Program

2026 Poster Presenters

1. On Paper, In Practice: Archiving Queer Scarborough

   Andrea Charise (she/her) · University of Toronto Scarborough

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   Introduction This presentation shares highlights of the “Queerborough” project, an ongoing community-engaged Queer of Colour Archival Practice that explores how art-making, storytelling, and archiving function as practices of care and identity formation for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Toronto’s eastern, diverse suburb of Scarborough. Methods Occasioned by a community-research collaboration between the University of Toronto and a local arts non-profit program, this archival project discusses the generation of a rich archive of digital and paper artefacts documenting the creative and affective histories of queerness in Scarborough - a space too often omitted from dominant, downtown-centric queer narratives and histories. Through creative practices such as postcards-making, collage, and painting workshops facilitated by local QTBIPOC artists and researchers, our archive investigates how acts of creation foster individual and collective well-being for queer youth. Results Participants’ art and testimonies show how queer of colour youth cultivate resilience and belonging even in conditions marked by spatial, racial, and socioeconomic marginalization. Partnering with the Toronto ArQives, North America’s largest queer archive, we discuss how our project reframes creative archiving as a form of community care. Discussion Inspired by and building on works such as Ann Cvetkovich’s concept of archives of feeling, Saidiya Hartman’s storytelling/critical fabulations, and José Esteban Muñoz’s vision of queer futurity, the project reimagines archives not only as repositories of information but as technologies of survival which hold trauma, care, and possibility. Our project contributes to conversations about youth resilience, participatory research, and community-engaged knowledge production. Anchored in the frameworks of health humanities and participatory/qualitative research, we argue that creative archival practices constitute a critical mode of health intervention. By foregrounding lived experience and affective knowledge, the Queerborough archive expands what counts as evidence in health and humanities research, offering an ethics of care rooted in co-creation and representation. Conclusion Ultimately, this presentation situates Scarborough’s queer communities within broader discourses of identity, wellness, archival practices, and place-making. It demonstrates that artistic and archival practices - especially those led by youth - may reorient understandings of health away from purely clinical models toward relational, interdependent, and imaginative practices of flourishing that live, and thrive, in the queer of colour archive.

2. A Cascade of Affirming Conversations: Sharing Innovative Practices to Mapping 2SLGBTQ+ Disparities in Ontario Child Welfare

   Kristin Roe (she/they) · Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

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   2SLGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in the child welfare system and experience unique disparities in treatment and outcomes. They face higher risks for adverse childhood experiences, family rejection and victimization and once in care encounter greater placement instability due to gender- and sexuality-based stigma, discrimination, non-affirming caregiving. Moreover, 2SLGBTQ+ youth are more likely to age out of the foster care system when they reach adulthood and are more likely to be placed in group homes or congregate settings. We have developed this visual diagram as a brief reference tool to help child welfare workers provide affirming care to 2SLGBTQ+ youth as they navigate the referral, investigation, and ongoing case management processes. The goal of this tool is to provide concrete recommendations and actions for validating, affirming, and supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth at each phase of service delivery. This first-of-its-kind tool in Ontario is organized around the Ontario Child Protection Standards (2016). Each recommendation in the tool is grounded in best practices from current research literature, as well as research conducted with Ontario Children's Aid Societies workers who represented a diverse range of roles and agencies.

3. Adaptations in Community Learning: Reactions to Changing Legislation and Curriculum for Queer Youth

   Eric Zambory (They/Them) · McGill University

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   Across Canada, LGBTQ students face systemic inequities and erasure, a reality recently intensified by a "Legislative Wave of Gender Restriction". In Alberta, the Education Amendment Act (2024) has contributed to a "chilling effect," where fear of professional backlash leads to self-censorship and a "pedagogy of negation" that structurally regulates LGBTQ visibility out of classrooms. Consequently, provincial curricula often omit essential lessons on gender and sexual identity, failing to meet the needs of marginalized youth. This research examines how LGBTQ community organizations in Alberta navigate and adapt to these curricular and legislative shifts. Specifically, it seeks to: 1. Map the adaptive strategies used by organizations to fill "curricular voids". 2. Explore community educators’ perspectives on the efficacy and impact of their alternative programming. Guided by Institutional Ethnography (IE), this study begins from the standpoint of community educators to uncover how their everyday work is coordinated by "ruling relations" like provincial legislation. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews with eight program coordinators or educational leaders in Alberta-based LGBTQ nonprofits. The analysis iteratively connects lived experiences to the textually mediated policies and curricula that coordinate action across sites. Preliminary synthesis of existing literature and organizational landscape indicates that community organizations have evolved into "vital sites of counter-pedagogy". These entities bypass formal institutional restrictions by positioning community knowledge as a legitimate educational bridge. Initial findings suggest a shift away from "deficit models" of victimization toward frameworks of "Queer Joy and Resistance," where building networks of care acts as a radical disruption of cisheteronormative state conditions. This study will provide a practical framework for organizational adaptation, helping nonprofits strengthen community-based strategies for inclusion. By documenting how educators navigate "disjunctions" between policy and practice, the research contributes to a more resilient educational landscape. Participants will gain insights into how creative, grassroots modalities can support engagement and affirm identity outside the constraints of public systems.

4. Are Social Workers Prepared? A U.S. National Survey of Social Workers' Preparedness for Affirmative Practice with 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

   Gio Iacono (he/him) · University of Connecticut

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   Background: In the current hostile sociopolitical climate, the need for culturally responsive and affirmative practice is critical for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, especially youth, who frequently face significant minority stressors and disparities (e.g., mental health, family victimization, school bullying, access to healthcare). Social workers are essential supports for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth across various settings; however, existing literature suggests many practitioners do not feel adequately prepared to work with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. Understanding the specific gaps in preparedness and the factors contributing to them is vital for enhancing professional education and service delivery. Objectives: This study aimed to address the preparedness gap by answering two primary questions: (1) How prepared are social workers to work with 2SLGBTQIA+ clients? and (2) What factors—including practitioner demographics, professional experience, and institutional characteristics—are associated with these levels of preparedness? Methods or Approach: This quantitative study utilized a large-scale recruitment strategy, using direct emails obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests to reach social workers with an MSW across all 50 U.S. states. A total of 10,596 participants completed an online survey. Researchers employed descriptive analyses, t-tests, and multilevel linear regression models to examine the relationship between preparedness (for both adults and youth) and independent variables including years of experience, practice setting, political leaning, and the nature of the MSW institution. Key Results or Insights: Results indicated that social workers reported significantly greater preparedness to work with 2SLGBTQIA adults (M = 3.13) than with 2SLGBTQIA youth (M = 2.89, t(5177) = 31.63, p < .001). Multilevel modeling examining social workers preparedness revealed that practitioners with fewer than 10 years (b = −0.12, p < .001) or 10–19 years of experience (b = −0.07, p = .001) reported lower preparedness compared to those with 20 or more years of experience. Relative to private practice settings, lower preparedness was reported among social workers in outpatient behavioral health (b = −0.10, p < .001), medical facilities (b = −0.10, p < .001), inpatient behavioral health (b = −0.15, p = .007), or “other” practice settings (b = −0.16, p < .001). Additionally, lower preparedness was associated with graduating from public (b = −0.07, p = .004) or religious institutions (b = −0.07, p = .036), identifying as politically conservative (b = −0.37, p < .001), and identifying as Black/African American (b = −0.18, p < .001) or Latino/a/e (b = −0.24, p < .001) rather than White. Results were similar for preparedness to work 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and adults. Implications or Impacts: These findings identify critical targets for advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ youth health, well-being and rights. This study calls for structural change — moving beyond generic training towards a more robust, affirmative curricula that centers 2SLGBTQIA+ youth health and well-being. This study also identifies key factors to advance change through policy, education, training and affirmative practice. Implications for social work practice, education, and research will be explored to better prepare social workers to work with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

5. Embodied Critical Praxis Through Theatre of the Oppressed: Disrupting Internalized Oppression among Racialized Queer Populations

