Publications

Racism shapes who feels safe walking into a sexual health clinic. In Ontario, four peer researchers, working with a community advisory board, recruited and interviewed 21 Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer Black, Indigenous and people of colour about testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. Reflexive thematic analysis, framed by Critical Race Theory, surfaced three connected problems: judgement and discomfort rooted in racism, an absence of community and cultural cues in testing spaces, and practical barriers reaching services, including longer travel distances tied to racial segregation. The authors call for antiracism training and explicitly antiracist testing environments.

There is a growing body of research on the disparities, barriers, and inequities experienced by sexual- and gender-minority communities in Canada, particularly in comparison with heterosexual cisgender counterparts. This article examines data from the community-based Canada-wide Sex Now 2018 (in person) and Sex Now 2019 (online) surveys to gauge the mental health, social and community connection, and service needs of young gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, and queer (GBT2Q) men and non-binary people. Differences across people of colour, Indigenous, trans, and non-binary sub-populations provide insight for future interventions and targeted programs to support the mental health of GBT2Q young people across Canada.

Body image is a complex issue rooted in cultural and social beliefs and values. Research shows that body image can be a health concern for some gay, bi, trans, and queer men. Pup play, a healthy BDSM-related activity, involves people taking on the role of pup/dog, engaging in behaviors such as barking and cuddling. We launched a study to explore how participation in the pup play shapes the way gay, bi, trans, and queer men think and feel about their bodies. This case study focuses on a novel and engaging knowledge mobilization method for health sciences — the creation of a research-informed hip hop/rap song. 

Digital testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is spreading across Canada, but evidence that it eases pressure on the health system is thin. A cross-sectional survey of 798 repeat users of British Columbia's GetCheckedOnline examined how often they also tested through healthcare providers. Just over half tested only online and roughly a third mostly online. Greater reliance on the digital service was linked to availability barriers, such as lacking a primary care provider, while people whose testing formed part of clinical care used it less. Most said they would have tested through a provider otherwise.

The 2022 mpox outbreak in Canada mainly affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and this modelling study asks which responses mattered most. Researchers drew on 2022 data from the Engage Cohort Study, involving 1,445 participants in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, to estimate changes in sexual behaviour, then built a transmission model for each city covering behaviour change, contact tracing and isolation, and first-dose vaccination. Together the three measures averted roughly 46 to 58 percent of cases. Behaviour change and contact tracing each prevented a smaller share, while vaccination's contribution varied by city. Early vaccination mattered most.