findings are explored, as are the implications of findings for how health care professionals can better engage Q/T individuals and their support networks."
Author: Jackson Levin N, Kattari SK, Piellusch EK, Watson E.
Publication: Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Oct 8;17(19):7346.
Date: 8 Oct 2020
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197346
The TransFormed Project: Research Report
🍁📑 Direct Link
"It is important to consider the oppressive social context in which violence occurs and how heterosexism, homophobia, bi-phobia and transphobia impact rates of intimate partner violence amongst sexually diverse and gender diverse people (Ristock, 2011; Lorenzetti et al., 2015). Two-Spirit, Nonbinary, Trans, gender non-conforming, and gender questioning communities experience unique and intersectional forms of structural violence that increase their risk of victimization. This dynamic also creates barriers that deters them from seeking help.
TransFormed is a research and action project to better understand and respond to IPV among Two-Spirit, Nonbinary, Trans, gender non-conforming, and gender-questioning community members. It is led by METRAC: Action on Violence in partnership with Centre francophone de Toronto. It is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the City of Toronto."
Author: METRAC
Date: 2020
Opportunities and Gaps in Primary Care Preventative Health Services for Transgender Patients: A Systematic Review
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Findings from articles addressing five topics are discussed: HIV, cholesterol screenings, tobacco use, pelvic health, and insurance coverage. Gaps in the extant literature, including the lack of studies of nonbinary people, transgender men of color, and transgender people living outside of large coastal urban centers, are discussed. This review, coincident with other health disparity findings, suggests an urgent need for research that addresses the primary care needs of all transgender and gender nonconforming people."
Author: Edmiston EK, Donald CA, Sattler AR, Peebles JK, Ehrenfeld JM, Eckstrand KL.
Publication: Transgender Health. 2016;1(1):216-230.
Date: 1 Nov 2016
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2016.0019
Gender Affirmation: A Framework for Conceptualizing Risk Behavior Among Transgender Women of Color
📑 PubMed Link
"The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of gender affirmation in the context of a newly proposed theoretical model that integrates prominent theories from stigma, eating disorders, and HIV-related research as well as the existing literature related to transgender women, and posits that risk behavior among transgender women of color can be conceptualized as an outcome of unmet need for gender affirmation."
Author: Sevelius, J.M.
Publication: Sex Roles 68, 675–689 (2013).
Date: 30 Sept 2012
DOI: 10.1007/s11199-012-0216-5
Prevalence and Correlates of Incarceration Among Trans Men, Nonbinary People, and Two-Spirit People in Canada
🍁📑 Journal Link
"In the United States, sexual and gender minority populations are known to experience both higher rates of incarceration and more harmful experiences while incarcerated. However, little is known about incarceration rates or experiences among these populations in Canada or among trans men, nonbinary people, and Indigenous Two-Spirit people. This community-based research study analyzed anonymous self-completed survey data from gay, bisexual, trans, and queer men, and nonbinary and Two-Spirit people to determine the prevalence and correlates of lifetime incarceration among trans men, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit participants."
Author: Jacobsen K, Hu ATY, Stark A, Klassen BJ, Lachowsky NJ, Hébert W.
Publication: Journal of Correctional Health Care. 2023;29(1):47-59
Date: 14 Feb 2023
DOI: 10.1089/jchc.21.10.0117
Health and well-being of trans and non-binary participants in a community-based survey of gay, bisexual, and queer men, and non-binary and Two-Spirit people across Canada
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"There is a paucity of population health data on the experiences of transgender, non-binary, and other gender minority gay, bisexual, and queer men, and Two-Spirit people in Canada. To address this gap, this article presents a socio-demographic and health profile of trans and non-binary participants from the community-based bilingual 2018 Sex Now Survey. Participants were recruited in-person from Pride festivals in 15 communities to self-complete an anonymous paper-and-pen questionnaire. To be eligible, participants needed to be at least 15 years old, live in Canada, either report a non-heterosexual sexual identity or report sex with a man in the past 5 years, and not report gender identity as a woman."