   David Puvaneyshwaran (he/him) · University of Toronto

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   Background: Queer South Asian migrants experience cumulative and intersecting stressors, including ethnocultural expectations, sexual racism, exclusion, and invisibilization. While minority stress frameworks have documented these impacts, less attention has been given to how oppression becomes internalized and how participatory approaches might disrupt these processes. Additionally, dominant individual level, cognitive approaches often obscure the embodied, relational, and structural dimensions of internalized oppression. Grounded in Multiple Minority Stress (Bowleg et al., 2003; Meyer, 2010) and Critical Consciousness (Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994), my study explores Theatre of the Oppressed as critical praxis-based approach to address internalized oppression among diasporic queer South Asians. Methods: My study employs a critical qualitative, conceptual-analytic design. I conducted an integrative review across three bodies of literature: (1) multiple minority stress (Bowleg, 2003; Brooks, 1981; Meyer, 2010), (2) critical consciousness (Freire, 1970, hooks, 1994), and (3) Theatre of the Oppressed (Boal, 1974). I also purposively selected empirical studies utilizing theatre-based interventions with queer and South Asian populations was included to ground the analysis in practice-based evidence. I then analyzed these sources using an theory-informed qualitative synthesis, drawing on reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; 2022) and informed by critical interpretive approaches (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006). My analysis was iterative and inductive, focused on identifying recurring mechanisms and processes related to structural, interpersonal, and internalized oppression Through constant comparison, mind mapping, and analytic memoing, I examined intersections across frameworks and developed a conceptual model of Theatre of the Oppressed as a praxis-oriented intervention. Reflexivity was integral throughout the analytic process, informed by my positionality as a queer diasporic South Asian with a background in Theatre of the Oppressed. Results: The synthesis identifies three interrelated pathways through which Theatre of the Oppressed may facilitate shifts across individual, relational, and collective levels. First, embodied externalization enables participants to render internalized narratives visible and contestable, disrupting individualized understandings of oppression. Second, collective meaning making fosters participatory analysis that situates personal experience within shared structural conditions, strengthening relational support and collective consciousness. Third, envisionment and rehearsal of transformation allow participants to experiment with alternative responses to oppression, cultivating agency and collective imagination. Across these pathways, Theatre of the Oppressed functions as a democratic process by redistributing interpretive authority and positioning participants as co-creators of knowledge. Implications: My study conceptualizes Theatre of the Oppressed as a praxis-oriented intervention that advances social work research toward more participatory forms of inquiry that fosters critical consciousness among multiply marginalized communities. By centering embodied participation and collective analysis, my framework moves beyond individualizing measures of minority stress and contributes to community-engaged and relational forms of inquiry. This approach is relevant for social work group work practice and transformative research that not only understand experiences of oppression but mobilize collective capacities for change.

6. Exploring LGBTQ+ Young People's Perspectives on the Value of LGBTQ+ Tailoring in Self-Guided Digital Mental Health Interventions

   Emma Chubb (She/her) · University of Bath, UK

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   Background Self-guided, digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are a promising option to reduce some of the key barriers to accessing mental health support among LGBTQ+ young people. However, the extent to which self-guided DMHIs should be tailored specifically for this population is unclear. The need to attend to the unique mental health challenges explained by Minority Stress Theory support the argument for tailoring. However, prior qualitative studies conducted with LGBTQ+ adults suggests that for some, tailoring DMHIs can be a nice aesthetic touch but resources can still be beneficial without tailored elements. Furthermore, some studies highlighted participants’ concerns about the potential risks of tailored DMHIs, such that they may overemphasise differences between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ people or for LGBTQ+ identity to be presumed to be a causal factor. Additionally, tailoring for the group as a whole may also obscure the needs of specific individuals or subgroups within the population. Limited work in the field has explored the perspectives of LGBTQ+ young people. Objectives The present project aims to understand LGBTQ+ young people’s perspectives on the value of tailoring in self-guided DMHIs and the utility of untailored DMHIs for LGBTQ+ young people. Methods or approach To date, semi-structured interviews have been conducted by an LGBTQ+ researcher with 11 LGBTQ+ young people, aged 16-20. Participants have mainly been recruited via LGBTQ+ youth groups and social media. To facilitate discussion, participants were shown examples of tailored and untailored self-guided DMHIs. Data collection and analysis is ongoing but expected to be finalised by September 2026 and at least preliminary findings available to discuss at the INQYR conference. Interview transcripts are being analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, through a contextual critical realistic framework. Key results or insights While in the early stages of analysis, interpretive insights so far are centred around the context-dependent nature of LGBTQ+ young people’s preferences for tailored or untailored self-guided support. There are also contrasting perceptions of the utility of untailored resources, with some highlighting unique needs and experiences that are not met or reflected in untailored resources whereas others focus on the commonalities they share with non-LGBTQ+ young people and are able to translate untailored content to be relevant to their own situations. Participants have acknowledged the challenges with achieving effective tailoring and discussed the potential risks associated with inappropriate tailoring such as overemphasising differences in LGBTQ+ young people in stigmatising ways. Privacy and safety concerns have also been raised around accessing a resource labelled as LGBTQ+ specific. Implications or impacts Insights from this study will improve our understanding of when and why tailoring might be important for LGBTQ+ young people and how this may shape engagement with tailored and untailored DMHIs. This understanding can be used to inform the design and dissemination of self-guided DMHIs for LGBTQ+ young people in ways that attend to their needs and preferences, with a view to address disparities in access to support.

7. Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators of Delivering SOGI123 for Educators in Canada

   Sarah Dedrick (she/her) · Simon Fraser University

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   Background: Sex education curricula are increasingly constrained by anti-2SLGBTQIA+ policies and rhetoric. In the current Canadian political context, access to information on sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) is restricted, reducing the sense of safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ students at school. Interventions to protect 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are more critical than ever. SOGI123 is a school-based program started by the ARC Foundation, helping educators make their classrooms, schools, and curricula inclusive of all identities by providing resources, training, and information. To support educators, SOGI123 mobilizes regional educator networks and provides supplemental teaching resources. The current literature has found SOGI123 to be effective in reducing violence and fostering inclusive school environments for both 2SLGBTQIA+ and cisgender/heterosexual students in British Columbia (Saewyc et al., 2024). Despite evidence demonstrating SOGI123’s impact, protests and public backlash continue spreading disinformation and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric across Canada. There are currently four regions teaching SOGI123, including British Columbia, the Prairies, Yukon, and Atlantic Canada. Each region is influenced by different provincial and municipal governments, public opinions, and policy changes related to education. Therefore, educators in different regions have varying barriers and facilitators to implementing SOGI123. There has been no research examining the impact of SOGI123 on educators outside of British Columbia or interprovincially. In addition, there is limited research examining how the shifting political climates impact educators. Objectives: The current research project aims to explore SOGI123’s impact supporting educators and the barriers to delivering 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive education, by region, in the current conservative political climate. Methodology: The ARC Foundation has 10 years of previously collected data on SOGI123 implementation using an online survey with both open and closed-ended questions. Recruitment for the current school year is ongoing. Participants included district and school leads who are working to implement SOGI123 into the school setting. Descriptive analysis will examine trends in the effectiveness of SOGI123 procedures and resources, challenges to implementation, and the impact of backlash or opposition within districts, cities, and provinces, as well as compare the data alongside policy changes and the rise of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric. Key Results Data analysis will be completed by August, 2026. Implications: The current research will inform program changes and the scale-up of SOGI123. The findings will determine how to better support educators and school/district leads involved with SOGI123 implementation. In addition, future scale-ups can expand the program's reach to more regions and districts across Canada. Dissemination strategies will target three groups. The findings and future recommendations will be presented and compiled into a report for the SOGI123 program staff. Presentations at school board conferences and leaflets with infographics of the findings will be distributed to educators and program leads. Finally, dissemination at sexual health and 2SLGBTQIA+ health conferences will boost visibility to better support educators within the shifting political climate. References: Saewyc, E. M., Coronel Villalobos, M., Rana, M., Srivastava, S., & Fraser, L. (2024). “Students feel safer here, and more included”: Evaluation of SOGI 123 in BC. University of British Columbia. https://apsc-saravyc.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/10/SOGI-123-Evaluation-report-2024-10-08-FINAL.pdf

8. Fandoms as Margin-Centered Spaces: Moving Beyond Single-Identity Spaces

   Nathan R. G. Barnett (he/they) · Wilfrid Laurier University

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   Background Given the growing queerphobia in both Canada and abroad, it is increasingly important to understand the role margin-centered spaces, like fandoms, can play in queer youth’s wellbeing. Currently, most research focuses on single-identity spaces (e.g., LGBTQ+ safe spaces) and their impact on wellbeing. While these spaces do have a variety of important, positive impacts, it is also vital to note that not all participants experience these spaces equally (Vo, 2021). Most often, those who are additionally marginalized experience discrimination and isolation in these spaces. Because of their singular-focus (e.g., on sexuality), many individuals are forced to ‘keep quiet’ about their other identities for the sake of projecting a ‘unifying’ experience of being LGBTQ+. As a result, the benefits of single-identity spaces often do not manifest equally for additionally marginalized LGBTQ+ participants. Objectives Stemming from hooks’ From Margin to Center, margin-centered spaces aim to address these critiques of single-identity spaces by centering non-normative, marginalized experiences more broadly - as opposed to focusing on a singular identity. Using fandoms (communities of fans for a person, team, or creative work) as an example, I sought to explore what impact participating in margin-centered spaces has for LGBTQ+ youth, particularly those who are racialized, disabled, and/or transgender. Approach To undertake this work, I completed a narrative, or “traditional”, literature review to provide a summary and synthesize of existing literature related to both single-identity spaces and margin-centered spaces. In order to combat common pitfalls of narrative reviews, I followed Levy & Ellis’ 2006 systems approach, which has three steps: inputs, processing, and outputs. Key insights Currently, there is a dearth of literature focusing on margin-centered spaces and their impacts; however, there is considerable research outlining both the benefits of single-identity spaces as well as their complications. For example, common benefits include offering a respite from heterosexism, building community and resiliency, and providing participants with the ability to be their ‘true’ selves; however, these benefits are not equally felt (Vo, 2021). In the limited literature on margin-centered spaces, many similar benefits exist (particularly on the basis of building community and resiliency), as well as new benefits such as coalition and increased learning (Arao & Clemens, 2023). This is not to imply that margin-centered spaces like fandoms are utopias, as these spaces can and do reproduce harmful discourses related to racism, ableism, transphobia, and even homophobia (Llewellyn, 2021). Rather, by centering a space on marginality and non-normativity, as opposed to a singular identity, there is greater opportunity for participants to find a ‘home.’ Implications Key implications for this work include further illumination (following the work of scholars such as Cisneros & Bracho, 2020; Fox & Ore, 2010; Rosenberg, 2017; Vo, 2021) of how single-identity spaces are not always safe or welcoming for diverse LGBTQ+ participants. Additionally, I seek to provide a new conceptualization of space (margin-centered spaces) to meaningfully address ongoing critiques leveled at single-identity spaces. Ultimately, I hope to provide audience members with a new way of understanding ‘queer’ spaces like fandoms.

