“We advocate, we educate, we empower”
Our advocacy team develops various projects, campaigns, and content that seeks to advocate and educate on the sexual health inequities experienced by marginalized communities, and push for change in society and the medical system. We aim to engage healthcare providers and students in creating change within their communities related to various sexual health topics. The team also supports the Sex[M]ed organization with the development of a more anti-oppression perspective through internal workshops, continuous evaluation of Sex[M]ed’s content, and assessing future organizational-wide decisions. To get in touch with the advocacy team, email advocacy@thesexmed.com.
Some of Our Current and Past Projects:
Sex[M]ed’s Abortion Series:
The Sex[M]ed abortion series started after a reflection on the state of abortion care in Canada. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the States, the importance of this procedure cannot be understated. While we wish to acknowledge our privilege to be operating in a country with no legal restrictions on abortions, Sex[M]ed holds ourselves to calling out sexual health injustices and abortion care in Canada is not without its pitfalls.
We have recently launched a petition to advocate for an increase and standardization of abortion training in Canadian medical education. Our opinion article for the Montreal Gazette highlights these gaps in abortion training in medical schools. To learn more and sign the petition, click here.
We followed our petition with an abortion series where we hope to raise awareness, decrease stigma and educate practitioners along with our Sex[M]ed community about socio-politico-legal landscape of abortion in Canada. Check out our abortion series here.
Changes to Canadian Blood Donation Policies:
On April 28th, Canadian health officials announced that they approved the request from Canadian Blood services to lift the restriction on blood donations for men who have sex with men. The new policy, which will take effect no later than September 30th 2022, will screen all potential donors interested in giving blood or plasma, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. For decades, the blood donation policies perpetuated discriminatory practices against individuals apart of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The acknowledgement of this harm and the effort the Canadian Blood Services has taken to loosen regulations surrounding this ban are steps in the right direction. Despite this, Sex[M]ed remains hesitant to the realities of the policy and how it will be enforced. The new policy still contains certain limitations and continues to disproportionally affect 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. To learn more and read Sex[M]ed’s statement regarding the changes to Canadian blood donation policies, click here. Additionally, check out this article written by the Hoser in which we discuss some of these limitations further.
Call for Standardization of 2SLGBTQIA+ Medical Education:
2SLGBTQIA+ medical education across Canada is inconsistent and limited. Currently there are no assessment objectives specifically relating to the health of 2SLGBTQIA+ patients set by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Through this call to action, we are demanding the creation of a national Canadian standard mandating inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ curricula in medical education, including competency-based and license-related standards for 2SLGBTQIA+ medical education. To learn more and sign the petition, click here.
Sex[M]ed 2021 Election Report Card:
With the elections on September 20, 2021, we examined each political party’s platform on three key sexual health related issues: Sex Work Decriminalization, Access to Abortion, and Ending the Discriminatory Blood Donation Ban. Sexual health issues are political, especially when they are related to marginalized communities like sex workers, people who can get pregnant, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Health and social policy can contribute either to preventing or perpetuating systemic oppression and violence experienced by marginalized communities. Whether a political party addresses or ignores these sexual health issues speaks volumes related to which communities’ health they care about and which they don’t. Check out our 2021 Elections Report Card here.
Black History Month:
Being raised and socialized in an anti-Black society means that there is no such thing as being not racist. But we must intentionally and continuously practice being anti-racist. For Black History Month in February 2021, we provided information about the history of anti-Black racism in sexual health care and research, and highlighted individuals and groups working to address sexual health inequities experienced by diverse Black communities in Canada.
Check out some of our social media content from Black History Month here, here, and here. Check out the instagram takeover by Natasha (she/her), Community Health Worker at Women Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre, who educated us on what healthcare providers and students should know to provide improved care for African, Caribbean, and Black women and trans folks here.
Diversity Awareness:
At Sex[M]ed, we commemorate various diversity awareness days by sharing educational content on social media. This is important to us at Sex[M]ed, because our work aims to highlight the health and wellbeing of communities most impacted by systemic oppression. In the past, we have engaged folks in learning and thinking critically about International Women’s Day, International Sex Workers Day, Intersex Awareness Day, and Trans Day of Visibility, among others. Check them out, here, here, here, and here.
(Un)Learning within Sex[M]ed:
Sex[M]ed was started to highlight what is missing from the healthcare curriculum by providing inclusive, diverse, and comprehensive resources about sexual health. A major component of what is missing in Canadian university curriculum and programs is an intersectional and anti-oppressive approach. With this in mind, Sex[M]ed aims to engage as a team in continuously learning and (un)learning about the systems of oppression in our society. This is important to us in order to hold ourselves accountable and to be more informed of anti-oppressive practices as an organization. The goal is to continue to think critically about the projects, research, resources, and materials we are creating and publishing, in order to continue to be part of improving sexual healthcare and to do less harm. Sex[M]ed has various approaches to (un)learning as an organization. During the first year as an organization, the team engaged in two anti-oppression training workshops. We also have bi-weekly meetings to discuss and plan for improvements to Sex[M]ed and our organizational structure. Currently, we engage in monthly (un)learning through the facilitation of reading and discussion groups as a team.
