This is an invitation to Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, non-binary and other people with fabulous diverse sexual and gender identities (LGBTQ2+) across Canada who have an interest in the impacts of COVID-19 on our LGBTQ2+ communities.
We seek Community Advisors to provide input on a national study on the unintended impacts on and prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic among LGBTQ2+ people. Community Advisors will inform the online questionnaire and recruitment plan to reach 10,000 LGBTQ2+ people nationally. Online survey participants will have the option to receive a mailed-home kit to collect a few drops of blood that will be tested to see who got COVID-19. Our findings will inform future public health action to improve the health, well-being, and safety of LGBTQ2+ people. This includes mental and physical health, and experiences of discrimination and violence.
We are looking for up to 12 Community Advisors who can work in English or French. To promote diversity of opinion and perspective, we have a preference to engage Two-Spirit Indigenous people, Black and other people of colour, people who identify as trans or non-binary, people who live in non-metropolitan areas, and and/or people who are Francophone. Our team believes that no research about these communities should be developed without the communities in question being involved every step of the way. “Nothing about us, without us.”
Community Advisors will provide input on the COVID-19 study, including how we design the questionnaires, recruitment materials, and reports based on the data. Community Advisors will provide suggestions on question content, language, tone, and inclusivity. We do not expect Community Advisors to have any prior research experience or training!
Community Advisors will work closely with the research team, including Dr. Nathan Lachowsky, a professor at the University of Victoria. All meetings and work will take place virtually by email, phone or Internet videoconferencing. Each Community Advisor will receive $30/hour compensation for their time contributed to the project. We expect Advisors to contribute approximately 10-20 hours total during the first 2 months. The initial commitment requested for the CAC will be 2 months with possibility for extension.
Please submit your statement of interest (up to 1 page single-spaced) to Ben Klassen ([email protected]). We will start to review applications immediately and we will hold follow-up conversations with interested individuals shortly afterwards.
