Queer communities more likely to experience health inequality - and inadequate access to care

The 2SLGBTQIA+ community experiences higher rates of physical and mental illness, less access to care, and more discrimination in healthcare settings, according to new research. 

The Pink Paper on Health, funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, surveyed 2,100 Canadians, split between those who identified as 2SLGBTQIA+ and those who did not. 

Pansexual and asexual respondents reported higher rates of experiencing depression, and anxiety severity was also highest among those who identified as pansexual, queer, asexual and Two-Spirit. 

The publisher, Pink Triangle Press, recommends implementing “respectful, standardized practices for collecting sex and gender identity data […] to support early identification of disparities and inform equitable care and policy.”

They also recommend developing more inclusive cancer screening and disease prevention programs to reduce care avoidance in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and increasing access to appropriate health services in rural and remote communities. 

“Today, trans, non-binary and gender diverse people face the heaviest burden of a swelling backlash,” the researchers wrote. “At the same time, queer healthcare has moved beyond the grassroots, and is often managed by mainstream institutions with mandates beyond our communities – this represents progress, but also a challenge.”

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