Alexis López (pronouns: he/him) has a degree in Anthropology, with a specialty in Social Anthropology, from the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His recent work focuses on particularities and social health inequalities faced by Mexican LGBTQ+ populations, mainly around substance use, sexual health, mental health, and the impact of discrimination on collective well-being of these populations. He is particularly interested in the sociocultural determinants of health, as well as the non-normative cultural expression of gender and male sexuality (desire, eroticism, and pleasure). He currently collaborates as a research assistant in the LGBT Health and Wellbeing Research Line led by Dr. Juan Carlos Mendoza-Pérez.

Ali Pearson (pronouns: they/them) is a PhD student at is a PhD student at the Factor - Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Ali’s doctoral research will focus on the experience of accessing provision of service at the intersection of neurodiversity and sexual and gender diversity. Prior to starting the program Ali lived in Northern Ontario and an awareness of the impact of living in rural and remote communities. Ali co - founded The PRIDE Project a grass roots organization that supports the Queer and Trans community. Ali approaches research from a grounding in social justice and diversity, utilizing queer, crip, anti - oppressive and intersectional frameworks of pract ice. Ali has worked as a research assistant with INQYR and the Affirmative Research Collaborative under Dr. Shelley Craig over the last two years.

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Alison (pronouns she/her) is a doctoral student in Education at Western Sydney University. Her PhD thesis focuses on experiences of Chinese parents who have a gay or lesbian adult child. In her thesis, she explored these parents’ real voices and sought to understand how their perspectives towards their child’s same-sex attraction are shaped or influenced by their culture. Through the process, her study highlighted agency and resilience of these parents as well as their same-sex attracted adult children, providing information about how some of them move from an initial negative reaction to their child’s coming out, to greater understanding and in some instances, a more supportive attitude. Alison is particularly interested in promoting rights and voices of LGBTQ+ people with Chinese or broad Asian ethnic background, which is relatively silenced in the world at this stage. She also holds a MSc degree in social and cultural psychology from London School of Economics and Political Science and a BSc degree in psychology from the University of York.

Angela Matijczak (she/they) is a third - year Ph.D. student at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Angela earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of New Haven in 2017. During her time at VCU, Angela has served as the project coordinator for the LGBTQ+ Youth Supports Study (PI: Dr. Shelby McDonald) and the LGBTQ+ Young Adults and Pets Study (PI: Dr. Rosalie Corona), which both seek to investigate stressors and supports experienced by LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Broadly, Angela’s research focuses on risk and protective factors for LGBTQ+ youth. They are particularly interested in the relationships between LGBTQ+ youth and their family members (biological and/or chosen). Additionally, she is also interested in the exploring how social support from other sources (i.e., peers, community, pets) may act as a protective factor for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing family rejection.

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Anthony (pronouns: he/him) is a PhD candidate, studying at Nottingham Trent University. His doctoral research focusses on the psychosocial influences on the decision to take Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) amongst Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). Prior to returning to academia, Anthony worked as a professional dancer all over the world, after graduating from the Northern Ballet School in 2014. Upon his return to the U.K. in 2020, Anthony received his MSc with Distinction in Psychology from the University of East London, where he discovered his keen interest in the psychology surrounding health outcomes of marginalised populations and thus a newfound academic trajectory commenced. Since starting his PhD at NTU, Anthony has worked on various projects within his field. An advocate for multi-disciplinary collaboration, he has conducted systematic reviews with NHS doctors to explore the institutional barriers to PrEP, worked on British Academy funded projects looking into vaccine hesitancy amongst ethnic minorities and most recently, assisted on INQYR's regional project 'AutOnoME' alongside Dr Jason Schaub and colleagues to research the use of internet spaces by gender minority autistic populations. Anthony is so thrilled to be a part of INQYR's International Student Network and is very excited to connect with researchers all over the world within this fantastic program.

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Cameron (pronouns: he/him/his) is a Psychology PhD student based in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. His current research explores the extent to which online community and counterpublic resiliency can enable people in polyamorous relationships - as part of a sexual minority - to experience more liveable conditions and, in the absence of prejudice and discrimination, allow for greater diversity in of self-expression. His previous education at University of Derby included research projects at both Bachelors and Masters level exploring how practices of community resiliency can promote and encourage health & wellbeing among sexual minority populations, with the former subsequently being nominated as a finalist of the BPS Undergraduate Qualitative Research Project of the year. Cameron is also interested in removing barriers and improving accessibility to education for marginalised populations and has recently worked as a Research Assistant to support potential attainment for university students with disabilities.

