Systems Failure: A Report on the Experiences of Sexual Minorities in Ontario’s Health-Care and Social-Services Systems

Project Affirmation’s final report extensively documents the systemic barriers and individual prejudice experienced by lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people when they seek to access Ontario’s health-care and social services. It shows clearly that they face pervasive homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and heterosexism, as well as sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, ageism, and discriminatory attitudes towards Francophones and people with disabilities.

The report contains statistics, charts, personal narratives, and 78 recommendations for institutional change. Its findings are a call to action by federal, provincial and municipal levels of government, health-care and social-service providers and professional associations, boards of education and post-secondary educational institutions, employers and the private sector, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community groups.

(Project Affirmation was a 4 year Health Canada funded – CLGRO sponsored project which looked at the health care and social service needs of sexual minorities in Ontario. It ended in 1997.)