9. Healing from Child and Adolescent Sexual Violence: Highlighting Results from an Integrative Review Through Case Study Examples with Gender Expansive Survivors

   Carina Montoya (she/they) · Case Western Reserve University

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   Background: Child and Adolescent Sexual Violence (CASV) encompasses nonconsensual sexual experiences (abuse, assault, harassment, etc.) with significant impacts on mental health, relationships, and future victimization risk. The unique healing processes relative to gender expansive identifying (GEI) populations are understudied and research knowledge often lacks a clinical perspective. Methods: An integrative review explored demographic representation in CASV research and conceptualization of factors promoting healing after CASV among GEI individuals. Six databases were systematically searched in July 2025 (inclusion criteria: GEI participants, sexual violence victimization before age 18, and discussion of healing/growth from the sexual trauma). Three case studies from the author’s clinical practice were identified which highlight these results in a real-life setting. Results: The review identified 13 studies. Healing was conceptualized as promotive factors related to posttraumatic recovery (e.g., resilience, identity integration), protective factors mitigating negative outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, substance use), or through a risk-reduction model identifying factors that reduce the odds or prevalence of CASV in GEI populations. Healing themes included individual factors (e.g., self-esteem, social/family support), contextual factors (e.g., school support, access to resources, spirituality), and resistance (e.g., self-advocacy, pride, community). Case study 1 presents a 21-year-old transmasculine college student with severe touch aversion and dissociative symptoms associated with PTSD from familial sexual abuse and adolescent dating violence. After engagement in EMDR therapy, grounding and somatic exercising, and distress tolerance building, client engaged in open mic survivor nights and advocacy groups on campus. Highlights healing themes of resistance, advocacy, self-esteem building, and social support. Case study 2 presents a 32-year-old transwoman with high social anxiety and withdrawal associated with generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. After engagement in social skill building, narrative therapy, and EMDR therapy to target childhood sexual harassment from a nonfamilial adult, client joined a spiritual group and found deep meaning through spiritual connection and shared identities with other survivors in a virtual support space. Highlights healing themes of spirituality, pride, and community. Case study 3 presents a 22-year-old transmasculine college student with low mood, lack of motivation, and self-harm associated with major depressive disorder. Client reports a history of nonconsensual sexual experiences with a same-age family member. Through building capacity to share his story and acknowledge impacts role of previous experiences, Client increased engagement with social and formal supports such as medication management and improv groups. Highlights healing themes of self-esteem building, identity integration, and access to resources. Conclusions: Results of the integrative review suggest healing from CASV occurs in multiple contexts. However, nonbinary identity was notably absent from the literature. Removing barriers to accessing services, fostering community, and interventions related to resilience and self-esteem can promote healing from CASV among this population. Future research is needed to address limitations of current measurement of gender identity and to further understand how to promote healing among GEI CASV survivors. Case studies provide examples of how these healing themes arose in clinical practice with three trans CASV survivors and provide insights into how practitioners can apply these research findings into their direct work with clients.

10. Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Coping as Mediators Between Intersectional Stress and Depressive Symptoms among LGBTQ+ Youth of Color

    Pin-Chen Chiang (She/They) · University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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    Background LGBTQ+ youth of color (YOC) experience higher rates of depressive symptoms compared to their White peers and cisgender heterosexual peers. These elevated mental health risks are widely understood through intersectional frameworks, which emphasize how multiple, co-occurring systems of oppression produce unique and cumulative stressors for LGBTQ+ YOC. Yet, there is limited research examining how intersectional stress, including identity conflicts and/or intersecting oppressive experiences related to LGBTQ+ and racialized identities, is associated with depressive symptoms among LGBTQ+ YOC, and how different coping strategies may operate within this process. Objectives Guided by the Psychological Mediation and Intersectionality frameworks, this study aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of intersectional stress on depressive symptoms among LGBTQ+ YOC, with a focus on coping strategies as mediators. Research questions included the following: (1) What is the relationship between different forms of intersectional stress (i.e., identity conflict; LGBTQ+-related oppression in racial communities; race-related oppression in LGBTQ+ communities) and depressive symptoms? (2) To what extent do different types of coping strategies (i.e., emotion-/problem-focused (dis)engagement; LGBTQ+ exploration; seeking family support) mediate this relationship? Methods A sample of 365 LGBTQ+ youth of color (Mage = 17.9) from a national longitudinal survey in the United States was used to examine how intra- and inter-personal coping strategies (i.e., emotion-/problem-focused (dis)engagement; LGBTQ+ exploration; seeking family support) mediates intersectional stress (i.e., identity conflict; LGBTQ+-related oppression in racial communities; race-related oppression in LGBTQ+ communities) and depressive symptoms. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted using Mplus with Weighted Least Squares with Mean and Variance (WLSMV) estimation. Results For intrapersonal coping, results showed that emotion-focused disengagement mediated identity conflict and depressive symptoms, and problem-focused engagement led to reduced depressive symptoms. Regarding interpersonal coping, racial oppression within LGBTQ+ communities improved LGBTQ+ exploration but reduced family-support seeking and directly influence depressive symptoms. Higher level of family-support seeking further decrease depressive symptoms. On the other hand, LGBTQ+ oppression within racial communities was not associated with all the coping strategies as well as depressive symptoms. Conclusions and Implications These findings underscore the importance of recognizing the unique needs of LGBTQ+ YOC navigating different intersectional stress contexts. Emotion-focused disengagement may warrant clinical attention due to its mediation role between identity conflict and depressive symptoms. Rather than simply encouraging emotional expression for LGBTQ+ YOC without contextual change, interventions should aim to reduce emotion suppression and self-blame when they experience identity conflict. In terms of interpersonal coping strategies, LGBTQ+ exploration may function as an active coping process for LGBTQ+ YOC to renegotiate belonging and seek alternative affirming spaces when experiencing intra-group racial oppression. The development of identity and belongingness is an important task during adolescence, and understanding how and with whom LGBTQ+ YOC interact to go through this process is essential for further examination and potential intervention. The findings highlight that coping among LGBTQ+ YOC is not just a psychological process but is embedded within racialized and cis/heteronormative social environments. Recognizing these context-dependent coping strategies is essential for advancing intersectional mental health research among LGBTQ+ YOC and developing culturally responsive interventions.

11. Mental Health Help-Seeking Among LGBTQ+ Young People in the UK: The Role of Social Contexts and Resilience

    Willem Stander (He/Him) · University of Birmingham

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    Background: LGBTQ+ young people report disproportionately high rates of mental health problems compared with cisgender heterosexual peers, yet evidence on their help-seeking remains limited. Existing research suggests that support is often accessed only at crisis point and has focused on barriers to care, with less attention to facilitators and the conditions that enable help-seeking and the role of resilience. Objectives: To examine help-seeking patterns, perceived helpfulness, support priorities, and the psychological and social correlates of successfully seeking and receiving support among LGBTQ+ young people in the UK. Methods: A convenience sample of 9,666 LGBTQ+ young people aged 13–24 years in the UK completed a cross-sectional online survey recruited via targeted social media campaigns. Measures assessed past-year suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm, and screened for anxiety and depression. Past-year help-seeking was assessed across formal and informal sources, including perceived helpfulness and support priorities. Predictors included resilience, trusted adult support, community acceptance, LGBTQ+ affirming spaces, discrimination and victimisation, exposure to conversion therapy, housing security, and socioeconomic indicators. Binary logistic regression examined correlates of successfully seeking and receiving support. The study was co-designed with LGBTQ+ young people. Results: Mental health distress was high (58.8% suicidal ideation; 19.0% suicide attempt; 61.0% self-harm; 69.3% anxiety; 62.0% depression). Nearly one-quarter did not seek help (22.9%), and 6.2% sought help but did not receive it. Informal supports were accessed more frequently than formal supports (85.8% vs 14.2%) and rated more helpful; only 4.0% accessed a mental health professional. The internet was the most commonly used source of support (28.4%) and was rated as moderately helpful. Priorities centred on being listened to and taken seriously (88.7%), confidentiality (74.3%), and safety (72.5%), alongside LGBTQ+ affirming care. Younger participants, cisgender boys/men, trans girls/women, and those identifying as asexual or heterosexual had lower odds of successfully receiving support. After controlling for distress, access to affirming spaces, community acceptance, and trusted adults were strong correlates of successfully seeking and receiving support, whereas individual-level resilience was not independently associated. Implications: Findings indicate that LGBTQ+ youth mental health help-seeking is shaped by both psychological need and social context, with affirming environments and trusted relationships acting as key enablers of access to support. These findings suggest that resilience may be better understood as relational and contextual – emerging through affirming spaces, acceptance, and supportive adults – rather than solely as an individual trait. The prominence of online support highlights the importance of digital spaces as accessible, early points of engagement. For researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, these findings emphasise the need to prioritise LGBTQ+ affirming services, invest in community and digitally mediated provision, and strengthen trusted relationships to support earlier, non-crisis engagement with care. The study also demonstrates the value of large-scale, technology-enabled, co-produced research for capturing the experiences and support pathways of LGBTQ+ young people.