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Chase (pronouns: he/they) is a PhD student at Nottingham Trent University. His doctoral research involves using social prescribing to develop a new health care initiative for trans and gender diverse people. Chase previously obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Anglia Ruskin University, and an MRes in Psychological Research Methods from Nottingham Trent University. They have also been employed as a research assistant on numerous projects, including the European Commission’s (REC) ‘WE-Project’, and INQYR’s Regional Network Projects ‘QueerViBE’ and ‘AutOnoME’, working closely with Professor Daragh McDermott and Dr Jason Schaub to empower gender and sexual minorities. He has also collaborated with Anglia Ruskin University’s Race Equality Leads exploring the experiences of B.A.ME students on social work placements and assessing the effectiveness of anti-racist pedagogy. Their research interests are primarily focused on improving the wellbeing of minority communities, specifically trans and gender diverse people.

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Dane Rivas - Koehl (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign. Dane holds a master’s degree from Texas Tech University in Human Development and Family Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications. His primary work focuses on understanding the lives of LGBTQ+ families and individuals from intersectional, feminist, and queer-theorized lenses to work towards applied impact in communities. Currently, he is working with his advisor, Dr. Courtney Cuthbertson, on a mixed methods project about LGBTQ+ farmer mental health in the US. Dane also serves as the Chair for the University of Illinois’ Gender and Sexuality Resource Center’s advisory board.

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Eli Verdugo (pronouns: they/them) is a master's student in the Social Dimensions of Health program at the University of Victoria (UVic), BC, Canada; they are also a student in the Chair of Transgender Studies at the same university. They have a bachelor's degree in Psychology, specializing in Social psychology, from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAMX) in Mexico City. They advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in their home country and community in La Paz, Mexico, where they founded an LGBTQ+ non-profit: La Paz es Diversa. Their research interests include mental health, gender, queer and trans+ issues, youth, identity and community. Their current research project seeks to further knowledge of trans+ youths' mental health in La Paz, Mexico, using community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) principles to inform public policy in their state, promote trans+ youths' rights and promote social change to benefit the LGBTQ+ community.

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Grace Pappas (they/them) is a second-year Social Work and Social Research PhD student at Portland State University. They are currently studying child welfare abolition and are interested in the experiences of queer and trans youth in the child welfare system and how these nuance and expand abolition conversations. They are also interested in understanding where and how Evangelicalism intersects with queer and trans issues, as well as child welfare issues.

They also hold a Master of Social Work degree from San Diego State University with an emphasis on youth and family, and are a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Oregon. After completing their MSW, they worked for several years in the child welfare system. This work provided an opportunity to witness the harms and shortcomings of the child welfare system, as well as the importance of listening to the experiences of queer and trans youth in the system.

Hannah Coffey (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research and clinical interests pertain to understanding and promoting resilience among children and families. Specifically, her work has focused on transgender and gender diverse (TGD) communities as well as children who have experienced maltreatment. She is a member of Trans Collaborations, a community-based academic partnership whose mission is to combat health disparities for TGD communities, developed by Dr. Debra Hope, Dr. Richard Mocarski, and Mr. Nathan Woodruff. She also conducts research and provides group-based services through a community partnership with a local Child Advocacy Center, facilitated by Dr. David Hansen and Dr. Mary Fran Flood. Hannah’s master’s thesis focused on experiences of childhood maltreatment, social support, and mental health among TGD adults. She hopes to contribute to research promoting affirming and trauma-informed services for TGD youth and families.

James Hill (pronouns he/him/his) is a PhD student at the University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute, and is the first Aboriginal man to undertake a PhD in Psychology at his university. His research explores trans and gender diverse young peoples’ experiences of stigma and how they relate to poor mental health. James is most passionate about improving the mental health of trans and gender diverse youth, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth through research and clinical practice. James assists with several projects at Telethon Kids Institute, including projects exploring empowerment in parents of trans children, as well as the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people. James has also worked in policy and clinical psychology services in the Government of Western Australia, including clinical research to improve therapy outcomes for people with eating disorders.

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Jason Fernandes (pronouns: he /him) is a first-generation immigrant from India who came to Canada to pursue a Master of Education degree at Acadia University. He is also an alumni of Wilfrid Laurier University's Master of Social Work program. He has over 10 years of experience coordinating programs in the non-profit sector in Nova Scotia, as well as providing career counseling and case management services to marginalized communities in Canada, and India. He is currently a student in the PhD in Social Work program at Wilfrid Laurier University, and his scholarly interests include investigating the challenges faced by minority groups such as persons with disabilities, visible and racial minorities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and youth-at-risk.

