This article is a joint exploration of what decolonization looks like
in everyday interactions wi... more This article is a joint exploration of what decolonization looks like in everyday interactions within our partnerships, families, and friendships on unceded Coast Salish territories. Stories from the authors—two cisgender queer women, one of whom is Indigenous and one of whom is a White settler—highlight intimate practices of allyship and decolonization that are often made invisible when activism is seen as only taking place in “public” spaces such as community coalitions. The tensions and possibilities within these intimate geographies of allyship comprise a decolonial queer praxis that is materialized in the spatial relations of our homes and families.
La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du num... more La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du numéro de mai 2018 à la page e201.
Objective: For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related ... more Objective: For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related care are inexorably linked to experiences of injustice and stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine in greater depth the experiences of pain and discrimination and stigma across diverse marginalized communities in order to recommend equity-oriented healthcare approaches. Methods: This community-based qualitative study reports on four focus groups that included 36 people living with pain. All participants identified with one of three groups known to experience high levels of inequities and structural violence including an Indigenous group, a LGBTQ2S group, and two newcomer and refugee groups. Results: Pain was entangled with and shaped by: social locations and identities, experiences of violence, trauma and related mental health issues, experiences of discrimination, stigma and dismissal, experiences of inadequate and ineffective health care, and the impacts of these intersecting experiences. Conclusions: Equity-oriented responses to chronic pain would recognize pain not only as a biomedical issue but as a social justice issue. The EQUIP Framework is an approach to integrating trauma-and violence-informed care; culturally-safe care; and harm reduction in health care that may hold promise for being tailored to people experiencing pain and social marginalization.
The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve li... more The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve literature reviews or knowledge synthesis, or undertake an assessment of knowledge gaps. We would like to acknowledge our reviewers for their generous contributions of time and expertise to this manuscript. This publication is available for download at: www.nccah.ca. All NCCAH materials are available free and can be reproduced in whole or in part with appropriate attribution and citation. All NCCAH materials are to be used solely for non-commercial purposes. To measure the impact of these materials, please inform us of their use. Une version française est également publiée sur le site www.ccnsa.ca, sous le titre Les collectivités autochtones et la violence familiale : changer la façon d'en parler.
Objective For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related c... more Objective For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related care are inexorably linked to experiences of injustice and stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine in greater depth the experiences of pain and discrimination and stigma across diverse marginalized communities in order to recommend equity-oriented healthcare approaches. Methods This community-based qualitative study reports on four focus groups that included 36 people living with pain. All participants identified with one of three groups known to experience high levels of inequities and structural violence including an Indigenous group, a LGBTQ2S group, and two newcomer and refugee groups. Results Pain was entangled with and shaped by: social locations and identities, experiences of violence, trauma and related mental health issues, experiences of discrimination, stigma and dismissal, experiences of inadequate and ineffective health care, and the impacts of these intersecting exp...
Over the past 5 years in Canada, clinicians have observed an increasing number of gender-diverse ... more Over the past 5 years in Canada, clinicians have observed an increasing number of gender-diverse and trans children and youth (GDTCY) accessing clinics for gender-affirming care. GDTCY who are able to access care are usually accompanied by their families, which provides a unique opportunity to integrate them into the treatment team. GDTCY have better health and social outcomes when strongly supported by their parents/caregivers. To optimize young people’s health and well-being, it is essential that we learn more about family experiences in supporting their GDTCY and in overcoming barriers to accessing services. This project is one of the first qualitative studies that aims to develop a deeper understanding of GDTCY and their parents/caregivers’ experiences of the gender-affirming care setting. This paper explores their journeys in coming to terms with their child’s gender identity, including reactions to the child’s coming out, struggles and facilitators of acceptance, and experienc...
Suicide is a significant health issue among sexual and gender minority adults (SGMA); yet, there ... more Suicide is a significant health issue among sexual and gender minority adults (SGMA); yet, there are no tailored suicide prevention programs for these marginalized populations in Canada. We hosted two world cafés with community leaders, health professionals, policymakers, and researchers to identify recommendations for mobilizing SGMA-focused suicide prevention programs. We identified five priorities: (1) make society safer for sexual and gender minorities; (2) decrease barriers to mental health services; (3) support community-driven and community-based interventions; (4) increase suicide knowledge and reduce stigma; (5) expand the knowledge base on SGMA suicide. In the absence of a national Canadian SGMA suicide prevention policy, these priorities provide a starting point in addressing SGMA suicide inequities by advancing SGMA-tailored interventions.