12. More Than the Sum of Our Parts: Critical and Intersectional Possibilities for 2SLGBTQIA+ Quantitative Research

    Jacqueline (Jackie) Cosse (they/she) · New York University Silver School of Social Work

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    Background: Research more broadly, and quantitative research in particular, routinely falls short in representing gender, sex, and sexuality with nuance, too-often engaging in the conflation of gender and sex in research, alongside the amalgamation of gender, sex, and sexuality into a singular, monolithic 2SLGBTQIA+ experience. These patterns raise critical questions about how we understand measurement and methodological choices in (quantitative) research, and how we might restructure our approaches to produce more critical, intentional, reflexive, and intersectional trans/queer research as a whole. This presentation takes these questions on directly, exploring them through an example quantitative study utilizing secondary data analysis, where such limitations are often most concentrated. Approach: Data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, a federal dataset tracking arrests annually and by state, was used to examine the intersecting role of race, gender, and sexuality in IPV arrest outcomes across queer couples (N=344,687), accounting for the role of policies that mandate arrest for IPV incidents. Analyses involved a series of multivariable logistic regression models, building in complexity to account for intersecting predictors. This particular study was selected to demonstrate a starting point for the quantitative/statistical translation of critical, intersectional approaches to 2SLGBTQIA+ research that are attentive to structures of power. Insights and Results: Foregrounding the interconnected theoretical and methodological decisions in the study, this presentation centers (1) the important distinction between “additive” and “multiplicative” modeling approaches, and (2) how accounting for intersections of race, gender, and sexuality, particularly in large, complex federal datasets, can produce significantly different findings than treating such variables as separate predictors. Multiplicative modeling approaches revealed key racialized arrest disparities that “additive” approaches obscured; namely, increased arrest odds for queer women of color. These results are especially significant given prior studies indicating, absent any consideration of racialized/gendered dynamics internal to queer communities, increased arrest odds among queer couples. Implications: This presentation aims to demonstrate meaningful possibility for more accountable trans/queer research that does not hold quantitative rigor as mutually exclusive from the complexity of 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences. This is all the more critical as 2SLGBTQIA+ rights are systematically dismantled across the globe and, in particular, within the United States. INQYR, in particular, offers a rare opportunity to advance this conversation across borders and disciplines, bringing together researchers working in vastly different political contexts around a shared investment in critically rethinking our approaches to quantitative research. That the study in this presentation examines a site of harm rather than one of joy or thriving does not change the underlying point: those we aim to represent in our work deserve researchers who continuously challenge themselves to (re)think ways to more fully, accountably capture 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences.

13. Navigating Identity and Community: Insights to LGBTQ+ Student Engagement with LGBTQ+ Organizations

    Samantha Luxmikanthan (they/them) · Rutgers University

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    Background: LGBTQ+ students in higher education navigate compounding vulnerabilities at micro, mezzo, and macro levels, including identity concealment, institutional marginalization, and the erosion of campus-based affirming spaces. Since August 2023, more than 23 LGBTQ+ and Gender and Sexuality Centers have closed across U.S. campuses, disproportionately affecting students in rural, suburban, and politically hostile climates who have few alternative spaces for support. These structural losses compound individual-level stressors such as family rejection, loss of peer networks after coming out, exclusion from religious communities, and the particular isolation experienced by LGBTQ+ students of color navigating communities where queer identity may be heavily stigmatized. Existing literature underrepresents the mental health and resilience dimensions of LGBTQ+ student engagement with community organizations. It fails to account for how service learning can function as culturally grounded, community-embedded pathways to care. Objectives: This work aims to examine how LGBTQ+ students engage with on- and off-campus organizations through service learning, and how those engagements shape identity development, emotional resilience, and community belonging across multiple social levels. It sought to (1) surface the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students navigating advocacy, activism, and intergenerational community engagement; (2) identify the conditions under which community involvement functions as a site of care, resistance, and mutual learning; and (3) generate actionable practice recommendations for mental health providers and higher education institutions working to build sustainable communities of care and support for LGBTQ+ youth. Methods: This chapter employs a qualitative, reflexive case study methodology, drawing on two in-depth student narratives. Both cases were examined through the dual theoretical lenses of Social Capital Theory (bonding and bridging capital) and Chickering's seven vectors of psychosocial development. The author's reflexivity, rooted in their own sustained engagement with LGBTQ+ campus and community organizations, is woven throughout as a methodological stance. This approach centers lived experience and positions students not as research subjects, but as co-constructors of knowledge about what community care and resilience look like in practice. Insights: The case studies revealed that community engagement with LGBTQ+ organizations can simultaneously function as a site of empowerment and emotional strain. The students demonstrated sustained advocacy, which deepened their sense of identity and purpose (reflecting Chickering's vectors of developing competence and establishing identity), while also producing significant emotional labor and burnout. Engagement with LGBTQ+ elders through intergenerational oral history programming offered a different pathway to resilience, rooted in historical continuity, relational modeling, and "joyful resistance." Both cases illuminate how bridging social capital can transmit community knowledge, healing practices, and models of long-term resilience that strengthen individual and collective wellbeing. Implications: These findings carry significant implications for research, policy, and practice at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. For practitioners and mental health providers, the cases support integrating structured community engagement and reflective processing into clinical and counseling work with LGBTQ+ students. Recommendations include maintaining curated lists of local LGBTQ+ affirming organizations, facilitating values clarification conversations prior to community engagement, and normalizing rest and sustainable activism as clinical values.

14. Nobody Gets Their Sh*t Together by 30!: Queer Temporality and Service Use

    Michael Butac (he/him) · Toronto Metropolitan University

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    Background: Youth social services provide access to essential needs, such as food and shelter, in addition to other holistic supports, including case management, counselling, social and recreational groups, and drop-in spaces to build a sense of community and belonging. Queer youth access social services for several reasons, such as higher rates of homelessness (Knee, 2019; McCann & Brown, 2019), mental health and substance use issues (Mereish, 2019; Russell & Fish, 2020), lack of family support, and the need for identity-affirming community spaces (Fish, 2020; Gamarel et al., 2014; Wagaman, 2014). Due to service mandates, youth must ‘age out’ of youth services, typically at 24 years old with some services ending at 29 years old. The literature indicates that ‘aging out’ of social services and its impacts on queer youth are severely understudied, particularly among youth with intersecting identities and from a Canadian context (Felner et al., 2022; Wagaman et al., 2016). Objectives: This research study aims to generate critical knowledge on ‘aging out’ of social services by understanding the experiences and impacts on queer racialized youth, and identify best practices to support their long-term well-being. Methods: Virtual focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 10 service providers and 16 queer racialized youth, ages 24 to 30 years old, from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Key results: Youth and service providers agree that the ‘aging out’ process is unsupported, lacking consistency and structure, and thus, having detrimental impacts on youth’s mental health and social support. Notably, youth feel shame and anxiety due to normative societal pressures of what adulthood should look like, and a sense of regret in not coming into their multiple marginalized identities sooner. Additionally, youth experience feelings of grief and alienation over the loss of formal and informal networks, and a yearning for community beyond youth services. Participants shared that a more successful ‘aging out’ process should include capacity building, community partnerships, and fostering relationships through mentorship and intergenerational connections. Implications: Developing policies and procedures would provide clarity and consistency for service users and providers. Additionally, targeted initiatives, such as an ‘aging out’ case worker, info sessions, and a short-term facilitated group can strengthen capacity in service navigation, self-advocacy, and community building. These initiatives can also offer a collective space to address societal pressures and alienation. To ensure positive long-term benefits of youth social services, youth who are ‘aging out’ require intentional support to thrive beyond such services.