Jessica Ayón (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a psychologist, master in Education, and is currently a doctoral student in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, in México. Her research interests focus on identity, sexual diversity, vulnerable and discriminated groups and violent contexts. She has participated representing the LGBTQ+ communities in institutional forums and working groups that contribute to the planning of work agendas and public policies. She has organized and participated in various conferences, workshops, trainings and community work related to sexual diversity and the prevention of discrimination. As well, she has conducted research in the fields of social representations of homosexuality, homoparentality, identity and sociocognitive conflict, and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Her research interests focus on the forms of expression of identity and sexuality, how they have been manifesting and adapting to the use of emerging technologies.

In addition, she is interested in studying the problems related to LGBTQ+ youth to raise awareness and propose forms of action to reduce and eliminate these problems, while contributing to the free expression of identity and sexuality in all areas of society.

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Keith (he/him) is a multidisciplinary designer and researcher whose scholarly work lies in the intersection of digital studies, urban design, cultural heritage, and queer of colour critique. Currently, he is completing his MA in Adult Education and Community Development at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education where his CGS-M funded thesis research explores the use of playful and -based pedagogies to engage and empower queer of colour youth and what it means to build queer futures in the now through the help of digital technologies.

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Leah Muñoz Contreras (pronouns: she/her) is a PhD student in philosophy of science at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She studied biology and then a master in philosophy of science in the field of science and technology studies (STS). Her doctoral research focus in the biopolitics of new material feminism and explanations from contemporary biology related to sex and gender. Her broad areas of interests are science and gender studies, new material feminism, trans studies and transfeminism, body studies, science and technology studies and philosophy of science. Also Leah has studied topics related to gender violence against trans communities, in particular the phenomenon of transfeminicide.

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Liam Cahill (pronouns: he/him/his) is a PhD student at Nottingham Trent University School of Psychology. His research is broadly interested in exploring body image concerns among people who identify as LGBTQ+, with a specific interest in addressing how body image concerns may negatively influence quality of life, which is a subclinical indicator for wellbeing. He is also particularly keen on exploring these issues using experimental methodologies and with a focus on using advanced statistical approaches. In the past, he secured British Psychological Society funding to create a new implicit measure of identifying body image concerns among cisgender men (including LGBTQ+ cisgender men). Before pursuing his PhD, Liam has been involved in a variety of research assistant/associate roles and has worked as a clinical research assistant/data scientist within the NHS Eating Disorder Unit. In addition to this, in the past year, Liam has collaborated as a research associate with Prof Daragh McDermott and Dr Beth Jones investigating the influence that traditional gender norms have on attitudes towards the trans and gender diverse community.

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Luis Enrique García (pronouns: ze/hir) is a PhD student in Cultural Studies specialized in Gender, Sexuality and Power at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. Ze has a Master's degree in Natural Sciences and Rural Development from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur and a second Master's degree in Gestalt Psychotherapy from the Claudio Naranjo Institute in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, México. Since 2018, ze is part of the Ibero-American Laboratory in Sexuality Studies (LIESS in spanish). Nowadays, hir work includes the development of educational and psychological intervention projects using affirmative, transfeminist and transhumanist perspectives. Hir research interest include queer studies, porn studies, philosophy of mind and, most recently, violence in educational institutions.

Megan Doyle (she/her) is a PhD student at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. Megan received her BSW and MSW from the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before starting her PhD, Megan worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in various mental health settings, where she saw an alarming lapse in competent and affirming mental health care for LGBTQIA+ youth. Now, as a researcher, Megan is passionate about using her clinical background to inform her substantive area. Megan’s research interests focus broadly on collective and community mental health healing for LGBTQIA+ youth outside of traditional mental health systems. Currently, Megan is focused on addressing the disproportionate rate of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in LGBTQIA+ youth populations. Megan hopes to integrate technology and arts-based methodologies to challenge coercive mental health systems and provide LGBTQIA+ youth with the opportunity for safe collective healing. Megan works directly with her mentor, Dr. Anthony Fulginiti, on suicide-related research. Additionally, Megan is a member of Dr. Eugene Walls’ LGBQT/NB research team and the LGBTQ Caucus of Social Work Students & Faculty.

