Connecting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth through sports

How does participating in sports positively affect physical and mental health of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth?

At a glance

Issue

Sports are an important way to maintain health through physical wellness and social interaction. Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority (2SLGBTQIA+) youth do not have many sporting opportunities for their community and, as a result, miss out on the corresponding health benefits.

Research

This research team will survey and interview 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to assess the impacts of sports on their physical and mental health. The multi-disciplinary team includes youth- and 2SLGBTQIA+ -focused researchers from a variety of health fields.

Impact

The research team’s findings will be used to develop resources for healthcare providers looking after 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. The findings will also inform policy for creating more inclusive sports cultures for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth across Canada which, in turn, will increase their participation in recreational sports.

Constant changes in public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of community and social connection for the health of young people in Canada. Sports are a particularly important way to be socially connected – and, as a result, to support mental health – while also improving physical health. However, Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority (2SLGBTQIA+) youth often lack sporting opportunities, contributing to the disparity between their physical and mental health and those of their heterosexual and cisgender peers.

Alex Wells, co-lead on the project

This three-stage community-based research project will engage 2SLGBTQIA+ youth who participate in 2SLGBTQIA+ recreational sports in Canada to understand the impact that these sports have on their health and wellbeing. 2SLGBTQIA+ sports offer a unique opportunity for these youth to not only stay active and improve their physical health, but also enable them to connect socially to the wider 2SLGBTQIA+ community which could significantly improve their mental health. This research project will include surveys and interviews with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to understand the ways 2SLGBTQIA+ sports operate to support their health. It will also develop a series of resources for healthcare providers, policy makers and community members to use in their work with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and inform policy for creating more inclusive sports cultures for 2SLGBTQIA+ young people across Canada.

The research team at a community consultation in Vancouver, 2021, where the call for research on the health impacts of 2SLGBTQIA+ sports for 2SLGBTQIA+ from community members began.

Partnered with a youth-led community organization, this is a multi-disciplinary team that includes youth- and 2SLGBTQIA+ -focused researchers from multiple health fields. This project grew out of a call for research on the health impacts of 2SLGBTQIA+ sports for 2SLGBTQIA+ from community members at a community consultation held by the members of the research team in Vancouver in 2021.

This work is supported through the Healthy Youth Initiative, led by the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health.

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