15. Same or Different? Gay Men's Digital Practices and Wellbeing: A Comparative Study

    Lazar Dragić (He/Him) · The Chinese University of Hong Kong

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    Background This study looks at gay men’s digital practices across three regions (Mainland China, Taiwan, and Australia) and how these practices influence their digital well-being. Instead of focusing on the mere frequency of social media use or the dichotomy between active and passive use, I conceptualize gay men’s digital practices into three groups: affirmative digital practices, resilient digital practices, and digital malpractices. Affirmative digital practices are seen as those that help with identity construction and provide social support. Such practices often contribute to an enhanced sense of belonging and psychological well-being by allowing individuals to access peer support and validation. Resilient digital practices are those that individuals use to navigate harm and negative influences brought by social media use. Some resilient practices may include selective disclosure and the use of anonymity and privacy controls. Digital malpractices encompass maladaptive behaviors that increase minority stress or lead to psychological distress. These may include engaging in hostile or toxic online environments, or the excessive consumption of content that reinforces internalized homophobia and social isolation. In addition to looking at the individual-level factors, this study includes two country-level factors, as digital practices are also influenced by country-level factors. This study looks at how societal attitudes towards homosexuality and the institutional environment influence gay men’s digital practices. Societal attitudes impact sexual minorities’ disclosure in a way that in societies with higher levels of acceptance, sexual minorities feel safer and more comfortable disclosing their sexualities, while in societies with lower acceptance, they feel less secure to disclose. The situation is similar with the institutional environment. In countries with laws and policies protecting sexual minorities, individuals feel safer and more open, while in countries that do not provide governmental support or even have laws against sexual minorities, individuals feel more constrained and cautious about disclosing their sexuality. Objectives Selected regions for comparison are Australia, Taiwan, and China. There are two reasons for choosing these three regions. First, in terms of societal attitudes, Taiwan and China are similar, as the overall acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is not high. On the other hand, Australia has an overall high acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Second, in terms of institutional environment, Australia and Taiwan are similar, as both regions have legalized same-sex marriage and have anti-discrimination laws and policies in place. On the contrary, same-sex marriage is not legal in China, and there are no laws protecting the community. By comparing these three regions, we can better understand how these macro-factors influence gay men’s digital practices and well-being. Methods I will conduct 60 interviews (20 per region: Australia, Taiwan, and China) to ensure a robust cross-national comparison. Each respondent will share two short video-recordings or video clips from their mobile devices before the interview. One video should represent content that evokes positive emotions (e.g., community support), and the other should represent content that evokes negative emotions (e.g., stereotypical portrayal). This technique will provide rich data grounded in the participants’ actual digital environment. Data collection is in process.

16. State of Play: Mental Health, Gender Minority Stress and Affirmative Experiences among Trans and Gender Diverse Young People in the UK

    Liam Cahill (he/him) · Nottingham Trent University

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    Background Trans and gender diverse (TGD) young people experience markedly poorer mental health than their cisgender peers, yet large-scale UK evidence integrating mental health outcomes with gender minority stressors and affirmative experiences remains limited. This is particularly concerning given the current UK sociopolitical climate, characterised by heightened public debate, legal uncertainty, and policy instability affecting TGD people's recognition, inclusion, and access to care. Objectives This study provides a contemporary state of play assessment of mental health, gender minority stress, and affirmative experiences among TGD young people in the UK. Specifically, we examine: (1) the prevalence of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm; (2) the prevalence of gender minority stressors and affirmative experiences; and (3) the independent associations between these stressors and affirmative experiences and mental health outcomes across five TGD identity groups. Methods We analysed cross-sectional survey data from 5,856 TGD young people aged 13–24, collected across the UK in 2023 in collaboration with The Trevor Project and the McPin Foundation. Consistent with participatory principles, LGBTQ+ young people were involved throughout the study. Two probit structural equation models were estimated, one for gender minority stress predictors and one for affirmative experience predictors, adjusting for gender identity, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic indicators. Average marginal effects were calculated to aid interpretation. Key Results Mental health difficulties were highly prevalent: 67.6% reported probable depression, 73.8% probable anxiety, 66.5% suicidal ideation, 68.6% self-harm, and 23.7% a suicide attempt in the past year. Gender minority stress was common, with discrimination (69.6%), victimisation (38.1%), and conversion practice exposure (13.1%) varying markedly across identities. Trans men reported the highest levels across all three stressors. Each stressor was independently associated with higher probabilities of all five mental health outcomes, with conversion practice exposure showing the strongest association, particularly with suicide attempts. Access to LGBTQ+ affirming spaces and perceived community acceptance were consistently protective, whereas interpersonal supports showed weaker and less consistent associations. Affirmative conditions and stressor exposure varied meaningfully across TGD identities, underscoring the risk of treating TGD youth as a homogeneous group. Implications These findings have direct relevance for LGBTQ+ advocates, practitioners, policymakers, and community organisations. The UK's mental health crisis among TGD young people is not inevitable. It is associated with identifiable, modifiable social conditions. The findings make a clear evidence-based case for banning conversion practices, investing in visible and accessible LGBTQ+-affirming spaces across schools, youth services, and online contexts, and attending to the distinct needs of different identities within the TGD umbrella. As the UK falls to 22nd out of 49 on ILGA-Europe's Rainbow Map, this study provides an urgent baseline for advocacy and accountability.

17. Still on Gay Dating Apps? Chinese Gay Men's Online Dating Expansion in the Polymedia Environment

    KJ Kaixin DENG (He/Him) · University of Technology Sydney

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    This paper explores how Chinese gay men use multiple digital platforms to pursue friendship, casual sex, and long-term relationships in a social context where offline opportunities for queer intimacy remain limited. Although scholarship on Chinese gay men’s online dating has largely centered on gay-specific dating apps, this study shifts attention to cross-platform practices and asks why users move beyond those apps, how they combine different media, and what these choices reveal about digital intimacy in a polymedia environment. The paper draws on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 25 Chinese gay men conducted in Mandarin between August 2024 and May 2025. Participants were recruited through Rednote, Douban, and snowball sampling, and the interview material was analyzed using thematic analysis. This approach makes it possible to examine not only where participants date online, but also how they interpret the emotional and moral meanings of different platforms. The findings show that many participants became dissatisfied with gay-specific dating apps because of their strongly sexualized atmosphere, stigma, and efficiency-driven style of interaction. Yet they rarely left these apps behind altogether. Instead, they developed what the paper describes as a patchwork polymedia strategy: gay-specific apps remained useful for community visibility and casual encounters, general dating apps supported quicker filtering of potential partners, and general social media platforms such as Rednote, Weibo, Douban, and Zhihu were seen as better suited to slower, interest-based connection that might lead to more meaningful relationships. Across these spaces, participants also adjusted how much time, sincerity, and emotional energy they were willing to invest. By foregrounding these cross-platform practices, the paper extends polymedia theory into the domain of digital intimacy under conditions of sexual marginalization. Rather than choosing one ideal medium, participants combined multiple imperfect platforms to approximate a desired romantic pathway. The paper also argues that platform choice is shaped not only by affordances, but by users’ expectations about intimacy, respectability, authenticity, and emotional risk. Taken together, the study shows that queer digital intimacy in China is best understood as a strategic and emotionally calibrated practice distributed across platforms rather than contained within any single app.

18. The Buffering Effects of Peer Social Support on the Link Between Heterosexist Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms among LGBTQ Emerging Adults

    Luis Armando Parra (they/he) · University of California, Davis

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    Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) emerging adults experience heterosexist discrimination based on their minoritized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. These experiences constitute severe and pervasive forms of minority stress, which are linked to worse mental health, including elevated depressive symptoms. While theory and prior research suggest that peer social support may help mitigate these harmful effects, there is limited empirical evidence demonstrating this buffering effect. Objectives: This study examined whether peer social support reduces or buffers the association between heterosexist discrimination and depressive symptoms among LGBTQ emerging adults. It was hypothesized that (1) heterosexist discrimination would be positively associated with depressive symptoms, and that (2) this association would be weaker among individuals reporting higher, relative lower, peer social support. Methods: Participants were Latinx and White LGBTQ emerging adults (N = 102; ages 18–29; M = 23.86, SD = 2.65) recruited in Northern California. Participants completed in-person questionnaires assessing experiences of heterosexist discrimination, peer social support, and depressive symptoms as part of a broader study on sexual orientation and psychosocial adjustment. Results: As expected, heterosexist discrimination was associated with greater depressive symptoms. High peer social support was associated with fewer depressive symptoms whereas low social peer social support was associated with greater depressive symptoms. Peer social support moderated the association between heterosexist discrimination and depressive symptoms, such that LGBTQ emerging adults with low peer social support showed a strong positive association between heterosexist discrimination and depressive symptoms, whereas this association was not significant among participants with high peer social support. Implications: These findings highlight peer social support as a key protective and buffering factor that can disrupt the link between heterosexist discrimination and depressive symptoms among LGBTQ emerging adults. These findings have several practical implications. First, the results underscore the importance of fostering and maintaining supportive peer networks for their health enhancing benefits. Second, mental health services for LGBTQ emerging adults may benefit from incorporating strategies that strengthen social connection and peer support. Third, policies and institutional practices that promote inclusive, affirming environments can help facilitate these supportive relationships. Overall, enhancing peer support systems may be a valuable avenue for reducing mental health disparities driven by heterosexist discrimination.

