Every June, public institutions, civil society organizations, and leaders from many sectors share in celebrating Pride, positioning themselves as stewards of the hard-fought progress made in recognizing the human rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada. Despite this progress, Pride is not reducible to celebration. For 2SLGBTQ+ communities it is also a time of deep reflection, community mobilization, and an opportunity to draw attention to the socio-economic disparities affecting our collective well-being and our differing abilities to celebrate Pride. To address these issues directly, the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada: Improving Livelihood and Social Wellbeing Project is celebrating Pride by launching the first-ever national study aimed at addressing poverty among 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

"We are thrilled to begin data collection for this study during the start of the summer Pride season" said Project Director Dr. Nick Mulé, a Professor in the School of Social Work cross appointed to the School of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and the Faculty of Health at York University. "The goals of our project reflect mounting and disturbing evidence that members of our community cannot take the time to celebrate, as some are deprived of basic necessities such as food and shelter. By amplifying their voices and examining the lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ people experiencing poverty in Canada, we will produce an evidence-based portrait of poverty designed to address systemic barriers and promote economic and social empowerment across our diverse communities."

Recognizing the need for nationally representative data to inform policy, funding, and programming decisions in government, academia, and at the community level, the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project is dedicated to driving social and economic change in support of 2SLGBTQ+ communities. It has been awarded $2.5 million in research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to carry out this work. Through interviews, focus groups, and a nation-wide survey, the Study will gather critical information from all provinces and territories on various aspects of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty, including individual and household incomes, access to employment and social support, housing stability, food insecurity, access to healthcare, and experiences of discrimination. This addresses an important gap in current public data collection and will allow for reliable comparisons between 2SLGBTQ+ people and the general population.

For Dr. Todd Coleman, Co-Chair of the Project’s Quantitative Research Team, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University, "the findings from our comprehensive survey represent an exciting opportunity to add precision and nuance to our understanding of the varied experiences of poverty among 2SLGBTQ+ community members."

Dr. Andrea Daley, Co-Chair of the Project’s Qualitative Research Team, and Professor in the School of Social Work, Renison University College, at the University of Waterloo, says "the interviews and focus groups, in combination with survey findings, will deepen our understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty by foregrounding the unique perspectives and insights of diverse 2SLGBTQ+ people and how they experience different pathways to poverty."

Members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities across Canada who are 16 years or older are encouraged to contribute to this vital research effort by participating in the survey and can indicate their interest in participating in an interview and/or focus group during the survey process. The survey launched in Alberta on May 30, 2024, and will roll out across the country province-by-province, territory-by-territory throughout the summer. Participants can sign up to receive the link to the survey by visiting https://www.yorku.ca/laps/research/lgbtq2s-poverty/

For more information about the national survey or ways to be involved in the work of the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project, please visit https://www.yorku.ca/laps/research/lgbtq2s-poverty/.

About the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project:

The 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project is the first national study of its kind. By centring the diversity of 2SLGBTQ+ communities and by incorporating intersectional and decolonizing approaches to understanding lived experience, its cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary research team strives to produce high-impact, evidence-based, policy-relevant knowledge to address 2SLGBTQ+ poverty and encourage and amplify resiliency across these communities.

The 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project is led by Project Director Dr. Nick Mulé, a Professor in the School of Social Work cross appointed to the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and the Faculty of Health at York University. The project is co-led by Project Co-Director, Dr. Maryam Dilmaghani, Professor of Economics in the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University. Housed at York University, it is conducted in partnership with multidisciplinary academics across Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as non-profit service organizations and community advocacy groups.

For more information, please visit https://www.yorku.ca/laps/research/lgbtq2s-poverty/.

Follow the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada Project on social media:

Facebook:?2slgbtq+ Poverty in Canada: Improving Livelihood and Social Wellbeing

Instagram:?@lgbtq2s

Twitter:?@2slgbtqpovcan

TikTok:?lgbtqpovcan

YouTube:?2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada