Members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community experience high rates of stigma and discrimination both outside and inside the health system. According to John Edwards, an RN and member of the community, secretary of RNAO’s Rainbow Nursing Interest Group (RNIG), and a researcher who focused on this for his master’s degree (read more in our RN profile), stigma and discrimination result in higher mental health issues, substance use and generally poorer health and health outcomes for 2SLGBTQI+ people. Many, he’s found, are forced to disclose at a risk to their safety. Trans and non-binary people experience significantly higher rates of discrimination and even violence within the health system, which increases even more in rural areas.

Today’s political climate – provincially and federally – is not welcoming to 2SLGBTQI+ people. And challenges are exacerbated in the health sector due to lack of education and training to meet the unique needs of this community, Edwards suggests.