COVID-19 has impacted our daily lives in ways we could never have imagined. Whether it’s social distancing, wearing a mask, or staying home, these changes are difficult to adapt to. However, there are groups who may experience additional challenges under the current pandemic. This includes Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and other sexually and gender diverse people.

It is for this reason that the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), Egale Canada, The Enchanté Network and 2 Spirits in Motion Society have launched a ground-breaking national survey to investigate the current state of health among 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in Canada.

The survey will ask about topics including mental health, physical health, relationships, sex lives, caregiving, substance use, economic impact, housing, and discrimination. The study team is especially interested in hearing from people who have chronic illnesses or conditions that are not well understood by the community at large.

“Our communities have long faced challenges when it comes to our health and well-being,” says Nathan Lachowsky of the University of Victoria, the Principal Investigator for this project and Research Director at CBRC.

“Conducting a Canada-wide 2SLGBTQQIA+ survey during this pandemic ⎯ which is further changing the ways we work, socialize, get support, and build community ⎯ will help us tell politicians, policymakers, and service providers about the challenges and needs of our communities.”

The survey includes an option to receive a COVID antibody test in the mail. The goal is to find out how many 2SLGBTQQIA+ Canadians got SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Participants will be asked to complete a Dried Blood Spot (DBS) test and return their sample using a prepaid envelope. This test is confidential, and participants can decide whether they want to receive the results, which will include any positive results for HIV, hepatitis C, or syphilis.

Participants will receive an honorarium for completing the survey portion of this study, with those who complete the DBS test receiving an additional honorarium.

All data collected will be used to advocate for programs, services, and policies that better support the health and well-being of 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across Canada. The survey takes about 30-60 minutes to complete and will be available in English, French and Spanish.

“Health research has an opportunity to use an intersectional lens ⎯ with the pandemic’s distinct impact on 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members living with chronic health conditions,” says Anu Radha Verma, CBRC’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ Chronic Health Research Manager. “We want to honour individual and collective experiences, while advocating for systemic change.” 

The state of health in 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities in Canada has been a long-standing concern for the Canadian public. While recent efforts to improve the situation have been made, there is still a lot of work to be done before we can truly say that the country’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities are healthy and supported.

In 2019, the Standing Committee on Health released a ground-breaking report on the health of LGBTQIA2 communities in Canada. The report highlighted the diverse range of inequities experienced by this heterogeneous population and explored how stigma and discrimination have led to poorer mental and chronic health. To date, however, there has been little action taken to address these findings.

While this survey is a step forward in highlighting the specific health needs of LGBTQIA2 communities, there remains a gap in understanding how services for these populations are currently funded and whether those funding structures are adequately addressing the unique needs of 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals.