Queering Public Health: A Critical Examination of Healthcare Access and Gender Expression among Trans, Nonbinary, and Other Gender Nonconforming People during COVID-19

• Published in: Health & social care in the community 2023-03, Vol.2023, p.1-12
• Main Authors: Grey, Cornel, Sinno, Jad, Zhang, Haochuan, Daroya, Emerich, Skakoon-Sparling, Shayna, Klassen, Ben, Lessard, David, Hart, Trevor A., Cox, Joseph, Stewart, Mackenzie, Grace, Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bisexuality; Censuses; Cisgender; Cohort analysis; Community involvement; COVID-19; Disease transmission; Gays & lesbians; Gender; Gender identity; Gender nonconforming; Health care; Health care access; Health promotion; Hormone replacement therapy; Men; Mental health; Non-binary gender; Pandemics; Public health; Research ethics; Sexual health; Social interactions; Social organization; Sociodemographics; Transgender persons; Two-Spirit
• ISSN: 1365-2524; 0966-0410; 1365-2524
• DOI: 10.1155/2023/6676318

Research documenting the impact of COVID-19 on Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) populations in Canada is limited. Our objectives were to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the lives of trans, nonbinary, and other gender nonconforming (TGNC) people. Engage COVID-19 is a mixed methods study examining the impact of COVID-19 on gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men (GBQM) living in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, Canada. Using purposive sampling, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews (between November 2020–February 2021 and June–October 2021) with 93 participants who discussed the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. Seventeen participants were identified as TGNC. TGNC participants reported barriers to trans healthcare during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several participants indicated that some public health interventions during COVID-19 (i.e., lockdowns) eased the pressure to “perform” gender due to fewer in-person interactions. During lockdowns, TGNC participants increasingly cultivated community networks online. Nevertheless, participants reported longing for the social support that was available to them during pre-COVID. Lack of access to community spaces during lockdowns had a negative impact on participants’ mental health, despite reduced pressure to perform gender and opportunities for social engagement in online spaces.