Beyond an Expectation of Harm: Redefining "Good Care" and Collective Re-Imagining of Liberatory 2SLGBTQIA+ Health Care

Abstract

2SLGBTQIA+ folx, experience discrimination on both the individual and systemic levels when accessing healthcare. This study explores barriers to care and definitions of “good care” from both the perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ service users and health care providers who serve them. This research engaged in a collective re-imagining of a liberatory health care system that seeks to foster dignity, joy, and well-being. The study involved 14 semi-structured interviews, with 7 service providers and 7 service users. Barriers to 2SLGBTQIA+ care included interpersonal discrimination, provider biases, and structural constraints. “Good care” conceptualizations emphasized increased interpersonal skills and institutional reform. Collective re-visioning of care systems centred reducing harm and fostering good care while engaging in abolition of the current healthcare. Participants advocated for widely available and accessible 2SLGBTQIA+ care that has many entry points while emphasizing the importance of educational and systemic transformation in the pursuit of community-created, community-led, and community driven care.