behalf of the Stories of Gender-Affirming Care Team (2019) The experiences of gender diverse and ... more behalf of the Stories of Gender-Affirming Care Team (2019) The experiences of gender diverse and trans children and youth considering and initiating medical interventions in Canadian gender-affirming speciality clinics,
Key to a cultural transformation in pain care is a greater understanding-among members of the pub... more Key to a cultural transformation in pain care is a greater understanding-among members of the public and people with pain alike-of important aspects of chronic pain and its appropriate treatment. The National Pain Strategy recommends a national public awareness campaign involving public and private partners to address misperceptions and stigma about chronic pain. The learning objectives of the campaign would emphasize the impact and seriousness of chronic pain and its status as a disease that requires appropriate treatment. In addition, an educational campaign on the safer use of pain medications that is targeted to people with pain whose care includes these medications is recommended. Next Steps for Implementation Sustained efforts across HHS, working through operating divisions, staff divisions, and also with non-governmental partners, will be required in order to implement the public health, clinical, and research initiatives described in this Strategy. These efforts will help to prevent pain, improve patient care and outcomes, assure appropriate patient and provider education, and advance pain-related applied research. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), in conjunction with HHS operating and staff divisions, will consider the recommendations included in the Strategy and develop an implementation and evaluation plan based on this process.
The authors answer recent responses by Steensma & Cohen-Kettenis (2018) and Zucker (2018) to our ... more The authors answer recent responses by Steensma & Cohen-Kettenis (2018) and Zucker (2018) to our critical commentary on “desistance” stereotypes and their underlying research on trans and gender diverse children (Temple Newhook et al., 2018). We provide clarification in the following areas: (1) the scope of our paper; (2) our support of longitudinal studies; (3) consequences of harm to trans and gender diverse children; (4) clinical practice implications; (5) concerns about validity of research methodology; and (6) the importance of learning to listen to trans and gender diverse children.
Background: It has been widely suggested that over 80% of transgender children will come to ident... more Background: It has been widely suggested that over 80% of transgender children will come to identify as cisgender (i.e., desist) as they mature, with the assumption that for this 80%, the trans identity was a temporary " phase. " This statistic is used as the scientific rationale for discouraging social transition for pre-pubertal children. This article is a critical commentary on the limitations of this research and a caution against using these studies to develop care recommendations for gender-nonconforming children. Methods: A critical review methodology is employed to systematically interpret four frequently-cited studies that sought to document identity outcomes for gender-nonconforming children (often referred to as " desistance " research). Results: Methodological, theoretical, ethical, and interpretive concerns regarding four " desistance " studies are presented. The authors clarify the historical and clinical contexts within which these studie...
ACME: an international e-journal for critical geographies, Aug 17, 2015
Broadly taking up themes of violence and colonialism, this paper was first presented as a roundta... more Broadly taking up themes of violence and colonialism, this paper was first presented as a roundtable at the Decolonizing Cascadias?: 2013 Critical Geographies Mini Conference at the University of British Columbia. Framed as a roundtable conversation among the three authors, the paper critically examines the material and ideological relations through which certain types of violence are made invisible in the context of ongoing colonialism in white settler society. In dialogue across their various academic, activist and personal experiences, the authors argue for a critical decolonizing geography of violence that examines how spaces and subjects are constructed relationally through social, material and legal processes of racial violence and its gendered and sexualized politics. How do certain forms of violence come to be naturalized within civilizing and modernizing discourse, such that the violence of development or colonialism come to be erased? How do some lives become constructed a...
The research undertaken for this dissertation applies an interlocking spatial framework to the st... more The research undertaken for this dissertation applies an interlocking spatial framework to the study of anti-violence strategies in queer communities in Canada, with a focus on British Columbia specifically. Drawing on anti-colonial feminist and queer activism and scholarship, it examines the implications of different ways of framing violence and space and their material effects. It encourages scholars and activists to expand the way we Preface As per policy of UBC College of Graduate Studies, this preface gives a list of any publications or submissions arising from work presented in the dissertation. It was my original intention to use the UBC manuscript-based dissertation format (University of British Columbia, 2008), however in 2010 the university changed the policy and removed this format. I discuss this further in Chapter One. The following publications arise from my dissertation research: 1) A version of Chapter Five has been previously published. Sections from the published article also appear in Chapter One. I am the sole author and all research and writing was conducted by me. Holmes, C. (2009). Destabilizing homonormativity and the public/private dichotomy in lesbian domestic violence discourses. Gender, Place and Culture: A
This article is a joint exploration of what decolonization looks like
in everyday interactions wi... more This article is a joint exploration of what decolonization looks like in everyday interactions within our partnerships, families, and friendships on unceded Coast Salish territories. Stories from the authors—two cisgender queer women, one of whom is Indigenous and one of whom is a White settler—highlight intimate practices of allyship and decolonization that are often made invisible when activism is seen as only taking place in “public” spaces such as community coalitions. The tensions and possibilities within these intimate geographies of allyship comprise a decolonial queer praxis that is materialized in the spatial relations of our homes and families.
