La Trobe University > Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society > Our work > LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing

LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing

ARCSHS houses Australia’s largest research program focused on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing.

We cover a wide range of research subjects, including:

  • mental health
  • substance use
  • family, domestic and sexual violence
  • health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ people
  • disability
  • older people
  • spirituality and spiritual care
  • suicide prevention

We work in meaningful partnership with LGBTIQ+ community organisations and stakeholders to maximise our impact. We are also responsible for two of the biggest national surveys on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing including:

  • Private Lives: exploring the health and wellbeing of adult LGBTIQ+ people
  • Writing Themselves In: examining the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ young people.

Our projects include:

Theme co-convenors:

Joel Anderson and Ruby Grant

Latest updates

Trans Health: Insights from ARCSHS Cover of Trans Health: Insights from ARCSHS, by Ruby Grant, Natalie Amos and Adam Bourne, with a design of two stylised cartoon people with pink, blue, white and black clothing wearing trans flag/transgender symbols

A summary and synthesis of our peer-reviewed analyses of the impact of gender affirmation on the lives of trans and gender diverse people.

Download Trans Health: Insights from ARCSHS

LGBTQIA+ people's experiences of cancer care and navigation services Cover of LGBTQIA+ people's experiences of cancer care and navigation services, by Associate Professor Joel Anderson, Ms Ella Dingle, Mr Dylan Henry, Ms Serena Pehlivanidis, Ms Donna Sombrea, Mr Mason Trinh, Dr Ruby Grant and Professor Adam Bourne, with the logo of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University and a design of an abstract painted colour gradient in rainbow colours.

This Cancer-Council-Australia-commissioned report brings together evidence on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people with cancer across the care continuum.

The findings highlight persistent disparities, systemic barriers, and psychosocial challenges, while also identifying protective factors and opportunities for service improvement.

Download LGBTIQA+ cancer care (PDF)
Download LGBTIQA+ cancer care (Word)

At the Intersection of LGBTQA+ Identity and Ethnicity: Insights on Mental Health and Suicidality in Australia Cover of 'At the intersection of LGBTQA+ Identity and Ethnicity: Insights on mental health and suicidality in Australia' by Jordan D. X. Hinton, Natalie Amos, Gene Lim, Kian Jin Tan and Adam Bourne, with the logos of ARCSHS at La Trobe, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, MindOut and the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

A series of briefing papers taking a deep dive into data on LGBTQA+ mental health and sucidality with four separate intersections: ethnicity, older age, residential location and socio-economic status.

Explore the briefing papers

LGBTQA+ Mental health and suicidality: State and territory briefing papers Cover of LGBTQA+ Mental Health and Suicidality: State and Territory Snapshots, with authors Jordan D. X. Hinton, Gene Lim, Natalie Amos, Joel Anderson and Adam Bourne, logos of ARCSHS La Trobe, LGBTQ+ Health Australia and MindOut, and a graphic of a map of Australia coloured in the colours of the progress pride flag with magnifying glasses, framed like a photograph in a viewfinder

This series of eight briefing papers, plus an overview snapshot, provides a deep-dive into LGBTQA+ mental health and suicidality on a state-by-state basis.

Overview: State and territory snapshots

QSOX Briefing Papers Cover of 'QSOX: Queer Women's Substance Use over Time: Briefing Paper 1 - LBQ Women and Alcohol, by Ruby Grant, Julie Mooney-Somers, Amy Pennay, Ruth McNair, Jennifer Power, Jami Jones and Adam Bourne, featuring the QSOX logo with a cigarette forming the tail of the Q, a rainbow inside the O and a wine bottle crossing the X, with a design of various diverse hands holding wine and spirit glasses, beer cans and bottles, and two hands holding each other.

A series of three briefing papers exploring lesbian, bisexual and queer women's alcohol, tobacco and vape use, plus a practice guide for alcohol and other drug services and professionals.

QSOX: LBQ women's substance use over time

Futures of Substance Briefing Papers Report cover for 'Futures of substance: Executive summary' with design of five colourful parallel curving lines and additional text: 'Exploring impactful (or 'problematic') alcohol and other drug use in LGBTQ+ communities' and authors Gene Lim, Ruby Grant, Adrian Farrugia, Ruth McNair, Leonie Ryan, Nic Robinson-Griffith and Adam Bourne, with the logos of ARCSHS/La Trobe, ADRIA, Thorne Harbour Health and VAADA.

This series of briefing papers explores impactful (or 'problematic') alcohol and other drug use in LGBTQ+ communities, including motivations, understandings, experiences of professional support, and peer cultures of care.

Futures of Substance briefing papers

Private Lives 3 - National ReportCover of Private Lives 3: The health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people in Australia, by Adam O. Hill, Adam Bourne, Ruth McNair, Marina Carman and Anthony Lyons, with a design of swirled rainbow pages and the logos of La Trobe University and ARCSHS

Australia’s largest national survey of the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people, funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Download the Private Lives 3 National Report (PDF, 2.8MB)

Writing Themselves In 4 National ReportThe cover of LGBTQA+ Health and Wellbeing in South Australia: Secondary Analyses from Private Lives 3, Writing Themselves In 4 and Pride and Pandemic, by Natalie Amos, Jordan D. X. Hinton and Adam Bourne, published by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University and Preventive Health SA, with a design of a map of Australia with SA highlighted and a variety of icons, including leaves, flowers, fingerprints, houses, rainbows, apples, health wristbands, families, crowds and mortarboards.

Findings from a survey of 6,418 LGBTQA+ people aged 14 to 21 about their experiences with education, homelessness, harassment, assault, mental health, community connections, and more, alongside key recommendations for action.

Download the Writing Themselves In 4 National Report

Health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQ+ people: factsheets Text 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ experiences: Factsheet 1: Diversity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people' over painting 'Ngutan Dunguludja Mulana Woka: Many strong spirits in country', capturing a snapshot of the vibrant and varied tapestry of LGBTQA+ First Nations communities.

A series of factsheets bringing together data from three major LGBTIQA+ population studies, with a focus on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants.

Browse the factsheets

Rainbow RealitiesText 'Rainbow Realities: In-depth analyses of large-scale LGBTQA+ health and wellbeing data in Australia, by Natalie Amos, Gene Lim, Pip Buckingham, Ashleigh Lin, Shakara Liddelow-Hunt, Julie Mooney-Somers and Adam Bourne, on behalf of the Private Lives 3, Writing Themselves In 4, SWASH, Trans Pathways, Walkern Katadjin and Pride and Pandemic teams' with the logos of La Trobe University, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, the Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Sydney, the University of Western Australia and LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, with a design of two seated people, one with blue hair and a pink top striped top looking depressed, talking and gesticulating to someone with glasses and a notebook

Commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to inform the development of the 10-year LGBTIQA+ Health and Wellbeing Action Plan, this report provides a synthesis of pre-existing findings as well as more than 50 new analyses derived from the data of six surveys of LGBTQA+ populations in Australia.

Download Rainbow Realities

LGBTQA+ people with disabilityText 'Research report: Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQA+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys. Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University. November 2022.' with the logo of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, on a background of teal and purple triangles.

This report, created for the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, is a comprehensive deep-dive into the experiences of LGBTQA+ people with disability in Australia.

Download the report (PDF 1.78MB, link will open in a new window)
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