Keynote

This conference will bring together three presentations on the realities experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ people in New Brunswick, drawing on research, data, and field-based experience.

Nadia Bouhamdani (she/her), clinical specialist and researcher at Vitalité Health Network, and Ziya Jones (they/them), Editor-in-Chief of Script, will present on the health inequalities experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ people in New Brunswick and on how data can support concrete actions toward greater health equity.

Chantal Bourassa (she/her), professor at the Université de Moncton’s School of Social Work, Alex Brownstein (they/them), emerging social sciences researcher, and Zivi Richard (they/them), 2SLGBTQIA+ Policy Analyst at the Department of Women’s Equality, will then offer a reflection on stigma and access to services through an intersectional reading of care pathways and of the barriers that remain within care and support systems.

Finally, Kim Dubé (she/her), Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, Marie-Pier Rivest (she/her), Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, and Marie-Lou Blanchard (she/her), Master’s student in Social Sciences at the Université de Moncton, will present preliminary findings on hate crimes and hateful behaviours targeting Francophone 2ELGBTQIA+ communities in New Brunswick, as well as their effects on sense of safety and mental health.

Nadia Bouhamdani, PhD, is a Clinical Specialist and Researcher at Vitalité Health Network (N.B.), as well as an adjunct Professor at the Université de Moncton and the Université de Sherbrooke. She supports clinicians in complex cases, develops genomics tools for the diagnosis of rare diseases, and conducts research on equity, health inequities, access to care, and patient experience, particularly among marginalized populations.

Ziya Jones oversees all of Script’s content. They previously served as Health Editor at Xtra magazine. Before joining Pink Triangle Press, they worked at Reader’s Digest Canada and Journalists for Human Rights. Their award-winning work has been published in numerous outlets, including the Toronto Star, The Narwhal, and Châtelaine.

Chantal Bourassa  has been a professor at the School of Social Work for nearly thirty years. Her research focuses on family, interpersonal, and structural violence. Driven by a desire to contribute to lasting structural change, she is interested in improving policies, professional practices, and social conditions affecting marginalized populations, particularly 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Alex Brownstein is a queer activist, speaker on leadership, and emerging student researcher. They are currently pursuing a master’s degree in social sciences at the Université de Moncton.

Zivi Richard is a queer and non-binary clinical social worker and 2SLGBTQIA+ Policy Analyst at the Office of Women and Gender Equity, as well as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Provincial Health Summit. They have fifteen years of experience in gender-based violence prevention, gender diversity inclusion, and gender-affirming care.

Kim Dubé is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the Université de Moncton. Her research focuses on gender-based violence, including sexual violence in sport, violence against older women, and violence affecting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Her theoretical and methodological interests include intersectional feminism, critical criminology, feminist discourse analysis, and qualitative methods.

Marie-Pier Rivest is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at the Université de Moncton. Her research takes a critical look at interventions and experiences related to mental health among youth and adults, as well as various forms of social vulnerability such as homelessness.

Marie-Lou Blanchard is a master’s student in social sciences at the Université de Moncton, where she also works as a research assistant and project coordinator. Her research focuses on representations of masculinities, particularly those associated with the manosphere, and their impacts on youth in New Brunswick.