LGBTQ Refugees and Providing Holistic Services: Settlement, Employment, Health and Community
Presenters:
Suhail Abualsameed, EXPRESS, Newcomer Community Engagement Coordinator, Supporting Our Youth (SOY) Program, Sherbourne Health Centre, Toronto
Shari Brotman, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, LGBTQ Refugee Research Project, McGill
University, Montreal
Edward Ou Jin Lee, First Year Doctoral Student, School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal
This community-based research project is about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual transsexual/
transgendered and queer (LGBTQ) refugees currently living in Toronto and Montreal. Based on interviews with refugee claimants, service providers and community advocates, knowledge was gathered about how LGBTQ refugees experience migration, the refugee process, settlement services and health care. Furthermore, LGBTQ refugees revealed challenges related to mental health and the potential benefits of community development. Our results will be used to support efforts to develop research, policy and practice within mainstream refugee serving, ethno-cultural and LGBTQ organizations. Included will be a presentation of our communitybased zine, which reflect the voices of people that we interviewed on several important themes that emerged from our study.
