Projects

In Good Company: LGBTQ+ Studies in Canada, 1998-present (IGC) traces LGBTQ+ studies in anglophone Canada with a focus on connections among scholars—faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students—who have submitted, supported, and contributed to SSHRC proposals. Mentorship, funding, and institutional support are crucial to any academic field, and perhaps even more so for gay and lesbian, LGBTQ+, queer, and trans- gender and sexuality studies. Approaching SSHRC proposals as an archive of social science and humanities research in Canada, IGC aims to understand conditions, practices, and relational networks that support the success of scholars pursuing LGBTQ+ studies in Canada and inside universities wrestling with historical and contemporary effects of racism, sexism, and colonialism. 

2024-25 Research Assistants:

Mikaela Clarke

Momo Tanaka

  Queer COVID–TO is a study that examines the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals living in Toronto during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The principal investigators of this project include Jessica Fields, James K. Gibb, and  Sarah Williams. Supported by the University of Toronto and the University of Toronto Scarborough, the Queer COVID-TO team implemented a comprehensive survey and conducted semi-structured interviews to gain in-depth insights into the mental health challenges faced by this community amid social isolation, distancing measures, and other mandated safety protocols. Through this research, we aim to illuminate the unique struggles and resilience of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals during these unprecedented times.

Queer COVID–TO is grateful for financial support from the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) COVID Action Initiative and the University of Connecticut.

Research Assistants 2024-25:

Ash Catonio

Thep Lo

Sydney Patterson

4theRecord is an ongoing research project with racialized and/or queer women and non-binary individuals aged 16 to 21, exploring how the pandemic has influenced their understanding and navigation of risk. Rather than viewing risk-taking solely as a source of danger, we also see it as a vital expression of resistance and learning.  The investigator team  for the first round of data collection included Laina Bay-Cheng, Jessica Fields, Sarah Flicker, Jen Gilbert, Deana Leahy, and Ciann Wilson.  Our multi-method, multi-disciplinary, and multi-site research team—based in New York City, Melbourne, and Toronto—has launched a questionnaire to gather demographic information and survey experiences related to sexuality, safety, and adultism. Participants are invited to create personal timelines of significant events during COVID-19 and share their insights through interviews, elaborating on the risks they identified in their timelines. We are now starting a second round of data collection with leads Jessica and Jen.

4theRecord is grateful for financial support from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).

Postdoctoral Fellow 2024-25:

Lacey Bobier

Research Assistants 2024-25:

Cheery-Maria Attia

Ash Catonio

Mikaela Clarke

Momo Tanaka

The Beyond Bullying Project investigates what it means to think about LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality in schools beyond risks like bullying, poor mental health, and dropping out. In 2014-15, the team collected stories about LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality in U.S. high schools in Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco. The investigator team included Jessica Fields, Jen Gilbert, Nancy Lesko, and Laura Mamo.  Students, teachers, and administrators went inside booths and shared stories about school assignments, crushes, families, friendships, break-ups, coming out, harassment, bravery, and aspirations – all connected to LGBTQ+ sexuality and gender. The project continued in 2021, collecting stories of LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality in Canadian high schools, where students, teachers, and administrators entered the team’s virtual storytelling booth portal to record their stories virtually.

The Beyond Bullying Project is grateful for financial support from the Ford Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).