19. When Resilience Is Not Enough: Intersectional Discrimination and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

    Inès Ait Abdelmalek (she/they) · Université de Montréal

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    Background Discrimination is increasingly recognized as a chronic stressor, yet its role as a form of trauma remains underexamined, particularly for people with intersecting marginalized identities. Experiences such as major discriminatory events and everyday mistreatment have been consistently linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), even when they fall outside traditional definitions of trauma. Ongoing, identity-based stressors may therefore play an important role in trauma-related outcomes. Major events, day-to-day mistreatment, and anticipated discrimination often co-occur but are rarely examined together. Resilience is commonly framed as protective, though it is not clear whether it buffers the effects of discrimination under sustained or high exposure. Disparities in PTSS across marginalized groups are well documented, yet it remains uncertain whether these differences reflect greater vulnerability or greater exposure to discrimination. Approaches that consider multiple forms of discrimination within an intersectional framework are needed to better understand these patterns. Objectives This study examined associations between intersectional discrimination and PTSS and tested whether socioecological resilience moderates these relationships. It also examined whether PTSS severity, discrimination-PTSS associations, and rates of elevated PTSS differ across intersectional identity groups defined by sexual or gender minority and ethnoracial minority status. Methods or approach A diverse community sample of adults (N = 357) completed measures of discrimination (Intersectional Discrimination Index), PTSS (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5), and resilience (Adult Resilience Measure–Revised). Multivariable regression models simultaneously assessed anticipated, day-to-day, and major discrimination and tested moderation by resilience. Key results or insights All three forms of discrimination were positively associated with PTSS. When examined simultaneously, day-to-day and major discrimination emerged as unique predictors, with major discrimination showing the strongest association. Higher resilience was associated with lower PTSS and explained additional variance beyond discrimination. However, resilience moderated only the association between major discrimination and PTSS. Its protective effect was evident at lower levels of exposure but diminished at higher levels, where PTSS no longer differed by resilience. Participants with intersecting sexual or gender minority and ethnoracial minority identities reported the highest levels of discrimination and PTSS and were most likely to meet the cutoff for elevated PTSS. Implications or impacts These findings support the conceptualization of discrimination as a chronic traumatic stressor and show that resilience functions as a context-dependent and limited protective factor. Disparities in PTSS across intersectional groups appear to be driven primarily by differences in exposure to discrimination. This points to the importance of integrating structural and intersectional perspectives into trauma research, clinical assessment, and intervention, and moving beyond individual-level resilience frameworks to address systemic sources of harm.

20. Is Queerness Here Yet? An Analysis of Queer/Trans*ness in Co/Curricular Kinesiology Programs in Canada

    Emma Karamanlian (she/her) · University of Toronto

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    Background This proposed study on queer/trans*ness within co/curricular Kinesiology programs in Canada addresses: a) the historical context of sports and physical education (PE); b) the current social-political-educational regressions with regards to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within Canada and the United States of America (USA); and c) building on previous studies looking at larger structures of oppression and race within Kinesiology programs. Sports, physical activity (PA), and health spaces have historically been imbued with hegemonic patriarchal ideals, sexist ideologies, and trans/homophobia - sport/PA spaces were problematically used to develop aggressive masculinity, capitalist and colonial power (physical and otherwise), for reproducing gender binaries, and for marginalizing femininity and homosexuality (McGuire-Adams et al., 2022; Ravel & Rail, 2010; Griffin, 1998; Sykes, 1998; Bullingham et al., 2014). In Canada and USA, there is growing anti-queer/trans* sentiment as seen through the 100 anti-trans bills that have been passed and signed (in USA), decreasing EDI job opportunities and language in schools and workplaces, prohibiting access to gender affirming care, etc. (Trans Legislation Tracker, 2025; Quarshie & Schwalb, 2023; Williams, 2025). Finally, previous literature notes that Kinesiology programs’ faculty, curricula, and websites are entrenched in whiteness, neoliberalism, and Eurocentrism which continues to marginalize non-normative identifications and bodies (Douglas & Halas, 2013; Nachman et al., 2022; Sullivan & Ali, 2023). Using these specific studies as a departure point, my proposed research seeks to extend these scholarly works by specifically examining queer/trans*ness in Kinesiology programs in universities across Canada. Objectives The proposed objective of this study is to interrogate if queer/trans* futurities exist in Kinesiology programs by asking: a) what evidence is there of queer/trans*ness in co/curricular Kinesiology programs in Canadian universities?; b) how is queer/trans* life (im)mobilize through agendas of equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI – sometimes referred to as DEI)?; c) are there ‘best practices’ regarding queer/trans* inclusion in kinesiology?; and d) what kind of theoretical and methodological paradigms (i.e., PCS, critical geography, and queer/trans* theory/queer of colour critique) inform policy recommendations towards a queer/trans* futurity? Methods The proposed theoretical paradigms of this project are physical cultural studies (PCS), critical geography, and queer/trans* theory/queer of colour critique. Specifically, I propose to engage in José Esteban Muñoz’s work on queer utopia to interrogate queer/trans* horizons across Kinesiology programs in Canada. My proposed research will engage in textual mapping and Queer Linguistics/Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze Kinesiology programs’ co/curricular offerings, mission statements, and EDI policy, events, and initiatives. Key Results Currently, this project is in its proposal stage, however, it will be finished by October 2. That being said, I predict that while there may be moments of queer/trans* disruptions Kinesiology programs in Canada, we may not be ‘here yet’ in terms of establishing queer/trans* utopias. Implications This project will add to the growing literature on critical analyses of Kinesiology as a field and how queer/trans* inclusion might be foregrounded in Kinesiology programs. Specifically, I hope to outline the ways in which queer/trans* utopias might be curated within the space of a Kinesiology program.

21. Healthcare Beyond Urban Centres: Minority Stress and Resilience Among 2SLGBTQIA+ Individuals in Regional Québec

    Sophie Parent (sher/her) · Université Laval

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    Background Despite policy advances related to sexual and gender diversity in Canada, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals continue to face significant barriers when accessing healthcare and social services (Comeau et al., 2023). Research consistently documents higher levels of psychological distress and unmet healthcare needs among these populations (Frost et al., 2015), often explained through minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003). However, less is known about how minority stress and resilience are experienced across ecological systems, particularly within regional healthcare contexts outside major urban centres (McConnell et al., 2021). Understanding these dynamics is essential to informing inclusive and equitable healthcare practices. Objectives This presentation aims to share findings from a qualitative study exploring the healthcare and social service experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals living in the Estrie region of Quebec. The study pursued two main objectives: (1) to identify sources of minority stress and resilience encountered in interactions with healthcare and social services, and (2) to examine how these experiences unfold across ecological systems, namely individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural levels. Methods The study draws on qualitative data collected as part of a broader survey examining the well-being and needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Quebec. Four online focus groups were conducted in spring 2022 with 19 adult participants residing in the Estrie region. Discussions explored experiences with healthcare and social services, perceived barriers and supports, and strategies used to navigate services. Focus group sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and analyzed using NVivo. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted based on minority stress model (Meyer, 2003; Hendricks & Testa, 2012) and ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1977). To enhance the accessibility and dissemination of the findings, a queer artist was invited to produce a visual artwork interpreting the most salient findings of the analysis. Key results Participants reported stressors at all ecological levels. At the institutional and structural levels, systemic non-recognition, cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and experiences of discrimination, particularly within healthcare settings, were prominent contributors to minority stress. These external stressors were often internalized, exacerbating distress and negatively affecting well-being. In contrast, resilience resources were largely located at the individual and interpersonal levels, including personal pride, self-advocacy, and support from close social networks. Community-based supports were described as helpful when accessible, yet inconsistent. Notably, the findings revealed a lack of institutional and systemic mechanisms that actively supported resilience, resulting in an uneven burden placed on individuals to manage minority stress. Implications Findings highlight that resilience should not be understood solely as an individual capacity but as a process shaped by ecological systems, including healthcare institutions, policies, and professional practices. For healthcare and social service providers, the results underscore the importance of implementing inclusive, affirming, and structurally informed practices to reduce minority stress. At an institutional level, the study points to the need for accountability, inclusive policies, and sustained training to foster environments that support 2SLGBTQIA+ well-being. Overall, these findings highlight the clinical relevance of adopting an ecosystemic perspective to better identify minority stressors and resilience processes, thereby supporting clinicians in implementing more inclusive and affirming healthcare practices.

