Poverty impacts many Canadians and anecdotal evidence shows that individuals who identify as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, plus) community can be considerably more vulnerable to it.
Dr. Margaret Robinson, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Reconciliation, Gender, & Identity at Dalhousie, can attest to this from first-hand experience as a two-spirit and bisexual woman with lived experience of poverty.
鈥淚 grew up in rural poverty,鈥� explains Dr. Robinson, an associate professor in the departments of English and Sociology and Social Anthropology, of her upbringing outside Sheet Harbour, N.S., in the Mi鈥檏maw district Eskikewa'kik.听鈥淢y family didn鈥檛 get indoor plumbing until I was in junior high school, but it wasn鈥檛 something you talked about.鈥� Instead, she pretended everything was normal, 鈥渘ever mentioning melting snow to wash or having bill collectors threaten me on the phone.鈥�
She transitioned to urban poverty as an undergraduate student, going to food banks and getting cash advances on her Canadian Tire card so she could pay 听her rent. 鈥淚鈥檝e been close to homeless many times. But I learned to do a lot with a little, and it got me interested in issues such as food and housing insecurity.鈥�
Now, Dr. Robinson brings her personal experience and research expertise to the table as part of the first national study to examine 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada. She says the project 鈥� 鈥� is being led by 2SLGBTQ+ people and brings together dozens of multidisciplinary academics, workers in community-based non-profits, and individuals from the impacted communities who have experienced poverty.
Dr. Margaret Robinson. (Submitted photos)
The project, funded through a Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), will study both the extent and effects of poverty on the 2SLGBTQ+ communities across Canada between 2022鈥�2028. It will produce an evidence-based action plan that can assist governmental agencies, non-profits, and private organizations in taking action.听
A Canada-wide survey will allow the research team to identify large-scale patterns and regional differences. Interviews and focus groups will examine issues in detail to better understand the context of the survey results.
鈥淔or the first time, we鈥檒l be able to produce regional and national data that demonstrates the scope and impacts of poverty in our communities,鈥� explains Dr. Robinson.
Dispelling the 鈥榞ay affluence鈥� myth
Dr. Robinson says she will contribute to the national study in a few ways.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a role in shaping the survey with a mind to how the data can be useful for two-spirit people, the organizations that serve us, and Indigenous governments,鈥� she explains. 鈥淟ater, I鈥檒l help to analyze interviews and to shape how we share study findings.鈥澨�
Dr. Madison Trusolino (shown right), a postdoctoral fellow in Dal鈥檚 Department of English, will play a leading role in the day-to-day operations of the study. Dr. Trusolino researches labour organizing in the arts and culture industries and how it can impact marginalized populations.
鈥淢any creatives work multiple precarious jobs, and that low pay is a major obstacle to entry in artistic fields,鈥� says Dr. Trusolino, who Dr. Robinson supervises. 鈥淲hile it is important to consider how sexism, homophobia, and transphobia act as barriers to 2SLGBTQ+ people in the arts and culture industries, it is also integral to consider how the material and psychological experiences of poverty contribute, and often are foundational, to these barriers.鈥�
She says it鈥檚 been difficult to find statistics on 2SLGBTQ+ communities because collecting this data generally is still relatively new. It wasn鈥檛 until 2021 that the Canadian census included a question on gender that also asked about someone鈥檚 assigned sex at birth.
鈥淲hile these efforts are not inconsequential, they are also still in the works and have yet to provide the kind of data necessary to address 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada,鈥� she explains.
Dr. Trusolino says data is currently lacking in part due to the persistent 鈥榞ay affluence鈥� myth that perpetuates the idea that gay and lesbian people make more money than their straight counterparts. 鈥淭his is grossly inaccurate and contributes to the lack of data on the subject,鈥� she says.听
A review of academic literature about 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in 2020 showed no peer-reviewed studies of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in the Atlantic region, added Dr. Robinson.
鈥淭hat means our governments don鈥檛 know what the real conditions are for their 2SLGBTQ+ constituents,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his study can find out.鈥�
A chance to have voices heard
Dr. Robinson adds that 2SLGBTQ+ communities have long been excluded from economic policy, and we need policy that鈥檚 not based on stereotypes.
鈥淥ur communities are complex, so the factors shaping economics in our communities are complex too,鈥� she says. 鈥淢any 2SLGBTQ+ women have children, and women are usually paid less than men so that inequity is compounded in relationships between women.鈥�
Discrimination in hiring also poses problems, she says.
鈥淧eople who are read as queer may be limited to working in service roles 鈥� as a hairdresser or barista,鈥� she says. "I worked in coffee retail for years, and while it was queer-friendly, it wasn鈥檛 lucrative. I ate expired pastries and came home too sore and exhausted to cook or study. When I injured myself at work, I had to tape it up and keep going. I couldn鈥檛 afford time off to recuperate. And I was one of the lucky ones.鈥� 听
Dr. Robinson notes that Nova Scotian researchers and organizations are contributing a lot to this study. Dr. Maryam Dilmaghani, a professor of economics at Saint Mary鈥檚 University, is also on the research team and the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project is a community partner.
Two surveys will be rolled out this year. Some participants will then be invited for interviews conducted by peer researchers 鈥� 2SLGBTQ+ people with lived experience of poverty 鈥� hired from local communities. Dr. Trusolino and Dr. Hazal Goktas, a postdoctoral fellow at York University, will work closely with the researchers and supervise research assistants.
Dr. Robinson encourages people in 2SLGBTQ+ communities to get involved and talk about poverty with friends.听
鈥淲hen the study comes to your province, complete the survey and tell others about it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e willing, indicate your interest in doing an interview or focus group. This is our chance to have our voices heard.鈥