Neuro-Queeriosity takes a cross-sectional survey approach seeking to expand the understanding of how non-affirmation of identity is related to minority stress (community connectedness, pride and identity concealment) and how it impacts mental wellness outcomes for GNM individuals. This work utilizes Gender Minority Stress, Social Identity Theory grounded and the Neurodiversity Paradigm (NdP). The NdP locates the issue of neurodivergence within the environment and flips neurodivergence from pathologized to a social identity, a normal variance in the spectrum of cognition. NdP is a community- developed paradigm and answers the emancipatory community actions calling for personal agency and depathologization. This work seeks to further inform Social Work of affirmative approaches to supporting GNM community building with awareness of queer multiplicity. This work seeks to explore the impact of non-affirmation, concealment, community connection, and pride on mental wellness.
The purpose of this research is:
RQ1: How does non-affirmation, and concealment impact the mental well-being of GNM people in Canada?
RQ2: How does pride, community connectedness and advocacy impact the mental well- being GNM people in Canada?
RQ3: What are the experiences of engaging with the community and advocacy for GNM individuals?
RQ4: How do these findings translate to social work best practices in supporting GNM individuals, education and research?
Using a cross-sectional survey, housed on "Qualtrics" participants who are over 15 years of age, able to communicate in English, have the capacity to give informed consent and self- identify as being both GM and NM, will be asked to respond to both quantitative closed- ended questions and qualitative open-ended questions. The survey will be trialed by an invited focus group of six participants of GNM individuals that meet the study inclusion criteria. The focus group will meet for 1.5 hours on the Zoom platform to share feedback (accessibility, language, and content) surrounding the experience of participating in the survey (Morgan, 1998). This study aims to recruit (n=500) (Price et al., 2005) participants.
It is anticipated that this research will support and affirm the significance of pride, affirmation, and community connectedness and reinforce the significance of upholding the human rights protections of GNM Canadians while supporting the provision of affirmative services with awareness to the current political context that endangers protections for GNM people. To better understand spaces of GNM resilience and improve social work education and practice that further develops social work interventions, clinical practice, research, and education that supports and fosters mental well-being through the support growth of healthy GNM communities is needed. This work seeks to produce findings that complicate social work's conceptualization of the intersection of gender and Neurodiversity.
About the researcher
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 practice. Ali has worked as a research assistant with INQYR and the Affirmative Research Collaborative under Dr. Shelley Craig over the last two years.