Image credit: Francesca Roh/Xtra
With schools closed and community events cancelled due to COVID-19, LGBTQ2 youth expert Jen Gilbert says it’s more important than ever for young people to stay connected with each other online. An associate professor in York University’s Faculty of Education, Gilbert centres her research around LGBTQ2 youth, teachers, families and sex education in schools.
“I think for young people, especially young people who live at home with their parents, they may not have the same kind of access to queer and trans communities that they did prior to the pandemic,” says Gilbert. “I think that, as difficult as school can be for many queer and trans youth, it also is a place where queer and trans young people come together and make friends and have networks.”