22. Arsenal Gaygooners: LGBTQ+ Belonging and Self-Representation Through Photo-Elicitation

    Sebastian Cordoba (he/him) · London Metropolitan University

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    LGBTQ+ people have historically been marginalised within football cultures shaped by heteronormativity, hypermasculinity, and exclusionary practices. Magrath's (2021) research, which focused on the experiences of gay male football fans in English professional clubs, discussed the need for an intersectional approach, as existing research often focuses predominantly on gay male experiences, neglecting the complexities faced by lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary fans. Furthermore, there is limited research on how LGBTQ+ football fans actively create a sense of belonging, safety, and visibility within football fandom, particularly through creative, participatory, and digital practices. Addressing this gap is important for understanding community wellbeing, challenging dominant norms, and informing inclusive cultural, sporting, and digital engagement strategies relevant to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and broader communities. Therefore, this project aimed to 1) document the lived experiences of a diverse sample of LGBTQ+ Arsenal supporters (Arsenal gaygooners); 2) explore how community led fan groups support identity integration, belonging, and well-being of LGBTQ+ football fans; and 3) examine how creative methods, specifically oral history and photo elicitation, can amplify underrepresented voices and foster inclusive engagement within and beyond sport. In partnership with Arsenal gaygooners, an officially sanctioned LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, we conducted a community based oral history project with 20 LGBTQ+ participants. Semi structured interviews explored fandom, identity, safety, belonging, and change within football culture. Participants were invited to share personal photographs and objects as part of a photo elicitation process, enabling reflective storytelling and visual self representation. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2021). Ethical practice, accessibility, and participant well-being were prioritised throughout. With consent, curated narratives and images were translated into a public-facing digital and in person exhibition, extending the research impact through creative dissemination and community engagement. Findings highlight persistent challenges, including a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in men’s football, experiences of queerphobia (particularly online), and the need to compartmentalise identities in unsafe spaces. Simultaneously, Arsenal gaygooners emerged as a powerful site of safety, joy, and collective, community resilience. Participants described the group as enabling identity integration, allowing them to be both openly LGBTQ+ and visibly football fans, while fostering chosen family, emotional well-being, and intergenerational connection. Creative artefacts (photos, scarves, memorabilia) functioned as tools of visibility, resistance, and storytelling. Participants also identified positive cultural shifts, particularly through women’s football, youth engagement, and club supported campaigns. This project demonstrates how participatory, creative, and digitally shareable methods can support LGBTQ+ wellbeing, challenge exclusionary norms, and build inclusive sporting cultures. Key takeaways include the value of community led research, the impact of visible institutional allyship, and the role of creative methods in amplifying marginalised voices. The findings have implications for researchers, educators, sport organisations, policymakers, and digital platforms seeking to promote equity, inclusion, and ethical engagement with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly young people navigating visibility, belonging, and identity in spaces that have historically excluded them.

23. Institutional Support, Disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ Students, and Campus Climate

    Vincent Sarna (he/they) · University of Illinois Chicago

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    Background: Discrimination is consistently linked to adverse mental health and diminished well-being among LGBTQ2SIA+ people, and these effects extend into educational settings. LGBTQ2SIA+ college students must navigate the developmental transition into higher education while simultaneously confronting identity based discrimination on campus. Intersectional identities further shape these experiences; for example, disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students report higher levels of discrimination than their non disabled peers. Negative perceptions of campus climate are associated with poorer academic outcomes, including lower grade point averages, reduced retention, and increased intention to withdraw. Conversely, protective factors such as peer support, institutional support, and LGBTQ2SIA+ community connection can buffer these harms and improve both climate perceptions and academic functioning. The current study sought to assess predictors of campus climate to better understand LGBTQ2SIA+ students' experiences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and to tailor services, programming, and policy to better serve these students. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the data from the “Brick by Brick: LGBTQ2SIA+ Campus Climate Survey,” collected from students at UIC. The survey was advertised via university listservs for LGBTQ2SIA+ students and on flyers throughout the university. Participants who self-selected into the survey were provided electronic informed consent. Of the 325 participants, 4 participant responses were deemed fraudulent, leaving 321 surveys for analysis. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) with full information maximum likelihood to examine campus climate and it’s associations among a predictor set that included: demographics, visibility of LGBTQ2SIA+ students/staff/faculty, experiences with discrimination on campus, positive classroom environments that promote LGBTQ2SIA+ education, sense of community among students, overall student health, institutional support, identity disclosure, and connection to the institution. Campus climate was measured using 13 items measuring perceptions of safety on campus, belonging, institutional responsiveness, and exposure to heterosexism. Each item was measured on a six-point Likert scale, with one indicating a negative perception of campus climate and 6 being a positive perception of campus climate. Items were summed, with the average score for each participant used as the dependent variable. Results: The best-fitting SEM for campus climate yielded LRchi2 = 120.674 (p < .001), with institutional support emerging as a strong positive predictor of campus climate (β = 0.70, p < .001). Disability status was associated with more negative perceptions of campus climate (β = –0.04, p < .05). A significant interaction between institutional support and disability status (β = –0.23, p < .001) indicated that disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students benefit less from institutional support than their non disabled peers. Discussion: For non-disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students, increased support improved campus climate more when compared to disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ people. These results underscore the need for institutions to develop targeted, accessible, and disability inclusive supports rather than assuming that broad LGBTQ2SIA+ initiatives meet the needs of all students. Future research should further examine the mechanisms through which disability shapes campus climate perceptions and identify institutional practices that effectively support disabled LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

24. The right to say yes: A reflexive thematic analysis of transgender, non-binary, and autistic grassroots group organization and gender affirming healthcare providers’ approaches to these clients.

    Noah Adams (he/him) · University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

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    Introduction/Background: While an astonishing amount of literature has emerged on the co-incidence of autism and transgender and/or non-binary (TGNB) identity, little explores TGNB autistic individuals’ perspectives. The field tends to focus on etiology, presumes ‘pathology’ of autism, and explores differential approaches to and disproportionate caution before providing gender affirming healthcare (GAH) to autistic individuals. This undermines TGNB autistic individual's bodily autonomy and allows them to be used to attack the existence of GAH. This mixed methods study explores the responses of autistic grassroots community groups (GCG) to these challenges, while also identifying GAH practitioners approaches to caring for this population and their increasing experience of anti-TGNB attacks. Specific Aims: The aim of this research was both to better understand the development and purposes of TGNB autistic GCGs, particularly in relation to accessing GAH, and the experiences of GAH providers in caring for this population. The latter proved particularly significant, given participants’ unanticipated discussion of increasing attacks against their provision of GAH. Materials and Methods: The following questions were asked; (1) How do TGNB autistic individuals self-organize within GCGs and what focus and impact do these groups have?; (2) How do GCGs support bodily autonomy and access to GAH?; (3) What approaches do GAH practitioners take regarding autistic people and what are their justifications for doing so?; (4) What are HCPs experiences providing GAH in an environment increasingly hostile towards it? I collected data from demographic questionnaires and interviews with 14 TGNB autistic GCG organizers in North America and Europe, and 11 HCPs in the same locations. Interviews were transcribed and subjected to reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Key findings include identifying the work undertaken by TGNB autistic GCGs, GAH practitioners' desire for more training on autism, and co-developing one with TGNB autistic GCG organizers. The application of empathy myopia to TGNB autistic care was also explored. That is, the difficulty people in positions of power and authority have in extending empathy towards and communicating with those over whom they have power. Finally, I also uncovered a pattern of anti-TGNB abuse and hostility directed at GAH providers. Findings and Implications: This is the first study to systematically explore TGNB autistic GCG organizing, or to apply empathy myopia in the context of TGNB autistic individuals. It is likewise the first study to explore attacks on GAH practitioners that provide care to TGNB autistic people. These findings have significant implications for practice and future research as they establish TGNB autistic people’s rich organizational capacity and community, create a professional training for this healthcare practice, and identify a growing threat to the practice of GAH with this population.

25. Patrones de consumo de sustancias e indicadores de salud en hombres gbHSH de México: un análisis de clases latentes

    Leonardo Jiménez-Rivagorza (Él/Ella/Elle) · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

