**Important note: Our email domain has changed from cassa.on.ca to cassa.ca. If your emails are bouncing back, please use the following domain to contact our staff: [staffname]@cassa.ca**
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Have you ever felt unseen, judged, or dismissed by a doctor?

You're not imagining it. And we're finally doing something about it.

Why this matters

If you’re queer and South Asian, your healthcare experiences matter — and they haven’t been studied enough. Until now.

Many LGBTQIA+ South Asians in Canada describe walking into a doctor’s office and immediately code-switching. Hiding who they are. Bracing for judgment. Leaving without the care they actually needed.

Whether it was a family doctor who avoided the conversation, a clinic that didn’t offer PrEP, or a specialist who made assumptions — these experiences are real, they’re common, and they have consequences for our health.

The research

We’re listening — and building evidence that demands change.

CASSA (Council of Agencies Serving South Asians) is leading a national research study documenting the discrimination and prejudice experienced by LGBTQIA+ South Asians when accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare across Canada.

This study spans Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta — and it centres your voice.

What we’re exploring:

  • The barriers queer South Asians face when seeking sexual and reproductive health care
  • How cultural and religious stigma shows up in clinical settings
  • Experiences with HIV prevention (PrEP, PEP, Doxy-PEP) and whether access is equitable
  • What healthcare providers understand — and what they’re missing
  • What needs to change, and how

The findings will shape a national report with real recommendations for healthcare providers and policymakers across Canada.

Could your experience be part of this?

We’re looking for people who:

  • Identify as LGBTQIA+
  • Come from a South Asian background— Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Afghan, Indo-Caribbean, Bhutanese, or similar
  • Are 18 years or older
  • Live in or access healthcare in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, or Alberta

Consultations will be held in-person and virtually, in English and in South Asian languages. Everything you share is confidential.

Partners

This research is led by CASSA and Funded by Health Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund

Stay in the loop

Consultations open this summer.

Sign up below and we’ll reach out when recruitment begins in your province — no commitment, no spam.


Your information will only be used to contact you about this study. It will never be shared with third parties.

“This research is by and for our community. Your story has value — and it deserves to be heard by people who will actually do something with it.”

Questions? shahbaz@cassa.ca

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