La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du num... more La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du numéro de mai 2018 à la page e201.
Objective: For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related ... more Objective: For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related care are inexorably linked to experiences of injustice and stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine in greater depth the experiences of pain and discrimination and stigma across diverse marginalized communities in order to recommend equity-oriented healthcare approaches. Methods: This community-based qualitative study reports on four focus groups that included 36 people living with pain. All participants identified with one of three groups known to experience high levels of inequities and structural violence including an Indigenous group, a LGBTQ2S group, and two newcomer and refugee groups. Results: Pain was entangled with and shaped by: social locations and identities, experiences of violence, trauma and related mental health issues, experiences of discrimination, stigma and dismissal, experiences of inadequate and ineffective health care, and the impacts of these intersecting experiences. Conclusions: Equity-oriented responses to chronic pain would recognize pain not only as a biomedical issue but as a social justice issue. The EQUIP Framework is an approach to integrating trauma-and violence-informed care; culturally-safe care; and harm reduction in health care that may hold promise for being tailored to people experiencing pain and social marginalization.
The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve li... more The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve literature reviews or knowledge synthesis, or undertake an assessment of knowledge gaps. We would like to acknowledge our reviewers for their generous contributions of time and expertise to this manuscript. This publication is available for download at: www.nccah.ca. All NCCAH materials are available free and can be reproduced in whole or in part with appropriate attribution and citation. All NCCAH materials are to be used solely for non-commercial purposes. To measure the impact of these materials, please inform us of their use. Une version française est également publiée sur le site www.ccnsa.ca, sous le titre Les collectivités autochtones et la violence familiale : changer la façon d'en parler.
Objective For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related c... more Objective For people who experience social inequities and structural violence, pain and related care are inexorably linked to experiences of injustice and stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine in greater depth the experiences of pain and discrimination and stigma across diverse marginalized communities in order to recommend equity-oriented healthcare approaches. Methods This community-based qualitative study reports on four focus groups that included 36 people living with pain. All participants identified with one of three groups known to experience high levels of inequities and structural violence including an Indigenous group, a LGBTQ2S group, and two newcomer and refugee groups. Results Pain was entangled with and shaped by: social locations and identities, experiences of violence, trauma and related mental health issues, experiences of discrimination, stigma and dismissal, experiences of inadequate and ineffective health care, and the impacts of these intersecting exp...
Over the past 5 years in Canada, clinicians have observed an increasing number of gender-diverse ... more Over the past 5 years in Canada, clinicians have observed an increasing number of gender-diverse and trans children and youth (GDTCY) accessing clinics for gender-affirming care. GDTCY who are able to access care are usually accompanied by their families, which provides a unique opportunity to integrate them into the treatment team. GDTCY have better health and social outcomes when strongly supported by their parents/caregivers. To optimize young people’s health and well-being, it is essential that we learn more about family experiences in supporting their GDTCY and in overcoming barriers to accessing services. This project is one of the first qualitative studies that aims to develop a deeper understanding of GDTCY and their parents/caregivers’ experiences of the gender-affirming care setting. This paper explores their journeys in coming to terms with their child’s gender identity, including reactions to the child’s coming out, struggles and facilitators of acceptance, and experienc...
Suicide is a significant health issue among sexual and gender minority adults (SGMA); yet, there ... more Suicide is a significant health issue among sexual and gender minority adults (SGMA); yet, there are no tailored suicide prevention programs for these marginalized populations in Canada. We hosted two world cafés with community leaders, health professionals, policymakers, and researchers to identify recommendations for mobilizing SGMA-focused suicide prevention programs. We identified five priorities: (1) make society safer for sexual and gender minorities; (2) decrease barriers to mental health services; (3) support community-driven and community-based interventions; (4) increase suicide knowledge and reduce stigma; (5) expand the knowledge base on SGMA suicide. In the absence of a national Canadian SGMA suicide prevention policy, these priorities provide a starting point in addressing SGMA suicide inequities by advancing SGMA-tailored interventions.
behalf of the Stories of Gender-Affirming Care Team (2019) The experiences of gender diverse and ... more behalf of the Stories of Gender-Affirming Care Team (2019) The experiences of gender diverse and trans children and youth considering and initiating medical interventions in Canadian gender-affirming speciality clinics,
Key to a cultural transformation in pain care is a greater understanding-among members of the pub... more Key to a cultural transformation in pain care is a greater understanding-among members of the public and people with pain alike-of important aspects of chronic pain and its appropriate treatment. The National Pain Strategy recommends a national public awareness campaign involving public and private partners to address misperceptions and stigma about chronic pain. The learning objectives of the campaign would emphasize the impact and seriousness of chronic pain and its status as a disease that requires appropriate treatment. In addition, an educational campaign on the safer use of pain medications that is targeted to people with pain whose care includes these medications is recommended. Next Steps for Implementation Sustained efforts across HHS, working through operating divisions, staff divisions, and also with non-governmental partners, will be required in order to implement the public health, clinical, and research initiatives described in this Strategy. These efforts will help to prevent pain, improve patient care and outcomes, assure appropriate patient and provider education, and advance pain-related applied research. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), in conjunction with HHS operating and staff divisions, will consider the recommendations included in the Strategy and develop an implementation and evaluation plan based on this process.