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Mel McDonald (pronouns: they/them/theirs) is a non-binary student in the joint MSW/PhD at The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work. They are primarily interested in researching intervention development tailored to the needs of LGBTQ youth, with a primary focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They are also interested in researching the impact that intracommunal gatekeeping has on LGBTQ youth acceptance rates and their mental health. They have participated in standardized patient programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, working to train medical professionals on how to approach LGBTQ patients and their healthcare. They have also spoken as a panel member to medical students and physician assistant students to provide insight to the experiences that LGBTQ patients have with healthcare professionals.

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Molly Pascoe (she/they) is a first year PhD student in Developmental Psychology at the University in Toronto, studying under the mentorship of Dr. Men g - Chuan Lai. She is passionate about the intersection of neurodiversity and queer identities, and about amplifying the voices of those with lived experiences at this intersection. Molly’s PhD research will focus specifically on the gender development of au tistic trans individuals. Molly has significant autism - focused research experience, under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Kelley at Queen’s University. She has also previously worked with queer youth and young adults through the Jewish organizations USY and Hillel, and worked as a queer sexual health educator at the Queen’s University Sexual Health Resource Centre throughout their time in undergrad. Molly is loud and proud about their identity as a queer person.

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Pippa (they/she) is a PhD candidate in Language, Discourse & Communication at King’s College London. They are currently researching the experiences of LGBT+ volunteering communities in Higher Education, and broader research interests include care/community studies, notions of national and linguistic belonging (particularly concerning Dutch national identity), creative methods, and film studies.

They have been involved in voluntary educational and artistic LGBT+ communities for nearly a decade, in various capacities. They are a freelance writer and creative workshop facilitator, with a particular focus on affective writing and collage. Their academic blogs, opinion pieces, and creative work have previously appeared in The F-Word, PinkNews, Salty World, GayTimes, streetcake magazine, Feminist Perspectives, and UCL Europe.

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Ron Meechan (pronouns: he/him/his) is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, within the Institute of Clinical Sciences. Ron is a member of the Risk, Abuse and Violence research programme, where he is investigating Image Based Sexual Abuse and the impact that this is having on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ individuals, including barriers and facilitators to accessing support services. Ron has worked in the area of mental health as a clinician, including child and adolescent services and now works within the education sector, delivering and managing programmes of education to medical, health and social care undergraduate and post graduate students.

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Rory P. O'Brien (they/them) is a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck of Social Work. With nearly a decade of experience as a social worker, educator, and advocate, they currently do research with Dr John Blosnich and, at Washington University in St Louis, Dr Jeremy Goldbach, to understand associations between social policy and LGBTQ+ youth health. They have published using quantitative and qualitative methods in research investigating LGBTQ+ youth coping and minority stress, issues in federal data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity, and associations between structural stigma and youth mental health. Their dissertation research focuses on high school student civic engagement in school policy change in the Los Angeles region.

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Sasha Bailey (pronouns: she/her) is a Research Assistant and PhD Candidate at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. Her research focuses on advancing the epidemiology and prevention of mental ill-health and substance misuse among queer and trans youth, with particular focus on the preventive utility of secondary school settings. Since commencing her PhD in March 2022 to time of writing (August 2024), Sasha has had 15 papers published/accepted with a further 10 under review (20-first author altogether); received 23 awards/prizes (~$136K), including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health 2024 Outstanding Student Contribution Award; and been CI on 5 competitive research grants ($136K), including most recently CI-C on a Suicide Prevention Australia Innovative Research Grant (2024-26) to develop and evaluate a world-first digital peer support suicide prevention program for trans people on a waitlist for initiating gender affirming hormones. Sasha is Secretary of the Public Health Association of Australia NSW Branch and currently serves on three research ethics committees (ACON, Family Planning Australia, and CMHDARN).

Sophia Garlick Bock (pronouns: she/they), is a first year PhD student in the faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney under the supervision of Prof Rachel Skinner, Dr Jen Marino and Cristyn Davies. Their research focuses on LGBTQ+ young people’s co-occurring mental health and drug and alcohol experiences, and protective factors in their lives. They have worked in the youth mental health field for several years, currently working as a Research Coordinator at ReachOut.com. They have worked and volunteered for several Australian LGBTQIA+ organizations including Acon and Switchboard. They are a youth advocate for the Centre of Research Excellence in Global Adolescent Health. She also has a BAdvSci(Hons) in Psychology and BA.

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