2SLGBTQ+ Peoples use of Dating Apps during COVID-19

In recent years, the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness and the Nova Scotia Health Authority have named mental health as one of the province’s key priorities. This project responds to and advances this priority by investigating the mental health of people who identify as Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual/gender minority identities (2SLGBTQ+), a historically marginalized population whose health is often at risk.

2SLGBTQ+ people are avid users of dating apps and, with the Covid-19 pandemic limiting in-person interactions, 2SLGBTQ+ people have relied on technology more than ever to create, maintain, and develop relationships. This project is unique in that it recognizes dating apps as a milieu where 2SQLGBTQ+ people interact and build community. Technology is an integral part of today’s world and 2SLGBTQ+ people rely on technology to provide a safe, virtual space where they can congregate and escape from harm and challenges often present in physical spaces. Particularly for young 2SLGBTQ+ people who live in rural Nova Scotia, dating apps may be one of the few spaces in which they feel safe to be their true selves. This project is taking a mixed methods approach to generate new knowledge about the mental health of 2SLGBTQ+ people, researching health inequities related to their experiences with dating apps and the Covid-19 pandemic.