Sexual Health and Gender (SHaG) lab
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10222/84280
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Item Open Access Making Progress? An Examination into the Development of Undergraduate Students’ Consent Beliefs in the United States and Canada(Common Ground Research Networks, 2024-12-18) O'Shea, Brittany; Dietzel, Christopher; Numer, MatthewResearch has consistently shown that sexual violence (SV) is a problem among universities in the US and Canada. Following the #MeToo movement, additional scrutiny has been placed on universities to address SV and promote consent, with many institutions adopting affirmative consent (AC) policies. To date, research findings on university student consent practices have repeatedly shown the same trends in how students communicate consent with their partners. Few studies have explored the beliefs of university students who, in theory, should have a heightened sexual consent knowledge from enrolment in relevant courses and exposure to consent programs and campaigns. This research study examined the consent beliefs of undergraduate students enrolled in human sexuality courses in two midsized universities in the US and Canada to explore alignment with university AC policies and ideologies. Participants responded to online qualitative prompts about how they understand and communicate consent. Through thematic analysis, several key themes were identified, including themes of AC and institutional tensions. The authors found that participants’ beliefs about consent often aligned with university consent principals; however, many students were caught between the ideals endorsed by universities and the realities of undergraduate social culture, impacting their consent practices. The authors’ findings raise important questions about the effectiveness of university AC campaigns and demonstrate the need for sociocultural considerations to be better reflected in ongoing institutional efforts.Item Open Access Sex Work in The Digital Age: Examining the Health and Safety Strategies of Men Using the Internet to Sell sexual Services to Other Men — Community Report(Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab, 2024-12) Webber, Val; Yurkovich, Claire; Colford, Laura; Blair, Chloe; Thomas, Andrew; Oswald, Austin; O'Shea, Brittany; Numer, MatthewItem Open Access Digital Ageing: The Impacts of Technology and COVID-19 on Older 2SLGBTQ+ Adults’ Friendships, Relationships, and Communities- Community Report(Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab, 2024-08) Dietzel, Christopher; Colford, Laura; Devlin, Beatrice; Numer, MatthewItem Open Access Old Bonds Never Break: A Scoping Review of Older LGBTQ+ Adults’ Use of Online Technologies for Social Connections During the COVID-19 Pandemic(Common Ground Research Networks, 2024-10-31) Dietzel, Christopher; Bello, Bamidele; O'Shea, Brittany; Cullum, Jessie; Numer, MatthewOnline technologies and digital platforms like social media, dating apps, and other sites are popular among people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+). During the COVID-19 pandemic, people—especially older adults—relied heavily on these technologies to maintain personal and social connections because of lockdown measures and risks of viral transmission. The purpose of this study was to investigate older LGBTQ+ adults’ experiences with online technologies to form and maintain relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for scoping reviews, we searched seven databases and screened potential studies, which yielded seven studies for inclusion. Data was extracted and thematically analyzed, resulting in five themes related to how older LGBTQ+ people used online technologies to maintain personal connections during the pandemic and the benefits of and barriers to incorporating such technologies. Notably, we found that older LGBTQ+ adults were resilient, being willing and able to adapt to sociotechnical challenges during the pandemic. Older LGBTQ+ adults felt an obligation to support other members of the LGBTQ+ community, and feelings of responsibility and solidarity motivated older LGBTQ+ adults to incorporate online technologies into their social practices to care for one another. This scoping review provides directions for future research and offers recommendations for how policymakers, community organizations, and other stakeholders can better serve the technological and social health needs of older LGBTQ+ adults in our post-pandemic world.Item Open Access Digitally Facilitated Sex Work: A Scoping Review Articulating Men's Labor Experiences(Taylor & Francis, 2025-04-02) Webber, Val; O'Shea, Brittany; Yurkovich, Claire; Oswald, Austin; Dietzel, Christopher; Feicht, Becky; Furlotte, Kirk; Holmes, Dave; Numer, MatthewA multitude of factors shape the labor conditions of men engaged in digitally facilitated sex work. To examine these labor conditions, we conducted a scoping review of research conducted with men about their use of internet technologies to facilitate in-person sex work and/or provide sexual services online through digital platforms. We retrieved 72 papers and book chapters published between 1990 and 2024. We summarize some descriptive characteristics and organize the findings according to six working conditions: entry into sex work, advertising and marketing, screening and communications, pay, occupational health and safety, and resources and support. We found primarily qualitative studies examining a variety of sex work sectors and contexts, including a growing body of work about webcamming and porn production. Articles focused on motivations, the role of internet platforms in shaping sex worker practice and identities, marketing and safety strategies, and sexual and community health. Literature increasingly frames sex work in terms of labor and addresses the social, legal, technological, and structural forces that shape sex work conditions. By organizing the findings of existing studies according to labor outcomes and implications, this review aims to further support and facilitate the adoption of a workers’ rights perspective within sex work research.Item Embargo Digital Platforms as Equivocal Health Promotion: Examining the Mental Health of 2SLGBTQ+ People Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic(Taylor & Francis, 2025-03-07) Dietzel, Christopher; Blair, Chloe; O'Shea, Brittany; Bello, Bamidele2SLGBTQ+ people often depend on digital platforms, including social media, to connect with members of their community and curate support networks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had devastating mental health impacts on marginalized populations. Unfortunately, these same platforms are often engulfed with homophobia and transphobic rhetoric and high rates of online violence targeted at 2SLGBTQ+ communities. To shed light on how digital platforms can help and/or hinder 2SLGBTQ+ people’s mental health, we conducted a mixed-methods survey to examine mental health outcomes among 2SLGBTQ+ people in Nova Scotia, Canada, who have used digital platforms during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Equity Promotion Model was applied to analyze survey data collected from 119 participants and uncover how intersecting individual, structural, and technological factors and affordances impact 2SLGBTQ+ people’s mental health. Our findings reflect the diversity and fluidity of 2SLGBTQ+ people’s mental health experiences that cannot be viewed through a positivistic lens. We discuss the ethical implications of digital platforms and their mental health effects on marginalized populations and the importance of conducting intersectional research, and we conclude with recommendations to support2SLGBTQ+ people’s mental health.Item Open Access Are Queer Men Queering Consent? A Scoping Review of Sexual Consent Literature Among Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Men (Postprint)(Taylor & Francis, 2024-06-07) Webber, Val; McCready, Samantha; Yurkovich, Claire; Dietzel, Christopher; Feicht, Becky; Joy, Phillip; Holmes, Dave; Numer, MatthewObjectives: To review the literature on Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer (GBTQ) men and sexual consent. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched in June 2022, yielding 1924 articles; 30 were included for review after screening. Results: We found a growing body of literature focused on GBTQ men, with an increasingly intersectional lens. Most studies adopted a nuanced definition of sexual consent. Many discussed the unique sexual scripts developed by GBTQ men to communicate consent, especially in sex venues, and how unfamiliarity with these scripts creates vulnerability for newly “out” men. A common theme was the impact of heteromasculine norms on sexual encounters between GBTQ men. Conclusions: The reviewed literature problematizes binary definitions of consent and miscommunication theories of assault. It both celebrates and problematizes GBTQ sexual cultures. We encourage future research to adopt more explicitly anti-carceral approaches to studying sexual consent and violence.