Author: Rutherford L, Stark A, Ablona A, Klassen BJ, Higgins R, et al.
Publication: PLOS ONE 16(2): e0246525
Date: 11 Feb 2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246525
Motivators and Barriers to Accessing Sexual Health Care Services for Transgender/Genderqueer Individuals Assigned Female Sex at Birth
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"We used two approaches to develop a more detailed understanding of factors that determine sexual health care use. Seventeen transgender/genderqueer AFAB individuals completed a quantitative knowledge survey then participated in a semistructured qualitative interview to further elaborate their experiences with sexual health care services as well as the motivators and barriers related to accessing the health care system."
Author: Harb CYW, Pass LE, De Soriano IC, Zwick A, Gilbert PA.
Publication: Transgender Health. 2019;4(1):58-67.
Date: 17 Jan 2019
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2018.0022
Misgendering and the health and wellbeing of nonbinary people in Canada
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Misgendering–using the wrong name, pronoun, or gendered language to refer to someone–is known to have negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of trans individuals generally. However, little is known about the effects of misgendering on nonbinary people specifically.
Aims: As such, our research asked: 1) Among nonbinary people, what factors are associated with frequency of misgendering?; and 2) Do nonbinary people who experience misgendering less often have better health outcomes?"
Author: Jacobsen, K., Davis, C. E., Burchell, D., Rutherford, L., Lachowsky, N., Bauer, G., & Scheim, A.
Publication: International Journal of Transgender Health, 25(4), 816–830.
Date: 10 Nov 2023
DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2023.2278064
‘I don’t want to have to teach every medical provider’: barriers to care among non-binary people in the Canadian healthcare system
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"There is a lack of Canadian literature on the experiences of non-binary people within the healthcare system. This study sought to understand barriers to healthcare among non-binary people living in a mid-sized urban/rural region of Canada. Interviews were conducted between November 2019 to March 2020 with 12 non-binary individuals assigned female at birth, living in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, as a part of a larger qualitative study exploring experiences within the community, healthcare and employment."
Author: Burchell, D., Coleman, T., Travers, R., Aversa, I., Schmid, E., Coulombe, S., … Davis, C.
Publication: Culture, Health & Sexuality, 26(1), 61–76.
Date: 12 May 2023
DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2185685
Interactions between blending and identity concealment: Effects on non-binary people’s distress and experiences of victimization
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Identity concealment (whether or not a person is open with others about their transgender status) and passing/blending (how much a transgender person can, or chooses to, blend into the binary social environment) have been shown to impact transgender people’s experiences in various ways, but few studies examine these constructs in the lives of non-binary individuals (those whose gender identity does not fall exclusively into the categories of man or woman). This study analyzed the non-binary subset of the nationwide sample from the 2015 United States Transgender Survey (9,769 participants) to examine the effects of blending/passing and identity concealment on distress and victimization."
Author: Flynn S, Smith NG
Publication: PLOS ONE 16(3): e0248970
Date: 19 March 2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248970
💬 Les personnes non-binaires en français : une perspective concernée et militante
Direct Link
"Comme on peut s’y attendre dans une langue qui, comme le français, ne reconnaît que deux genres grammaticaux, référer aux personnes non-binaires peut poser certaines difficultés. Les communautés et personnes non-binaires, parfois au sein même de la recherche linguistique, ont développé des stratégies orales et écrites permettant le respect des personnes de genre non-binaire. Le texte ci-présent se veut décrire certaines de ces stratégies de mon point de vue en tant que personne non-binaire et non-linguiste ainsi que proposer une approche systématique au français neutre dans l’espoir de faire progresser la conversation sur le sujet et éventuellement contribuer à l’intégration du genre grammatical neutre en français standard."
Author: Ashley, F.
