Rainbow Health Ontario works on building partnerships with researchers, funders and policy makers in order to: 
  • Gather robust data on the needs, issues and capacities of Ontario’s LGBT communities 
  • Advocate for appropriate research streams that support LGBT health research 
  • Encourage the use of existing LGBT health research to promote evidence-based practice and improved     public policy

RHO also creates opportunities for researchers and community groups to share information, develop partnerships, and identify priority areas for research on LGBT communities.

In October 2008, RHO brought together fifteen Ontario-based LGBT academic researchers for a Think Tank on LGBT health research in the province. The group expressed support for working together to foster more LGBT research in the province. Some priorities that emerged from the meeting included: 

  • Creating strong linkages between research and policy development 
  • Supporting junior scholars to find mentorship opportunities 
  • Advocating for more LGBT specific research funding 
  • Advocating for changes in data collection related to LGBT communities

A summary report from the meeting will be available here in January 2009. 


LGBT Health Research Projects
One of the primary objectives of Rainbow Health Ontario is to encourage more LGBT health research in the province of Ontario. If you are interested in working with RHO as a research partner, please contact us. To date, we have collaborated on the following projects: 

1. Trans PULSE
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Greta Bauer and Dr. Robb Travers

The Trans PULSE Project is a community-based research project that responds to problems identified within Ontario trans communities regarding access to health and social services. The purpose of the project is to understand how transphobia and social exclusion affect the health of trans people and the services that they receive. Some of the issues the project is studying are income stability, housing, relationships and family, sexual health, HIV vulnerability, mental health, community connectedness, access to social services, health care services, and hormone use. During the winter of 2008/09, Trans PULSE is aiming to survey 1000 trans people in Ontario. For more information, please visit the Trans PULSE website. 


2. Disordered Eating
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. David Brennan

Research has shown that gay and bisexual men (GBM) and other men who have sex with men (MSM) experience high levels of body dissatisfaction and are at risk of developing eating disorders. Previous research among GBM/MSM has associated eating disorders and body dissatisfaction with a desire to be thin and muscular, as well as with age, internalized homonegativity, and a history of childhood sexual and physical abuse. Most of the research on this topic has been conducted in the U.S. and may have limited generalizability to Canadian GBM/MSM. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey, this study is estimating the prevalence of eating disorders and level of body image dissatisfaction among a sample (n=500) of GBM/MSM who attended the Pride Toronto 2008 Festival. This study will analyze factors that may be associated with eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction, including demographics (age, race, socioeconomic status), depression, substance use, sexual risk behaviours, levels of internalized homonegativity, and history of childhood abuse. For this vulnerable and stigmatized population, this study will fill these important gaps in the literature. The findings will inform the need for and the potential design of preventive interventions tailored to address the health and well-being of Canadian GBM/MSM. 


3. Bisexual Mental Health
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Lori Ross

Research indicates that bisexual people report higher rates of anxiety, depression, poor mental health, suicidality, alcohol misuse, and self-harming behaviour and lower on measures of quality of life, emotional well-being, and social support than heterosexual people, and in many cases, than gay men and lesbians as well. To date, little research has addressed what the causes of these differences in mental health and emotional well-being may be. It has been proposed that the higher rates of mental health issues experienced by bisexual people may be related to not fitting in to the commonly accepted dichotomy of gay/lesbian or heterosexual identity combined with the stresses of having a sexual identity difference from the majority, along with the greater invisibility of bisexual people and the resulting lack of in-group community support.

This pilot study aimed to begin to fill the gap in our understanding regarding the factors affecting mental health and emotional well-being for bisexual people. Our research team conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 55 bisexual people across Ontario to explore what bisexual people identify as key determinants of mental health, participants’ experiences using mental health services, and their suggestions for improving care. 


4. LGBT Mental Health Services Satisfaction Survey
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Lori Ross

Satisfaction with mental health services for the LGBT communities has not been widely explored in Canada due to the lack of inclusion of relevant questions in national health surveys. This research study aims to examine this issue among the Canadian LGBT population by asking: 

1. What is the perceived quality of mental health services for LGBT Canadians?
2. What types of negative experiences do LGBT people report associated with their use of mental health services?
3. Is there a difference in satisfaction between those accessing public versus private mental health services?

The goal of the research study is to learn about the experiences of LGBT people in mental health services settings in Ontario in order to identify areas needing improvement to better meet the needs of LGBT people. For more information, please visit the Survey website. 


5. Toronto Teen Survey Dissemination Project
Principal Investigator(s): Susan Flynn, Dr. Sarah Flicker, Dr. Robb Travers and Dr. June Larkin

The Toronto Teen Survey (TTS) is a community-based research (CBR) project lead by Planned Parenthood Toronto in partnership with York University, the University of Toronto, Wilfred Laurier University and in collaboration with Toronto Public Health. In the last two years, the research team engaged youth in peer-based CBR and collected 1,216 surveys from 13-18 year olds exploring access to sexual health services and programming for youth. Seven percent of the TTS sample identified as ‘sexually diverse.’

Rainbow Health Ontario, in partnership with Youthline and Supporting Our Youth (SOY) is working collaboratively with the TTS to disseminate the results of this study. We will share relevant research results with youth, service providers, and policy makers. We will also develop targeted action plans for sexually diverse youth communities in Toronto.