SFU Research Project
PI(s): Dr. Travis Salway
Host: Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences
Funder(s): Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Researching Environments that Affirm 2S/LGBTQ+ Identities, Relationships & Mental Health (REAFFIRM)
The REAFFIRM Collaborative is an interdisciplinary team committed to promoting 2S/LGBTQ+ health equity. Evidence shows that 2S/LGBTQ+ populations experience multiple, co-occurring and avoidable health disparities, particularly with regard to mental health. We use a broad range of approaches, including epidemiology, qualitative research, and mixed methods, to explore factors contributing to health inequities and to identify strategies for improving health among 2S/LGBTQ+ populations.
In our work, 2S/LGBTQ+ refers to Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and gender minority people. Two-Spirit is a term used to facilitate connections to pre-colonial gender and sexually diverse roles that were part of many cultures Indigenous to Turtle Island; see Pruden & Salway.