Publication: H-France Salon, Volume 11, Issue 14, #5
Date: 2019
Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions
🍁 📑 Direct Link
"The Special Issue Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions highlights the growing body of international work in intersex studies, an interdisciplinary field that critically examines societal norms, medical practices, legal premises, and cultural assumptions surrounding variations of sex characteristics (VSCs). Moving beyond medical definitions, the articles in this Special Issue address social, cultural, and political issues faced by intersex people and people with VSCs, including systemic oppression, discrimination, and human rights violations."
Publication: Social Sciences, special issue
Date: Nov 2024
DOI: 10.3390/books978-3-7258-2620-9
Intersex Rights in Canada - Literature Review
🍁 📑 Direct Link
"This review provides an overview of the current landscape of intersex rights and experiences in Canada by offering a summary of the following topics:
1. Canadian contexts for intersex rights
2. Systemic violence against intersex people
3. Intersex human rights on a global scale"
Published by: Egale Canada
Date: 2021
A Systematic Review of the Health and Healthcare Inequalities for People with Intersex Variance
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Extensive research documents the health inequalities LGBTI people experience, however far less is known for people with intersex variation. This paper presents a review of intersex health and healthcare inequalities by evaluating research published from 2012 to 2019."
"Findings support rethinking sex and gender to reflect greater diversity within a more nuanced sex-gender spectrum, although gaps in research remain around the general health profile and the healthcare experiences of people with intersex variance. More large-scale research is needed, co-produced with peers who have lived experience of intersex variation to ensure policy, education and healthcare advances with greater inclusivity and ethical accountability."
Author: Zeeman, L.; Aranda, K.
Publication: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(18), 6533
Date: 8 Sep 2020
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186533
Public Involvement Report: Learning the Narratives and Expectations of Health and Care Needs for Older LGBTQ+ People
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Creative participatory methods were used to engage LGBTQ+ individuals, aged 50 years old and over, in discussion and sharing narratives. The work found attendees wanting to talk about themes of isolation and invisibility in society, and within LGBTQ+ spaces, the need for inclusive spaces, as well as concerns about discrimination in healthcare settings. Throughout the three events, there was a clear desire among attendees for future research and advocacy, alongside the emergence of a strong community network committed to inclusive and affirming care."
Author: De Luca, E.; Barrett, D.; Contreras, D.; Hughes, A.M.; Turnbull, N.; Williams, A.
Publication: Soc. Sci. 2026, 15, 83.
Date: 30 Jan 2026
DOI: 10.3390/socsci15020083
Discrimination, Disclosure, and Working in Old Age: A Queer Life Course Analysis of Employment Trajectories Among LGBTQ+ Older Adults in Canada
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"The paper is based on a broader study, the "Aging and Living Well" study, that involved semi-structured interviews conducted with 48 LGBTQ+ older adults from across Canada. This broader study examined how LGBTQ+ older adults conceptualize "well-being" and what is needed for LGBTQ+ communities to live well into old age across a range of material and social domains. Within this broader study, employment emerged as a primary theme, articulated in participants' reflections on their financial situations and how gender identity, sexual identity, and/or sexual orientation had shaped their experiences of aging and possibilities to "live well" in older age. Analyzing these employment-related findings, this paper contributes critical knowledge about the compounding impacts of social and employment discrimination on these populations' economic security over a life course. It aims to enrich understanding about how past injustices impact presents of aging and what is needed to transform workplaces and social safety nets to address LGBTQ+ older adults' needs."
Author: Pang, C., & Maclennan, E.
Publication: Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0(0).
Date: 30 Oct 2025
DOI: 10.1177/07334648251394117
Older Transgender People’s Discrimination in Healthcare: A Scoping Review
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"The search showed that research focusing on transgender people older than 65 and discrimination in healthcare was rather limited. The findings revealed that older transgender individuals frequently anticipated or experienced discrimination in healthcare settings, resulting in service avoidance and adverse health outcomes. Despite sometimes reporting lower overt discrimination than younger cohorts, older trans people faced comparable levels of victimization, compounded by age-related vulnerabilities and socioeconomic marginalization. Structural barriers, such as misaligned documentation, lack of provider competence, and financial constraints, further hindered access to healthcare. However, the presence of empathetic, culturally competent providers and access to LGBTQ+-specialized services might improve care engagement and outcomes."
