Who’s contributing to this project?
This survey is being led by the Community-Based Research Centre and the University of Victoria. The survey is called Sex Now and is for Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer men, and non-binary people (2S/GBTQ).
Our team includes 2S/LGBTQQIA+ community members and researchers, and is led by Dr. Nathan Lachowsky (a gay, white, cisgender man) who is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria and Research Director for the Community-Based Research Centre ([email protected], 250-472-5739). The team also includes researchers at the University of British Columbia (Dr. Devon Greyson, Dr. Mark Gilbert, and Jeffrey Morgan) and Simon Fraser University (Dr. Travis Salway, Dr. Kiffer Card, and Harlan Pruden). We work closely with 2S/GBTQ community leaders and organizations across the country.
The study is partially funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Blood Services, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, and the Royal College Foundation.
What is the survey about?
The purpose of the survey is to learn more about the health of Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer men, and non-binary people (2S/GBTQ). The survey includes questions about sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (such as HIV, syphilis, and mpox), your sex life, mental health, access to health services, substance use, experiences of violence or discrimination, and connections to community. It also asks for your perspectives on blood, organ, and tissue donation policies for our communities. The experiences you share will allow us to better understand the services and supports most needed by 2S/GBTQ people in Canada.
What will I be asked to do?
We will ask you to complete a confidential online survey on your computer, tablet, or phone. The online survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. If you leave the survey to take a break and return to it later using the same device and browser within two days, you will be able to continue from where you stopped previously.
Are there any risks involved in the survey?
We know that answering personal questions (such as those about substance use, discrimination, sexual abuse or barriers to accessing care or support) can be difficult and may upset or distress you. It is important to remember that most questions are optional and can be skipped at any time. If needed, here is a list of 2S/GBTQ support resources which you can access. This includes a number of 24/7 crisis lines that can be reached at any time.
What are my rights?
This study is completely voluntary and your choice to participate will not impact your future access to any services. Your survey responses will be securely protected. If you choose to provide an email address at the end of the survey, this will be collected and stored separate from your survey responses and there will be no way for the research team to link your contact information and responses. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer, except for ones to ensure you are eligible to participate. You can also stop at any time and will not be penalized. If you stop before completing the survey, your responses up to that point will be kept by the research team. We will be unable to remove your survey responses after you participate because we will not know which responses belong to you. By consenting, you do not waive any rights to legal recourse in the event of research-related harm.
What are the benefits?
By participating, you are helping to generate data which will help to improve the health and well-being of 2S/GBTQ people by providing researchers and community organizations with the information they need to make things better. You’ll also get to access findings from the study online for free next year through the Community-Based Research Centre’s website (www.cbrc.net).
Is there any compensation for participating?
If you complete the survey, you may choose to enter a draw for one (1) of three (3) five-hundred-dollar ($500.00) travel vouchers by entering your email address. If you are a winner, we will ask you to provide a name to allow us to send you the travel voucher.
How will survey data and emails be used?
Since data for this study is being collected online, there is a risk of a privacy breach where online data could be unintentionally accessed by someone outside of our research team. This includes on your personal device (e.g., your phone or computer), since you may be using applications that track your data. We are taking precautions to minimize this risk. The information you provide in the survey will be treated according to privacy laws including the Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). All survey data will be stored on encrypted Qualtrics servers during data collection, then stored on University of Victoria servers in Canada that will only be accessed by people on our research team who have signed a confidentiality agreement and undergone privacy training. The Qualtrics license being used for this study is a personal license owned by Dr. Lachowsky. Any data you provide may be transmitted and stored in countries outside of Canada, as well as in Canada. It is important to remember that privacy laws vary in different countries and may not be the same as in Canada.
If you provide an email address to join the CBRC mailing list, contact for future studies, and/or be entered into the prize draw, this information will be collected and stored separate from your survey responses and only be used for the purposes you consented to. Email addresses provided for the prize draw will be destroyed after winners have been contacted at the end of the study period. If you consent to be recontacted for future studies, we will keep your email address for five years. Additionally, we may contact you on behalf of approved researchers within our network for studies which we are not leading. We will not provide any of your personal information to these researchers. You may opt-out of the CBRC mailing list at any time by clicking unsubscribe in any communications from the organization. You may ask for removal from the future studies contact list by emailing [email protected].
Who are you sharing data and findings with?
Your survey data may be shared with other researchers who are interested in the health and wellbeing of 2S/GBTQ communities, including researchers outside of Canada. You will not be directly identifiable within this data. You may choose whether you agree to your survey data being used for future unspecified research or not. This will not impact your ability to participate in this study.
We will share our findings with academic, government, and community groups, including our funders. However, you will not be identified in these results. Researchers will at all times comply with the Tri-Council ethical guidelines for research with human participants. The information will be used to write reports, provide statistical information and to prepare presentations. You will not be identified in any way as these reports and other public documents will always refer to groups of people, never to one person.
Voluntary Participation
Participation in the study is completely voluntary. If you decide not to participate, it won’t impact your eligibility for future studies or affect how you are treated by any health, treatment or social agencies. While completing the survey you can stop at any time (e.g., by closing your browser) and many questions can be skipped.
Who can I contact if I have any questions about the study?
If you have any questions or need further information with respect to this study, you may contact the research team at 604-568-7478 or at [email protected]. You can also review a copy of this consent form at any time by going to the Sex Now page of the CBRC website (https://www.cbrc.net/sex_now_lets_talk_sex).
Who can I contact if I have a concern about my rights as a participant?
This research has been reviewed by the University of Victoria’s Research Ethics Board and conforms to the standards of the Canadian Tri-Council Research Ethics guidelines. In addition, you may verify the ethical approval of this study, or raise any concerns you might have, by contacting the Human Research Ethics Office at the University of Victoria (250-472-4545 or [email protected]).