Ontario-specific findings from the Pink Paper on Health reveal that while Ontario benefits from a higher concentration of 2SLGBTQIA+-specific health services in Toronto and Ottawa, significant gaps persist – particularly in mental health care and rural access.

Ontario findings highlight:

  • Greater access to specialist and gender-affirming providers compared to other provinces

  • Continued dissatisfaction with mental health services

  • High levels of stigma experienced in mainstream healthcare settings

  • Rural communities facing compounded barriers despite provincial resources

Even in Canada’s most service-rich province, the data shows that systemic inequities remain deeply embedded.

In response to the findings, Pink Triangle Press has launched Script, a new digital platform providing credible, community-informed 2SLGBTQIA+ health reporting, designed to close critical gaps in queer and trans health information.

Based on a cross-sectional survey of more than 2,100 respondents nationwide, half of whom identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, the study found that 2SLGBTQIA+ communities experience poorer health outcomes, reduced access to care, and higher levels of discrimination than non-2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians. Funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) with research conducted by Environics Research, the Pink Triangle Press Pink Paper examines disparities across health outcomes, access to services, quality of care, and experiences of stigma within Canada’s healthcare system.

Key findings from the 2025 Pink Paper on Health include:

  • Health disparities: 40% of 2SLGBTQIA+ respondents reported significantly higher rates of cancer, mental health conditions, anxiety, depression, and other chronic illnesses – nearly double the rate reported by non-2SLGBTQIA+ respondents (20%).
  • Quality of life: 2SLGBTQIA+ populations report lower Quality of Life scores, with the widest gap in psychological well-being (61% vs. 69% for non-2SLGBTQIA+).
  • Access to care: Mental health care and gender-affirming services were identified as the most important yet least accessible and least satisfactory services, with satisfaction below 30% for 2SLGBTQIA+ respondents.
  • Discrimination: Many respondents, most acutely Two-Spirit (77%), reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings, leading some to conceal their identity or delay care.
  • Barriers and mistrust: Inconsistent service and limited access to affirming care led to delayed treatment and greater reliance on online health resources, with 56% of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals turning to online platforms compared to 40% of cisgender and heterosexual respondents.

The report identifies gaps in healthcare provider training, access to inclusive services and culturally safe care as contributing factors to these disparities. It includes recommendations intended to support policymakers, healthcare providers and educators in improving health equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada.

As part of its long-standing mission to serve the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with trusted, independent journalism for more than 50 years, Pink Triangle Press launched Script, a one-stop editorial destination for credible, community-informed 2SLGBTQIA+ health reporting. The platform is supported by three tailored health newsletters: Dose, which delivers targeted health information for queer men; Vital, focused on essential health information for queer women; and Signal, providing credible, affirming health coverage created by and for trans and gender-diverse communities. Script and its newsletters are published in both English and French. More information is available at www.script.health.

The full 2025 Pink Paper on Health is available at www.pinkpaper.ca.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.