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    Antecedentes: las afectaciones del consumo de sustancias en la salud mental de hombres gays, bisexuales y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (gbHSH) están ampliamente documentadas. No obstante, diversos autores han señalado que esta investigación suele centrarse predominantemente en los riesgos, especialmente cuando el consumo ocurre durante las relaciones sexuales (i.e., chemsex), lo que puede invisibilizar la heterogeneidad de experiencias presentes en esta población. Propuestas teóricas recientes plantean que existen distintos tipos de consumos en hombres gbHSH y que cada uno tiene funciones y consecuencias distintas, las cuales no siempre son negativas (e.g., encontrar apoyo social en espacios de consumo). Objetivos: (1) identificar los patrones de consumo de sustancias que existen entre los hombres gbHSH que viven en México y (2) documentar la relación de cada patrón de consumo con distintos indicadores de salud mental, física y sexual. Método: la muestra estuvo conformada por hombres gbHSH, > 18 años, que han consumido sustancias alguna vez en la vida y que residían en México (N=167). De junio a diciembre de 2024 se administró una encuesta en línea a través de un muestreo por bola de nieve. La encuesta incluyó preguntas relacionadas con el consumo sexualizado y no sexualizado de sustancias e instrumentos validados en México para evaluar sintomatología depresiva, apoyo social, experiencias traumáticas/de homonegatividad y variables relacionadas con la salud sexual. Los patrones de consumo se identificaron mediante modelos de clases latentes basados en las sustancias consumidas en los últimos 3 meses, los últimos 6 meses y alguna vez en la vida. Además, se realizaron análisis de regresión logística multinomiales para identificar las asociaciones correspondientes. Resultados clave: el modelo con mejor ajuste (BIC=2632.56; AIC=2428.35, R2=0.89) mostró cuatro clases latentes: (1) consumo reciente de alcohol [25%], (2) consumo reciente de alcohol y tabaco [48%], (3) consumo reciente de alcohol/tabaco y consumo alguna vez en la vida de cannabis/cocaína/cristal/psicodélicos [12%] y (4) policonsumo reciente (e.g., alcohol, cannabis, tabaco, cristal, poppers, cocaína) [15%]. En comparación con la clase 1, la clase 2 se asoció positivamente con haber recibido dinero a cambio de un encuentro sexual (razón de momios ajustada [RMa]=4.85; intervalos de confianza [IC] 95%=1.01-23.84); las personas en la clase 3 tuvieron más posibilidades de practicar chemsex (RMa=7.86; IC 95%=1.47-41.88) y la clase 4 no solo se asoció positivamente con tener chemsex (RMa=8.91; IC 95%=1.69-46.99), sino también con la percepción de apoyo social (RMa=1.04; IC 95%=1.01-1.08). Implicaciones: los hallazgos sugieren que el consumo de sustancias entre hombres gbHSH no constituye un fenómeno homogéneo, sino que existen distintos patrones asociados diferencialmente con indicadores de salud y conductas sexuales. Además, algunos patrones de consumo podrían coexistir con niveles altos de apoyo social percibido, lo que cuestiona perspectivas exclusivamente centradas en el riesgo. Las personas profesionales de la salud deberían explorar las características particulares de cada patrón de consumo antes de asumir sus motivaciones o consecuencias.

26. Gender Congruence, Body Image, and Quality of Life in Trans Men: A Mixed-Methods Study

    Chase Staras (He/Him) · University College London

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    Background Body image research with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations has overwhelmingly focused on appearance-based dissatisfaction, neglecting alternative frameworks such as body neutrality and functionality appreciation. This is a significant gap: if trans men's positive body image experiences are shaped by factors beyond appearance, particularly gender congruence and access to gender-affirming care, then appearance-centred interventions may be insufficient. Trans men are also underrepresented in TGD research more broadly, with their distinct experiences of masculinity norms and body image remaining poorly understood. Objectives To examine how gender congruence, body satisfaction, and quality of life (QoL) interrelate in trans men, and to explore the lived mechanisms through which gender-affirming care and positive body image shape well-being. Methods Study 1 used a cross-sectional design with 166 trans men (aged 18–30) from Global North countries with universal healthcare systems, testing a serial mediation model across four WHO QoL domains with exploratory analyses of gender-affirming care. Study 2 used reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 trans men drawn from the same sample pool across seven countries. Key Results Gender congruence positively predicted body satisfaction and physiological, psychological, and environmental QoL, with body satisfaction mediating the latter two. Social QoL was unrelated to either variable, suggesting community belonging operates independently. Gender-affirming hormones and chest surgery each improved gender congruence with large effect sizes, indirectly enhancing body satisfaction through congruence rather than appearance directly. Qualitatively, cisnormative masculinity norms initially intensified body dissatisfaction and gender incongruence. Over time, participants redefined masculinity, engaging in protective filtering and shifting toward body neutrality and functionality appreciation, valuing bodies for what they could do rather than how they looked. Medical transition facilitated this shift by fostering gender congruence rather than conformity to masculine appearance ideals. Implications These findings offer the first empirical evidence of body neutrality and functionality appreciation as lived experiences in trans men. For practitioners, they suggest body image interventions should integrate these frameworks alongside appearance-based approaches. For policymakers, they reinforce that accessible gender-affirming care is foundational to trans men's holistic well-being.

27. Beyond Risk: Understanding Resilience, Safety, and Digital Well-Being Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth in the United States

    DeKeitra Griffin (He/King) · Louisiana State University

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    Background Transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth experience disproportionately high rates of cyberbullying compared to their cisgender peers, contributing to adverse mental health, educational, and social outcomes. Much of the existing literature focuses on victimization and risk, with less attention devoted to understanding the factors that promote resilience, safety, and well-being among TGE youth in digital environments. As online spaces increasingly shape identity development, community connection, and social interaction, identifying factors associated with positive outcomes is critical for developing affirming interventions, policies, and supports for TGE youth. Objectives This study examined factors associated with cyberbullying victimization among TGE youth in the United States (U.S.) to better understand opportunities for promoting digital well-being and resilience. The study examined how behavioral, social, and environmental factors influence experiences of cyberbullying and whether commonly recognized protective factors are useful among TGE youth. Methods Data were drawn from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. high school students. The analytic sample included 1,040 adolescents who self-identified as transgender or were unsure of their gender identity. Guided by the risk and resilience framework and minority stress theory, binary logistic regression analyses examined associations between cyberbullying victimization and risk factors (missing school due to safety concerns, witnessing violence, social media use, and overweight status) and protective factors (physical activity, sleep duration, academic performance, and family or school support). Because missing data were not missing completely at random, multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) was used. Results Several risk factors were associated with increased odds of cyberbullying victimization among TGE youth. Missing school due to safety concerns was associated with more than three times greater odds of cyberbullying victimization (OR = 3.51, 95% CI [2.50, 4.93], p < .001). Witnessing violence was associated with higher odds of cyberbullying (OR = 2.15, 95% CI [1.45, 3.20], p < .001), as were identifying as overweight (OR = 1.81, 95% CI [1.03, 3.20], p = .040), high social media use (OR = 4.19, 95% CI [2.57, 6.83], p < .001), and experiencing physical dating violence (OR = 3.59, 95% CI [2.04, 6.31], p < .001). Older age was associated with lower odds of cyberbullying victimization (OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.71, 0.92], p = .001). Among the protective factors, high academic performance was a significant protective factor (OR = 0.47, 95% CI [0.35, 0.65], p < .001). Alternatively, physical activity was associated with higher odds of cyberbullying victimization (OR = 1.46, 95% CI [1.04, 2.04], p = .028). Sleep duration and perceived school support were not significantly associated with cyberbullying victimization. Implications Findings highlight the importance of moving beyond deficit-focused approaches to understand how TGE youth navigate digital environments and cultivate well-being. Results suggest that interventions should prioritize affirming school climates, trauma-informed supports, healthy digital engagement, and strategies that address intersecting experiences of discrimination and violence. The findings underscore the need to reconsider traditional assumptions about protective factors and to identify strengths-based pathways that foster resilience, safety, belonging, and thriving among TGE youth.

28. Queering Place: Toward an Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Theory of Place

    Jennifer Ananda (Any pronouns/Mx.) · University of Kansas

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    Background: Articles in popular magazines speak to our need for third places (i.e., physical spaces that are not our home or work/school and that offer a social element) to build and sustain community in our post-pandemic world. In contrast, conversations about making it through current political times emphasize the importance of community, connections, and unity. When writing about third places, Oldenburg’s (1989) theory is often posited as a model toward which to strive. However, without updating Oldenburg’s theory or drawing from other theories of place to create a new theory, we run the risk of perpetuating harmful norms that negatively impact anyone who does not fall into a white, cisgender, male, hetersexual, middle class, Christian norm and failing to address 21st century concerns such as increased diversity and the role and the profound impact of technology on social lives. Approach: Applying an interdisciplinary and intersectional lens, the author synthesized multiple theories of place to offer contemporary considerations for finding community and talking about place in a rapidly changing world. The author critically assessed Oldenburg’s third place theory, specifically identifying its explicit and implicit limitations. The author then analyzed and synthesized other space-based theories, including Bhabha’s third space theory (1994), Hardegger’s fourth space theory (2022), and Russell’s glitch feminism (2018) to broaden the lens of place in theory and to contribute to a theoretical prism that is not reliant on a romanticized past and a homogenous community to be relevant in the 21st century. Key results or insights: Oldenburg’s theory relies on a heterogeneous population. It does not extend to a sexually, racially, economically, culturally, and even geographically and digitally diverse audience. Other theories offer insights that address the breadth of considerations necessary in the 21st century. Third space theory offers insights into the role of broader social issues and the exchange of ideas. Fourth space theory offers an axial lens for understanding the measurable dynamics that impact engagement with third places, including time, medium, and place, toward a less physically centered concept of place. Glitch feminism embraces blending online and offline life, urging caution around uncritically or uncreatively engaging those spaces. These theories offer useful lenses that can expand our concept of community and connection to include a diverse society that connects in multiple meaningful ways. Implications/Impacts: An intersectional approach using a multidisciplinary theoretical framework should be used to develop a theory in which broad cultural needs for community, access to community, and increased opportunities for connectivity benefit an increasingly diverse and digital world. Further research is needed to develop a working theory that reflects our 21st century needs for connection. Research on technological integration, particularly on the lives of digital natives, and the concerns, ideas, and observations about the way in which technology has impacted social lives will offer glimpses into the role of technology through the life cycle. Research into places where there is a strong sense of community (on and offline) is important to understand the role of community in the lives of digital natives.