'Sometimes white doctors are not very friendly or inclusive’: A Critical Race Theory analysis of racism within and beyond sexual health settings
Date
2025
Authors
Hassan, Abdi
Dulai, Joshun
Stewart, MacKenzie
Ryu, Heeho
Anand, Praney
Worthington, Catherine
Gilbert, Mark
Grace, Daniel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Culture, Health & Sexuality
Abstract
Many Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer Black, Indigenous, people of colour in Canada encounter racism when testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. Our objective in this study was to understand how racism shapes testing experiences for these communities in Ontario, Canada. Four peer researchers conducted recruitment and data collection in consultation with a community advisory board. Focus groups and interviews took place with 21 participants and their narrative accounts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants identified three interrelated issues when testing: (1) experiencing judgement and discomfort due to racism; (2) lack of community and cultural indicators in testing spaces; and (3) barriers to accessing testing centres and services. Systemic racism was linked to each of these barriers, including increased distance to testing centres due to racial segregation. Participant accounts signal the need for antiracist testing spaces and practices. Key implications include the need for antiracism training for health service providers and others working with Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and the organisations that serve them, in order to make testing spaces safer. Dismantling systemic racism is imperative to achieve health equity for members of these communities.
Description
Keywords
Black, indigenous, and other people of colour (BIPOC), critical race theory (CRT), Ontario, Canada, STI testing, Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SGBTQ+), Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Aspiration Research Cluster
Citation
Hassan, A., Dulai, J., Stewart, M., Ryu, H., Anand, P., Worthington, C., … Grace, D. (2025). ‘Sometimes white doctors are not very friendly or inclusive’: a Critical Race Theory analysis of racism within and beyond sexual health settings. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 27(2), 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2024.2367683