The authors answer recent responses by Steensma & Cohen-Kettenis (2018) and Zucker (2018) to our ... more The authors answer recent responses by Steensma & Cohen-Kettenis (2018) and Zucker (2018) to our critical commentary on “desistance” stereotypes and their underlying research on trans and gender diverse children (Temple Newhook et al., 2018). We provide clarification in the following areas: (1) the scope of our paper; (2) our support of longitudinal studies; (3) consequences of harm to trans and gender diverse children; (4) clinical practice implications; (5) concerns about validity of research methodology; and (6) the importance of learning to listen to trans and gender diverse children.
Background: It has been widely suggested that over 80% of transgender children will come to ident... more Background: It has been widely suggested that over 80% of transgender children will come to identify as cisgender (i.e., desist) as they mature, with the assumption that for this 80%, the trans identity was a temporary " phase. " This statistic is used as the scientific rationale for discouraging social transition for pre-pubertal children. This article is a critical commentary on the limitations of this research and a caution against using these studies to develop care recommendations for gender-nonconforming children. Methods: A critical review methodology is employed to systematically interpret four frequently-cited studies that sought to document identity outcomes for gender-nonconforming children (often referred to as " desistance " research). Results: Methodological, theoretical, ethical, and interpretive concerns regarding four " desistance " studies are presented. The authors clarify the historical and clinical contexts within which these studie...
ACME: an international e-journal for critical geographies, Aug 17, 2015
Broadly taking up themes of violence and colonialism, this paper was first presented as a roundta... more Broadly taking up themes of violence and colonialism, this paper was first presented as a roundtable at the Decolonizing Cascadias?: 2013 Critical Geographies Mini Conference at the University of British Columbia. Framed as a roundtable conversation among the three authors, the paper critically examines the material and ideological relations through which certain types of violence are made invisible in the context of ongoing colonialism in white settler society. In dialogue across their various academic, activist and personal experiences, the authors argue for a critical decolonizing geography of violence that examines how spaces and subjects are constructed relationally through social, material and legal processes of racial violence and its gendered and sexualized politics. How do certain forms of violence come to be naturalized within civilizing and modernizing discourse, such that the violence of development or colonialism come to be erased? How do some lives become constructed a...
The research undertaken for this dissertation applies an interlocking spatial framework to the st... more The research undertaken for this dissertation applies an interlocking spatial framework to the study of anti-violence strategies in queer communities in Canada, with a focus on British Columbia specifically. Drawing on anti-colonial feminist and queer activism and scholarship, it examines the implications of different ways of framing violence and space and their material effects. It encourages scholars and activists to expand the way we Preface As per policy of UBC College of Graduate Studies, this preface gives a list of any publications or submissions arising from work presented in the dissertation. It was my original intention to use the UBC manuscript-based dissertation format (University of British Columbia, 2008), however in 2010 the university changed the policy and removed this format. I discuss this further in Chapter One. The following publications arise from my dissertation research: 1) A version of Chapter Five has been previously published. Sections from the published article also appear in Chapter One. I am the sole author and all research and writing was conducted by me. Holmes, C. (2009). Destabilizing homonormativity and the public/private dichotomy in lesbian domestic violence discourses. Gender, Place and Culture: A
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in everyday interactions within our partnerships, families, and
friendships on unceded Coast Salish territories. Stories from the
authors—two cisgender queer women, one of whom is Indigenous
and one of whom is a White settler—highlight intimate practices
of allyship and decolonization that are often made invisible when
activism is seen as only taking place in “public” spaces such as
community coalitions. The tensions and possibilities within these
intimate geographies of allyship comprise a decolonial queer praxis
that is materialized in the spatial relations of our homes and families.
in everyday interactions within our partnerships, families, and
friendships on unceded Coast Salish territories. Stories from the
authors—two cisgender queer women, one of whom is Indigenous
and one of whom is a White settler—highlight intimate practices
of allyship and decolonization that are often made invisible when
activism is seen as only taking place in “public” spaces such as
community coalitions. The tensions and possibilities within these
intimate geographies of allyship comprise a decolonial queer praxis
that is materialized in the spatial relations of our homes and families.