Nursing

Everyone deserves access to healthcare free from discrimination and 2SLGBTQ+ health organizations are a great place to start. This list is ongoing and we encourage you to do your own research as well to find the best availble care for you.

Experiences around mental health and sexual health are unique to each person, and how mental health interacts with a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity is just as individualized. The resources found in this section speak to the diversity of the LGBTQ2+ community and their experiences around mental health, including the impact of marginalization and oppression faced by its members.

Learn about supports for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, communities, and organizations to help build a safer, more equitable and inclusive Canada.

Are you, or is someone you’re worried about, a member of Nova Scotia’s LGBTQ+ community? There are programs and services available that were created specifically to address the unique concerns of people in this community.

The Institute of Gender and Health (IGH)'s mission is to foster research excellence regarding the influence of sex and gender on health and to apply these findings to identify and address pressing health challenges facing men, women, girls, boys and gender-diverse people.

Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual individuals (2SLGBTQIA+) in Canada experience worse health outcomes than their heterosexual, cisgender peers. The historical and ongoing structural oppression of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, to which the health care system contributes, drives these disparities. Articles from Schreiber, M., Ahmad, T., Scott, M., Imrie, K., & Razack, S. (2021). The case for a Canadian standard for 2SLGBTQIA+ medical education. Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), 193(16), E562–E565. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.202642

Bass, B., & Nagy, H. (October 3, 2022). Cultural Competence in the Care of LGBTQ Patients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563176/

Includes links on Anti-racism, Gender Diversity, and sexual orientation. (Was previous know as the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) page.

The AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia strives to create an environment in which people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS feel empowered and supported. Our aim is to end stigma and discrimination, and reduce new cases of HIV.

InterACT uses innovative legal and other strategies, to advocate for the human rights of children born with intersex traits.

An online guide highlighting LGBTQ+ health resources has been created through a partnership between Dalhousie Libraries, Nova Scotia Health Authority Library Services, and Halifax Public Libraries.

Nurses can use this glossary of terms to help improve their ability to communicate with LGBTQIA2S+ patients and their families. Excellent nursing care requires practitioners to learn about their patients, so while knowing terms does not guarantee excellence, it can help build toward that.

From Nova Scotia Health, 2022.

The NSH subject guide on 2SLGBTQIA+ Health via the NSH Library Services

prideHealth works to improve access to safe, coordinated, comprehensive primary health care for people who are part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses and other members of the interprofessional team with evidence-based recommendations on foundational, inclusive care practices for 2SLGBTQI+ people. This BPG is also to be used to enhance the safety of health-service organizations and academic organizations for 2SLGBTQI+ people through the adoption of evidence-based practices. Safe and inclusive environments enable nurses and other members of the interprofessional team to optimize health outcomes for those receiving care.

RNAO. (n.d.). LBBTQ Cultural Competence for Nurses.

The United States' leading organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

Evidence Brief from Rainbow Health Ontario includes information on definitions, determinants of health, access to healthcare, educational resources, implications for research and more.

This document from the National LGBT Health Education Center, updated in Fall 2016, was developed as a starting point to help train front-line health care employees to provide affirming services to transgender and gender non-conforming patients (and all patients) at their organization.

Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Disorders of Sex Development in Childhood and Handbook for Parents

Publication from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) [USA]

This fact sheet (last updated January 2014) from Rainbow Health Ontario and partners offers information about reproductive options for trans people interested in hormone therapy or surgeries. Please note: this resource is from Rainbow Health Ontario's Archive; it is older than 5 years and is no longer actively maintained.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in partnership with Whitman-Walker Health, released Safer Sex for Trans Bodies, a comprehensive sexual health guide for transgender and gender expansive people and their partners.

4th edition, c. 2019 (with an update in November 2023)

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) promotes the highest standards of health care for individuals through the articulation of Standards of Care (SOC) for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People. The SOC are based on the best available science and expert professional consensus. Available in many languages. Last Updated: 2022 (SOC8)

In the last decade transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals have become increasingly visible in our families, culture, and public discourse. This course explores the concept of gender identity for people who are curious about the nature of gender, the process of gender affirmation, or changing social dynamics. Participants will learn the unique challenges faced by the TGNC population as well as develop the skills to build inclusive spaces in all spheres of their life. This course was developed under the Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education at the University of Minnesota.

The Positive Space: Foundations online course provides low-barrier access for students, staff, and faculty to learn about sex, sexuality, and gender diversity. The understanding and knowledge of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities and communities has progressed since Positive Space was launched at UBC and the content in this module reflects the current UBC context. This updated course contains content broken down into different sections, including reflection activities, quizzes, and knowledge checks to support interactivity and learning. In addition to the content, resources and links provide options for deeper exploration.