Conference Highlights
Held October 2, 2026 · Chelsea Hotel · Toronto, Canada
Looking back at Beyond Limits
On October 2, 2026, INQYR Beyond Limits brought research, practice, community knowledge and lived experience together at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. The program included an opening keynote, an international network showcase, oral presentations, posters and a closing celebration.
Research, connection and celebration
A look at the sessions and shared experiences that made up Beyond Limits 2026.
Opening keynote
Dr. Ilan H. Meyer
Distinguished Senior Scholar for Public Policy · Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law
Minority Stress and the Health of LGBTQ Populations: Insights from Current Research and Future Directions
A pioneer of the minority stress model, Dr. Ilan H. Meyer opened the conference with a keynote on minority stress and LGBTQ health. His research offers a framework for understanding how stigma, prejudice and discrimination contribute to health inequalities.
The address brought current research into conversation with generational shifts and future directions, considering what comes next for LGBTQ health research in a challenging sociopolitical landscape.
International network showcase
Creative approaches across five countries
INQYR researchers and community partners from Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico shared projects connecting digital life, mental health, identity and queer joy.
- Canada: Dane Di Cesare presented screenshot elicitation in video game research; Omid Razavi presented the GLO App with Elise Roopchan; Keith Adamson explored Black queer joy through ballroom.
- Australia and the United States: Yael Perry mapped journeys through digital and face-to-face mental health support, while Lauren McInroy presented Innovative Digital Methods.
- United Kingdom and Mexico: Jason Schaub presented Autonome, and Ignacio Verduzco shared LGBTQ+ Identities in Mexico.
Research and community knowledge
Research connected with lived experience
Oral presentations and poster conversations brought research into dialogue with education, mental health, community care and digital life. Researchers, practitioners and community partners shared approaches centred on 2SLGBTQIA+ young people.
Six streams brought these conversations together:
- Diaspora, Belonging and Access to Care
- Digital Life, Subcultures and Belonging
- Schools, Training and Safer Practice
- Youth Voices, Policy and Practice
- Programs and Interventions
- Community-Engaged and Collaborative Research Methods
Queer joy in community
Snacks, Sips, and Skates
Closing celebration · Nitro Skates
The conference closed with a roller disco hosted by Nitro Skates. Snacks, Sips, and Skates brought participants together on wheels for an evening of celebration and community connection.
Queer joy also had a place in the international showcase through Category Is: Manifesting Black Queer Joy Through Ballroom. Alongside the research, the program made room for creative expression and shared celebration.
Beyond Limits in Numbers
Download Infographic (PDF)
232 Participants (Sold out); 29% Attendees with diverse pronouns; 39% Attendees from outside Canada
38.4% Community & Practitioners; 33.1% Students; 28.5% Researchers
35 Posters; 40 Presentations
97% Gained new knowledge; 95% Experienced possibility; 92% Felt energized or inspired; 97% Experienced joy; 97% Will apply new ideas
Diaspora, Belonging and Access to Care; Digital Life, Subcultures and Belonging; Schools, Training and Safer Practice; Youth Voices, Policy and Practice; Programs and Interventions; Community-Engaged & Collaborative Research Methods
There was room to be researchers, but also to actually be queer people together, and that’s what made so many of these moments feel joyful.
Loved seeing presentations about frontline interventions, not just research! And SUCH joy from the presenters.
Moments from Beyond Limits
A look back at the people, conversations and shared spaces of the conference.
Photography from the Beyond Limits album by Shauna Visser · Ballroom images in the infographic by LUCIID PICS.
Program & Resources
Return to the research and materials shared through the conference.
Program & Abstracts
Explore the sessions, presenters, oral presentation abstracts and all 31 poster abstracts.
Poster Archive
View the 25 submitted posters, with their titles, authors, affiliations and abstracts.
Conference Program & Welcome Guide
Read or download the final guide as a record of the conference and its program.
Thank you to our community
Thank you to the presenters, participants, volunteers, donors and partners who made Beyond Limits 2026 possible. Your contributions brought research, community knowledge and queer joy into a shared space.
Partially funded by
Beyond Limits 2026 was supported in part by a Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
With donations from
Our Partners
Finding conference materials
Where can I find the program and abstracts?
The Program & Abstracts page contains the conference sessions and presentation details.
Where can I see the posters?
The Poster Archive includes the 25 received poster artworks. All 31 poster abstracts remain available in the program.
Where can I find the final welcome guide?
Read or download the Conference Program & Welcome Guide, which also records event-day accessibility arrangements, including the scent-free environment.
Questions about the conference or its materials? Contact inqyr@utoronto.ca.