The Impacts of Intersecting Stigmas on Health and Housing Experiences of Queer Women Sex Workers in Vancouver, Canada

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore how queer women sex workers’ experiences of stigma impacted health and housing access in Vancouver, Canada. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 queer women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada between June 2012 and May 2013. Participants described sexual stigma in the form of discriminatory comments about their sexuality, and in the form of barriers to housing and complexities in maintaining their relationships in supported housing environments. Enacted stigma was also experienced, particularly drug use-related stigma, in healthcare settings. Consequently, some participants reported felt stigma in the form of hiding their sexuality and relationships to mitigate stigma and to gain access to services. Participants experienced a variety of stigma related to drug use, housing insecurity, and sexuality; thereby demonstrating the intersecting dimensions of stigma and structural oppressions in the lives of the queer women sex workers.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex work
• queer
• stigma
• gender
• housing
• healthcare
• substance use
• bisexual

Acknowledgments

We thank all those who generously contributed their time and expertise to this project, particularly the participants, research assistants, community advisory board members and partner agencies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Coast Salish territories encompass a number of Indigenous peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. This territory is unceded, which means Indigenous peoples never surrendered this land (Hunt & Holmes, 2015).

2. Cisgender refers to a person whose gender feels congruent to their assigned sex at birth.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by operating grants from the US National Institutes of Health [R01DA033147]. At the time of the research TL and AK were supported through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. KS was partially supported by a Canada Research Chair in Global Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award.