Author: Constantinou, C.S.; Nikitara, M.
Publication: Geriatrics 2025, 10, 140
Date: 28 Oct 2025
DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics10060140
Longitudinal disparities in psychological distress and mental health symptoms in Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender-diverse midlife and older adults: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)
🍁📑 Taylor & Francis Link
"We analyzed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) using linear mixed models to compare longitudinal trajectories of mental health outcomes between gay/lesbian (n = 751), bisexual (n = 286), and heterosexual (n = 43,918) people, and between TGD (n = 24) and cisgender (n = 45,055) people."
"LGB adults reported significantly higher psychological distress and depression symptoms, and lower life satisfaction, compared to heterosexual people. Overall trajectory patterns were similar across groups, except bisexual adults showed distinct patterns whereby their rate of decline in psychological distress and depression slowed less at older ages, though baseline disparities persisted. TGD adults reported lower life satisfaction compared to cisgender men, though this finding should be interpreted cautiously."
Author: Courtice, E. L., Counsell, A., Hart, T. A., Ziegler, E., & Dermody, S. S.
Publication: Aging & Mental Health, 29(12), 2365–2381.
Date: 28 July 2025
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2025.2534410
Health Disparities Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Older Adults: A Structural Competency Approach
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Using a structural competency approach, we develop a four-part agenda for this research area that enhances our understanding of how macro-level systems, institutions, and structures drive health disparities among aging LGBTQ+ communities. We also outline future research on structural competency in LGBTQ+ older adult health, while providing recommendations for researchers and clinicians. These recommendations illuminate potential best practices for bettering the health and quality of life of LGBTQ+ older populations."
Author: Lampe NM, Barbee H, Tran NM, Bastow S, McKay T.
Publication: The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 2024;98(1):39-55.
Date: 25 April 2023
DOI: 10.1177/00914150231171838
I Just Want To Be Me
📑 Direct Link
"Trans and gender-diverse people frequently experience inequitable access to health and care services, and the same is true for care at the end of life.
This report uses real-world experience to highlight the needs of these communities, and sets out recommendations for what hospices and palliative care professionals can do to make end of life care more equitable and accessible for everyone."
Published by: Hospice UK
Date: Feb 2023
LGBTQ+ Aging Research in Canada: A 30-Year Scoping Review of the Literature
🍁📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"Canada has a unique socio-political history concerning the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people. With aging populations, understanding diverse groups of older adults is paramount. We completed a systematic search and scoping review of research in Canada to quantify and articulate the scale and scope of research on LGBTQ+ aging. Our search identified over 4000 results and, after screening for relevance, our review focused on 70 articles. Five major themes in the literature on LGBTQ+ aging in Canada were identified."
Author: Kimberley Wilson, Arne Stinchcombe, Sophie M. Regalado
Publication: Geriatrics 2021, 6(2), 60
Date: 12 June 2021
DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics6020060
Advance care planning among older LGBT Canadians: Heteronormative influences
🍁📑 Sage Journals Link
"Advance care planning (ACP) in North America often takes place in a cultural context of great ambivalence about death and dying, challenging efforts to discuss end-of-life care desires and preparations for death. Such challenges are amplified for sexual and gender minority older adults who often lack connections to traditional heteronormative systems of support. The extent of ACP preparation (completed documents, discussions) and their predictors was examined among a national sample of 91 community-dwelling Canadian LGBT older adults (mean age 68)."
Author: B. de Vries et al.
