Federal LGBT2Q Health Study

The Rainbow Health Report: Canada’s Parliamentary Study of LGBTQIA2 Health

In Canada, LGBTQIA2 people continue to face barriers to their physical, mental and sexual health. From coast to coast to coast, many LGBTQIA2 communities struggle to maintain positive health outcomes, often because of a lack of access to services due to prevailing stigma and prejudice towards sexual and gender minorities. Despite these health inequities, the government of Canada had yet to take a serious look at the causes behind them.

In February 2019, the House of Commons Committee on Health (HESA) launched their historic study of LGBTQIA2 health in Canada. The study involved 7 hearings that included 33 witnesses, including 3 CBRC staff members, as well as committee travel to Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver where MPs met with local LGBTQIA2 organizations. The committee also received 44 evidence briefs as part of the study, including 3 which were co-authored or led by CBRC.

On June 24, the committee released their report, “The Health of LGBTQIA2 Communities in Canada”, or the “Rainbow Health Report”. The ground-breaking report includes 23 recommendations to the federal government for addressing the health inequities experienced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2) Canadians.

The Rainbow Health Report includes several calls to the federal government for comprehensive action, investments, and leadership on:

Inclusive sexual orientation and gender identity education;
Cultural competency in the health care system;
Queer and trans-specific program or research funding;
Access to critical biomedical services for LGBTQIA2, including medications for HIV treatment & prevention (PEP and PrEP), hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgeries, HPV vaccination among MSM, and self-testing for HIV and STBBIs;
Data collection for LGBTQIA2-related measures in federal surveys and research;
Ending conversion therapy in Canada;
Addressing stigma and discrimination faced by LGBTQIA2, including an end to discriminatory practices in blood, tissue, and organ donation