Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) launched in April 2007 as a Ministry-funded program dedicated to addressing health disparities faced by 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Our creation was made possible through the support of Sherbourne Health and over 40 health and AIDS service organizations across Canada. 

Today, we remain one of the few government-funded programs in Canada dedicated to improving 2SLGBTQ+ health outcomes. 

Key milestones include: 

• Launching Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ health conference (2010). 

• Successfully advocating for Bill C-16 (2016-2017), which added gender identity and gender expression protections to the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act 

• Publishing the fourth edition of Gender-Affirming Primary Care Guidelines (2019), authored by Dr. Amy Bourns, establishing national standards for transgender health care 

• Receiving, in 2024, both the Alliance for Healthier Communities’ Community Health Champion Award and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)’s Harry Benjamin Distinguished Education Award, highlighting our national and international impact on 2SLGBTQ+ health equity 

Anna Travers, a founding member and RHO’s first director, played a pivotal role in reshaping trans healthcare in Ontario. In 1998, she was among seven activists who fought against the delisting of gender-affirming surgeries from the province’s health plan. 

At the time, trans individuals faced restrictive barriers to accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) or gender-affirming surgery, often denied care if they didn’t conform to rigid, binary expectations. In response, Anna and fellow advocates formed a working group, developing a consent-based model that moved away from medical gatekeeping. 

Their efforts expanded GAHT access across Ontario and laid the foundation for the Trans PULSE Project, a landmark study on trans health and marginalization in Ontario. 

RHO itself evolved from the Rainbow Health Network, a volunteer-led initiative advocating for broader 2SLGBTQ+ healthcare beyond HIV services. In 2007, with strong community backing, RHO was established to train healthcare providers, improve access and decentralize trans care – shifting responsibility from specialized clinics to local primary care providers. 

Thanks to this work, more doctors became confident in prescribing GAHT, and policy changes reduced reliance on specialized clinics for surgical approvals. This decentralized model increased accessibility, enabling nurses, social workers and other providers to deliver affirming care provincewide. 

While challenges persist, RHO’s advocacy has been instrumental in making trans healthcare more inclusive, accessible and community-driven in Ontario. 

Source: The ArQuives

The Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario (CLGRO) laid critical groundwork for 2SLGBTQ+ rights through three decades of activism. Founded in 1975, CLGRO secured landmark victories, including the 1986 inclusion of sexual orientation in Ontario’s Human Rights Code (Bill 7) and the 1999 recognition of same-sex partnerships (Bill 5). 

CLGRO’s Project Affirmation (1992-1997) was among the first research initiatives to document 2SLGBTQ+ health disparities, directly shaping the creation of the Rainbow Health Network in 2002. Through briefs, protests and public education, CLGRO challenged systemic discrimination while building capacity for future health equity work. 

Rainbow Health Network emerged as CLGRO’s health care-focused initiative, securing federal funding in 2003-2004 to train providers and expand services to Northern Ontario. Its decentralized, intersectional approach directly informed RHO’s establishment in 2007 as Ontario’s first centralized 2SLGBTQ+ health advocacy and capacity-building organization. 

Though CLGRO dissolved in 2008, its decades of advocacy and RHN’s bridging efforts ensured lasting systemic reforms for 2SLGBTQ+ Ontarians. 

Source: The ArQuives