Publication: Sexualities, Volume 25, Issue 1-2, Pages: 79 - 98
Date: 17 March 2020
DOI: 10.1177/1363460719896968
Later Life Care Planning and Concerns of Transgender Older Adults in Canada
🍁📑 Sage Journals Link
"While the particular health-care concerns of transgender people have been documented and transgender aging is an emerging area of scholarship, little is known about planning for later and end-of-life care among transgender older adults. As part of a larger project, focus groups and interviews were conducted with 24 transgender older adults (average age 70 years) living in five cities in Canada exploring their concerns and explicit plans for later life care."
Author: C. Pang, G. Gutman, B. de Vries
Publication: The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Volume 89, Issue 1
Date: 18 April 2019
DOI: 10.1177/0091415019843520
End-of-Life Preparations Among LGBT Older Canadian Adults: The Missing Conversations
🍁📑 Sage Journals Link
"LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) older adults are more likely than their heterosexual peers to age with limited support in stigmatizing environments often poorly served by traditional social services challenging their preparedness for end of life. Fourteen focus groups and three individual interviews were conducted in five Canadian cities with gay/bisexual men (5 groups; 40 participants), lesbian/bisexual women (5 groups; 29 participants), and transgender persons (3 interviews, 4 groups; 24 participants). Four superordinate themes were identified: (a) motivators and obstacles, (b) relationship concerns, (c) dynamics of LGBT culture and lives, and (d) institutional concerns."
Author: B. de Vries et al.
Publication: The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Volume 88, Issue 4, Pages: 358 - 379
Date: 14 March 2019
DOI: 10.1177/0091415019836738
Older LGBT Adults’ End-of-Life Conversations: Findings from Nova Scotia, Canada
🍁🎣📑 Journal Link 🔓 Open Access
"Although increasing research attention in North America is being paid to the health and social disparities experienced among older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, end-of-life (EOL) preparations among these populations are not yet well understood. This study explored older LGBT individuals’ EOL preparations and service providers’ perceptions of such provisions. In this qualitative study, we conducted three focus groups with 15 LGBT adults aged 60 and older who have at least one chronic health condition and live in Nova Scotia. We also conducted one focus group with four service providers. We identified four themes: (a) LGBT communities of care have changed over time, (b) difficulties in asking others for help, (c) hesitancy in thinking about end-of-life, and (d) varying views on the helpfulness of internet technology. The findings illustrate ongoing tensions between being “out” about one’s sexual orientation or gender identity and being able to engage with social and health care providers in determining EOL planning."
Author: 🎣Jacqueline Gahagan, 🎣Áine M. Humble, Gloria M. Gutman and Brian de Vries
Publication: Atlantis Volume 39, Number 1, 2018, p. 31–40
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.7202/1119185ar
Developing a web-based platform to foster end-of-life planning among LGBT older adults
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access
"LGBT aging shares much in common with aging in general; however, a significant dimension of difference lies in the pervasive marginalization and discrimination that LGBT older persons have experienced in a heteronormative environment.
Our project focused on the development of a web-based platform to provide a supportive environment for sharing end-of-life information and building a community among older LGBT individuals."
Author: R. Beringer, G. Gutman, B. de Vries
Publication: Gerontechnology 2017;16(1):48-55
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.4017/gt.2017.16.1.005.00
Healthy Aging among LGBT Seniors in Canada: A Review of the Literature
🍁📑 Journal Link 🔓 Open Access
"It is clear that more research is required to gain additional information necessary to support the development of appropriate health promotion programs, interventions, and policies for the LGBT aging population. Further investigation is needed to look at the experiences of LGBT seniors and the challenges for caregivers. It is necessary to explore the impacts of gender and sexuality on healthy aging and to examine the impact of health-care delivery of programs and policies to seniors in relation to potential homophobic and heterosexist attitudes and environments. However, not all LGBT seniors are alike, and as the literature indicates it is inappropriate to assume that everyone from a given population is the same."
Author: 🎣Emily Murray, 🎣Matthew Numer, 🎣Brenda Merritt, 🎣Jacqueline Gahagan, 🎣Scott Comber
Publication: The International Journal of Health, Wellness and Society Volume 1, Issue 4, 2012
Date: 2012