Research Papers and Studies

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 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

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

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

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

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

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: Int. J. Environ. Res. 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

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 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

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

Bridging Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening in Transgender Men: A Scoping Review
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access

"Estimates of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and susceptibility to HPV-related cancer in transgender men (TM) are comparable to prevalence rates found in cisgender women. Regular and thorough screening for cervical cancer is equally as crucial for TM as for cisgender women; however, despite continued risk for cervical cancer in TM and associated recommendations for screening, studies indicate disparities in rates of cervical cancer screening (CCS) in TM compared to cisgender women. The current scoping review explores TM’s knowledge and experiences of CCS and barriers to screening uptake in this population. A range of barriers were identified including the need for health-care services to provide care for TM within the context of a nonbinary approach to gender identity and health."

Author: Dhillon N, Oliffe JL, Kelly MT, Krist J.
Publication: American Journal of Men’s Health. 2020;14(3).
Date: 3 June 2020
DOI: 10.1177/1557988320925691

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

💬 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

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

Experiences of menopause among non-binary and trans people
📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access

"Whether TGNB people are taking hormonal interventions or not, it is also likely that psychosocial experiences of menopause would be different for gender-divergent individuals compared to their cis counterparts. Understandings of menopause as a specifically female experience, and one that is closely tied to reproductive capacity, might well have a different personal and social significance for TGNB individuals, depending on their experiences and identities around such matters. At present, however, there is little formal documentation of such issues.
Understandings of menopause and age-related hormonal change that are framed around the needs of cisgender people may also create challenges in understanding and meeting TGNB people’s needs within health services. Clinical definitions that define menopause in terms of a ‘final’ menstrual period, loss of ovarian function or loss of fertility may be ambiguous in TGNB populations, given the impact of any prior hormonal and/or surgical intervention, and assigned sex at birth."

Author: Toze, M., & Westwood, S.
Publication: International Journal of Transgender Health, 26(2), 447–458.
Date: 10 Aug 2024
DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2024.2389924

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

Coming Out and Coming In to Living with Dementia: Enhancing Support for 2SLGBTQI People Living with Dementia and their Primary Unpaid Carers
🍁 📑 Direct Link

"Through 2020-2022 Egale partnered with the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) to conduct research focused on better understanding the experiences and perspectives of 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia and primary unpaid carers* for 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia in Canada. The report discusses the significance of gender and sexual identity in experiences of living with dementia and providing care, the many ways that people become carers for 2SLGBTQI PLWD, and key needs, gaps, and strategies to mobilize networks of support. This discussion is relevant to the aging population, equity and healthcare access, and care work in Canada. Rooted in the research findings, the report provides specific action-oriented recommendations to build and enhance programming, policy, advocacy, and research. The report was co-authored by Dr. Ashley Flanagan and Dr. Celeste Pang."

Published by: Egale Canada
Date: May 2022

💬 À l'intersection des identités 2SLGBTQI et des troubles neurocognitifs : renforcer les mesures de soutien pour les personnes 2SLGBTQI ayant un trouble neurocognitif et leur principal.e proche aidant.e non rémunéré.e
🍁 💬 📑 Telecharger Rapport

"De 2020 à 2022, Egale s'est associée avec le National Institute on Ageing (NIA) afin de mener à bien une recherche visant à mieux comprendre les expériences et les points de vue des personnes-2SLGBTQI ayant un trouble neurocognitif et de leur principale personne proche aidante non rémunérée au Canada. Le rapport parle de l'importance des identités sexuelles et de genre dans le cadre des troubles neurocognitifs et des soins associés, des façons multiples et variées dont on devient la personne proche aidantes d'une personne-2SLGBTQI ayant un trouble neurocognitif, et des besoins, lacunes et stratégies clés pour mobiliser des réseaux de soutien. Cette discussion est pertinente au regard du vieillissement de la population, de l'équité et de l'accès aux soins de santé, et des prestations de soins au Canada. À partir des conclusions de la recherche, ce rapport fournit des recommandations concrètes en matière de programmation, de politique, de défense des intérêts et de recherche. Ce rapport a été coécrit par Ashley Flanagan, PhD, et Celeste Pang, PhD."

Publié par: Egale Canada
Date: Mai 2022

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

Should we be prescribing testosterone to perimenopausal and menopausal women? A guide to prescribing testosterone for women in primary care
📑 Direct Link

"Numerous studies have shown that adding testosterone to hormonal therapy can improve sexual function and general wellbeing among women during their menopause. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of testosterone treatment in women has provided robust support for a trial of testosterone in women when clinically indicated. In postmenopausal women, testosterone supplementation improved several domains of sexual response, including sexual desire, pleasure, arousal, orgasm, and self-image.
It has also been shown to have additional benefits including the improvement of urogenital, psychological, and somatic symptoms, an increase in bone density, and enhancement of cognitive performance when combined with oestrogen as part of HRT. Many women notice that taking testosterone improves their mood, concentration, motivation, and energy levels."

Author: Alice Scott & Louise Newson
Published by: The British Journal of General Practice
Date: 25 March 2020
DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X709265

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

Illness Management in Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Couples: A Review
🍁 📑 Direct Link 🔓 Open Access

"More openly sexually and gender diverse people are aging into later life across the world as generational transitions occur. People identifying many different ways beyond cisgender and heterosexual are diverse with respect to many other characteristics and sociopolitical locations across the globe and may thus experience a wide array of health journeys both individually and as partners in intimate relationships. In this review article, we summarize the major contributions of and ongoing gaps in existing studies about such couples’ experiences of chronic disease management in later life."

Author: Nowakowski ACH, Chan AY, Miller JF, Sumerau JE.
Publication: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. 2019;5.
Date: 15 Jan 2019
DOI: 10.1177/2333721418822865

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

Research Papers and Scientific Studies