Publications

When COVID-19 pushed health care online almost overnight, what did that mean for gay, bisexual, and queer men, a group already facing sexual and mental health disparities? This analysis draws on 93 semi-structured interviews in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, conducted in two waves between late 2020 and late 2021, using a sociomaterial lens that examines how people, technologies, and settings interact. Virtual care brought benefits and improved access for some men while creating disruptions and challenges for others, and it required participants to adapt, including learning new ways of communicating with providers. The framework helps pinpoint what works and what needs improving.

Long clinic waits and inconvenient hours push many people to put off sexual health testing. Drawing on Sex Now 2019, a bilingual community-based online survey, researchers asked 1,369 gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Ontario about barriers to clinic-based STBBI testing and whether they would use an online testing model. Being too busy and inconvenient clinic hours were common reasons for delay. Acceptability of online testing reached 80 percent, with saved time the leading benefit and privacy the leading concern. Younger men, immigrants of colour and Indigenous immigrants were more receptive; current PrEP users somewhat less so.

Canadian evidence on how COVID-19 affected 2SLGBTQ+ communities is thin, and this analysis focuses on trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people. It draws on Engage COVID-19, a mixed methods study in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, where in-depth interviews with 93 participants were conducted across two waves between late 2020 and late 2021; seventeen participants were trans, nonbinary or gender nonconforming. They described barriers to trans healthcare early in the pandemic, and some found lockdowns eased the pressure to perform gender because of fewer in-person encounters. Online community networks grew, yet losing physical community spaces still harmed mental health and social support.

Health professionals hear things about dating apps that surveys rarely capture. This British Columbia study drew on 28 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with practitioners serving young gay, bisexual, trans and queer men to explore how gay dating apps affect their clients' health and wellbeing. Thematic content analysis surfaced three tensions: sex made newly accessible could feel transactional or pleasurable; apps built community and safety while also exposing users to rejection and discrimination; and perceived escalation in sexual and drug-related risk-taking sat alongside real openings for education and prevention. The authors offer practical strategies for limiting harms and maximizing benefits.

Transgender and gender diverse people continue to meet stigma and discrimination when seeking care, including from social workers. This study asks whether treating their lived experience as legitimate practice knowledge could repair that relationship. Researchers interviewed 20 transgender and gender diverse people and ten social workers in a western Canadian province, analysing the material through feminist standpoint theory. Three possibilities emerged: interventions that validate trans bodies, identities, and experiences; advocacy and support networks grounded in shared community knowledge; and work that promotes resistance and transformation. The authors discuss practical implications at multiple levels, including involving trans peers directly in delivering psychosocial interventions.