Are you a trans man or transmasculine person?

Have you attended a sexual healthcare clinic, or sought sexual healthcare advice from a doctor or healthcare professional, in Australia?

Are you eighteen years of age or older?

You may be eligible to take part in a research interview and help improve sexual health services for your community!

About the research

The project is community-focussed, led and conducted by researchers who are part of the transmasculine community.

We are seeking volunteer research participants to be involved in a study about trans men and transmasculine people’s experiences of sexual health services in Australia. The study aims to understand whether trans men’s and transmasculine people’s specific sexual healthcare needs are being satisfactorily addressed, whether or not they find the advice, education, diagnoses and treatments that their healthcare practitioners provide to be appropriate and relevant, and how it can be improved.

The research is also seeking to understand how trans men and transmasculine people feel about their experiences of sexual healthcare, and how their experiences are impacted by different social, cultural or structural factors. The project will focus on relationships between patient and service provider, asking not just whether medical care was provided, but also whether or not participants felt safe, respected, and comfortable in the process of accessing treatment.

This study is open to anyone who is a trans man or transmasculine, including non-binary people who identify with transmasculinity.

About you

You may be eligible if you:

• are 18 years of age or older;
• are a trans man, transmasculine, FTM and/or Brotherboy, or otherwise identify with transmasculinity;
• have attended a sexual healthcare clinic and/or sought advice from doctor or healthcare professional about sexual health in Australia; and
• are able to converse in English, even if it is not your first language.

Sexual health services you might have accessed include (but are not limited to):

• HIV testing/treatment;
• Testing/treatment for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs);
• Cervical screening/pap smear;
• Contraception/birth control;
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and/or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP);
• Assessment and treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs), thrush, or similar.

If you are interested in taking part in a research interview for this project, contact Florin (contact details below). Florin will get in touch to conduct a short screening process, consisting of a few questions, to confirm your eligibility.

Once we have confirmed that you are eligible, a time will be arranged for a 60–90-minute interview to take place, conducted by Florin (in person or via online video call), where you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts about your experiences of sexual healthcare. 

About the doctoral investigator

Florin Douglas (BA (Hons)) is a PhD candidate based at Deakin University as part of the school of Sociology and the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. Florin is a queer trans man and has used his research and writing skills to advocate for trans people for many years. He is deeply passionate about sexual health and the study of trans men’s sexuality.

 

 

 

 

About the chief investigator

Dr J. R. Latham is a Research Fellow in Public Health at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, and an Honorary Fellow in Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne. His work considers how self-understandings of gender and sexuality intersect with norms of society and practices of medicine. He is a queer trans man deeply invested in improving healthcare for marginalised people, and he has published widely in these areas.

 

Contact us and get involved

If you are interested in taking part in a research interview for this project, contact Florin via email or via form. 

Contact Florin via email: [email protected]

OR 

Click here to contact Florin via form

Once you’ve reached out, Florin will get in touch to conduct a short screening process, consisting of a few questions, to confirm your eligibility. Once we have confirmed that you are eligible, a time will be arranged for a 60–90-minute interview to take place, conducted by Florin (in person or via online video call), where you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts about your experiences of sexual healthcare.