2SLGBTQIA+ Health

Guide to information and research for 2SLGBTQIA+ populations

In order to support the information needs of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as well as the healthcare providers, researchers, and policy makers involved in delivering and improving health services, this resource guide was developed through a partnership between academic, hospital, and public libraries. Dalhousie University Libraries, Nova Scotia Health Authority Library Services, and Halifax Public Libraries have all contributed to create this resource. To find information directed to particular groups, use the tabs for Health Care Providers & Trainees, Community, or Researchers. It is not possible to cover all relevant topics on the Guide in depth. If you are looking for more information, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

This guide includes resources from Dalhousie and other academic libraries, NSHA and IWK Libraries, and Halifax Public Libraries, as well as links to publicly available resources. Print resources from academic libraries (records in Novanet) can be borrowed by anyone through the NS Borrow Anywhere Return Anywhere (BARA) program. Access to online resources may be limited to people affiliated with particular institutions, as indicated in the listing in this guide.

What's in a name?

We acknowledge that the individuals and populations under the LGBTQ+ umbrella are diverse and embrace a myriad of names to describe the overall group. Others have reported on the variations of the labels claimed by people in this population, such as Pride or Rainbow community, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and longer acronyms such as LGBTTIQQ2SA. Here, we use the term 2SLGBTQIA+ where the '+' is inclusive of all other identities who find a home within the broader label.

Resiliency & Intersectionality

Approaches to minority health issues are socially and politically informed. Varying definitions of health inequities and 2LGBTQIA+ populations further complicate discussions. This guide highlights some recent research in this area, but is not exhaustive.

Health inequities in minority populations have historically led to a disease or deficit focus when considering the health of those individuals. An example of this is the research and clinical emphasis on the impact of HIV/AIDS on gay men. However, in recent times, researchers and clinicians are shifting the ways of looking at health to examine the resilience or protective factors that can help to shield vulnerable people despite the social inequities that can negatively affect health outcomes.

The population covered by the 2SLGBTQIA+ label are diverse and heterogeneous. Not only are the characteristics and health of each subgroup (gay men, gay women/lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, etc.) potentially very different, but also other intersecting identities (such as race, socioeconomic status/class, ethnicity, literacy level, immigration or disability status, etc.) or social determinants of health affect the ways that health equity plays out for individuals. Individuals who belong to multiple groups that face health disparities have different health concerns that should not be ignored by researchers or clinicians and all individuals may have different health information needs.

Bookshelf

• Affirmation, Care Ethics, and LGBT Identity (2016) by Tim R. Johnston
• Affirmative Mental Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth A Clinical Guide (2018) by Janssen, Aron; Leibowitz, Scott
• AM:STARs LGBTQ Youth: Enhancing Care for Gender and Sexual Minorities by American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Adolescent Health (2018); Michelle Forcier (Editor); Joanna D. Brown (Editor); Robert T. Brown (Editor)
• Beyond Expectation: lesbian/bi/queer women and assisted conception (2010) by Luce, Jacquelyne
• Caring for lesbian and gay people : a clinical guide (2003) by Peterkin, Allan
• Comprehensive Care of the Transgender Patient (2020) by Cecile A. Ferrando
• Counseling Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys: a strengths-based guide for practitioners and educator (2014) by Kocet, Michael M. (Editor)
• Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusive Excellence (2014) by Asumah, Seth N
• Fundamentals of LGBT Substance Use Disorders (2016) by Michael Shelton; Dana G. Finnegan; Emily B. McNally (Foreword by) 
• Gay Mental Healthcare Providers and Patients in the Military Personal Experiences and Clinical Care (2018) by Ritchie, Elspeth Cameron editor.; Wise, Joseph E. editor.; Pyle, Bryan editor.
• Handbook of LGBT Elders (2015) by Debra A. Harley (Editor); Pamela B. Teaster (Editor)
• The Health of Sexual Minorities (2007) by Meyer, Ilan H
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Healthcare A Clinical Guide to Preventive, Primary, and Specialist Care (2016) by Ehrenfeld, Jesse M. (Editor); Eckstrand, Kristen (Editor)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing (2012) by Ward,Richard (Editor)
• The LGBT Casebook (2012) by Barber, Mary E
• The Health of Sexual Minorities (2007) by Meyer, Ilan H 
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Healthcare A Clinical Guide to Preventive, Primary, and Specialist Care (2016) by Ehrenfeld, Jesse M. (Editor); Eckstrand, Kristen (Editor)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ageing (2012) by Ward,Richard (Editor)
• The LGBT Casebook (2012) by Barber, Mary E
• LGBTQ-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care (2017) by Kimberly D. Acquaviva
• LGBTQ cultures: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know About Sexual and Gender Diversity (2009) by Eliason, Michele J.
• Management of Gender Dysphoria: A Multidisciplinary Approach (2015) by Trombetta, Carlo (Editor); Bertolotto, Michele (Editor); Liguori, Giovanni (Editor)
• The Remedy (2016) by Zena Sharman (Editor)
• Substance Use Disorders in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients (2009) by Anderson, Sandra
• Surgical Management of the Transgender Patient (2016) by Schechter, Loren S.
• Teaching LGBTQ psychology : queering innovative pedagogy and practice (2017) by Burnes, Theodore R. editor.; Stanley, Jeanne L. editor.
• Transgender Medicine (2019) by Leonid Poretsky (Editor); Wylie C. Hembree (Editor)
• Transgender Mental Health (2018) by Eric Yarbrough
• Trauma, Resilience, and Health Promotion in LGBT Patients What Every Healthcare Provider Should Know (2017) by Eckstrand, Kristen L. editor.; Potter, Jennifer editor.
• Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Transsexual Client (2012) by Adler, Richard K.; Hirsch, Sandy; Mordaunt, Michelle

Videos

Gen silent: A Documentary film About LGBT Aging (2011) [DVD available at Nova Scotia Health Library Services]

Related Bibliography

• Ard, K. L., & Makadon, H. J. (2012). Improving the health care of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people: Understanding and eliminating health disparities. Boston, MA: The Fenway Institute. 
• Makadon, H. J. (2011). Ending LGBT invisibility in health care: The first step in ensuring equitable care. Cleveland Clinical Journal of Medicine, 78(4), 220-4.[Online access at Dalhousie]
• Colpitts, E., & Gahagan, J. (2016). The utility of resilience as a conceptual framework for understanding and measuring LGBTQ health. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15(1), 60.[Open access]

• Woodward, E. N., Banks, R. J., Marks, A. K., & Pantalone, D. W. (2016) Identifying Resilience Resources for HIV Prevention Among Sexual Minority Men: A Systematic Review. AIDS and Behavior. 15, 1-4. [Online access at NSHA Library Services] [Online access at Dalhousie]