About
TranStories is a part of a community-based participatory research project titled “Exploring barriers and facilitators in attaining positive sexual health among trans-femme young adults"
Our goal is to share the stories and experiences of our trans-femme co-researchers. With the use of various materials we have produced, we focus on education and awareness and build health and social equity. All of the materials have been prepared together with the trans-femme co-researchers and represent their actual words. We have tried to present a ton of different perspectives, however, we would like to acknowledge that this is not representative of the experiences of all trans-femme people.
Trigger Warning: Some of the materials may contain triggering and/or sensitive images or content. If you feel triggered, please know that there are help and resources available. We also encourage you to care for your safety and well-being.
Title: Exploring barriers and facilitators in achieving positive sexual health among trans-femme young adults: Community-based Participatory Research Approach
A robust body of literature indicates a paucity of research using a community-based participatory research approach exclusively targeting the trans-femme community. The purpose of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators in achieving positive sexual health among trans-femme young adults and using a participatory approach.
We used photovoice to facilitate group conversations with trans-femme young adults (18 to 35 years) and a group dialogue with key stakeholders to generate data. Co-researchers took photographs of anything that negatively or positively influenced their sexual health and wellbeing. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing in place, co-researchers used their cameras or phone camera to take pictures. We used Zoom video conferencing software for group meetings. A participatory approach was utilized to identify recurring themes from the data. Once we identified significant recurring themes, we planned for various arts-based materials to prepare as a part of knowledge translation and for knowledge sharing. The materials presented in this blog are the resulting product of this research work. Using various arts-based ways and artistic expressions to gather data and share our findings with a participatory approach allowed trans-femme co-researchers to communicate directly with the community and the targeted audience (health professionals, non-health professionals, artists, and basically everyone).
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The Plan for this study has been reviewed for its adherence to Ethical Guidelines and approved by the Research Ethics Board (REB 1) at the University of Alberta. For questions regarding participant rights and ethical conduct of research, contact the Research Ethics Office at (780) 492-2615. [Pro00095420]