Grant: Team Gr.: Embracing Diversity Achieve Prec./Health Equity-HIV/AIDS/STBBI-PHP-LOI

For decades, Public Health has used "men who have sex with men" as a risk group in HIV and Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection (STBBI) monitoring and prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment. Community advocates have argued against the exclusion this MSM group leads to as well as against the erasure of distinct sub-groups such as Indigenous, Black, and other People of Colour. Our Research Team grant will catalyze a paradigm shift in HIV and STBBI research whereby the full heterogeneity of the Two-Spirit (2S) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and other sexual and gender minoritized (2S/LGBTQQIA+) population is embraced. Our specific research aims are to: 1) Understand the impact of stigma, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression on different groups of 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people across Canada in terms of HIV and STBBIs; 2) Determine community-driven priorities for how to address structural determinants of health and persistent inequities in HIV and STBBIs for diverse 2S/LGBTTQIA+ people across Canada; and 3) Enhance knowledge of sexual and reproductive health including understanding the contributing roles of sex, gender, sexuality, and systemic barriers for different groups of 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people across Canada. We will deliver community-based participatory research training focused on HIV and STBBIs among 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people in six provinces and a Canada-wide Indigenous Two-Spirit program. We will recruit 4000 survey participants in-person at Pride festivals, Two-Spirit pow-wows, and other community events. We will also conduct in-depth interviews with 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people. This team grant will also help establish 2S/LGBTQQIA+ community governance for data use. Through strong and established community and public health partnerships, our team will focus on sharing data and research findings with organizations implementing HIV and STBBI prevention.